Raw/Whole Prey Diet Appreciation Thread! *graphic warning*

[satomi325]

Ive been in the pet business for like 15 years...and your ferrets look beautiful! Yes, working in the industry and getting lots of pet nutrition training, (esp. for dog and cat health) IMO, going grain free is the best choice for all obligate carnivores...esp. cats. People spend sooooo much money on their cats to help them get better, wheras it all could have been prevented by just making a few changes in their diet. I worked at a store in jersey, and we sold a lot of the frozen raw meat diets for dogs and cats. The customers that did do the "BARF" diet had pets that looked great! And for the most part, people that had a dog/cat that had a health issue and did NOT feed a grain free diet quickly discovered the benefits when they eliminated the grain from the diet. Did you carefully research how to switch your ferrets over?

Thank you!
I agree. I think grain free is best for obligate carnivores as well. Dogs too, honestly.
But don't forget to look at the ingredients list for the grain free stuff. They usually substitute the grain portion for corn or other starch/carb since they're all binders that hold the kibble together. I recently just read a study done on rats who were fed GMO corn their entire lives. They grew massive tumors as large as their own bodies. So staying away from grain/corn/etc is best imo. Who knows where pet food companies get their ingredients.

BARF diet is so awesome. I haven't tried it, but I'd like to some day.

I did do quite a bit of research before switching my ferrets over. I know there are 'good and bad' kibbles, but even the good commercial kibbles aren't that great. The top premium commercial ferret diets (by Wysong) that are pure animal meat content costs an arm and a leg. For an 18 pound bag, it's $80! It's much more efficient and easier on the wallet to feed them raw whole prey. Plus it's a rather enriching activity for the ferrets.

Also, after comparing the average American ferret with the average European ferret was an eye opener. In Europe, ferrets are working animals. They don't have commerical kibbles over there, so they are fed a strict raw diet. European ferrets are so much more robust and healthy. They don't have the same health issues America ferrets have. A lot of it is related to the grain/carb/starch in their diets.

If you are interested, this is a nice overview of Ferret Insulinoma (hypoglycemis) and the importance of diet:
http://holisticferret60.proboards.co...ay&thread=2702