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Post by spiritualtramp on Dec 30, 2008 11:35:05 GMT -5
On the FML today that post asking if turkey was okay for ferrets?  Apparently the poster read somewhere (the ASPCA I think) that turkey is bad for dogs (ridiculous claim, I'd say!) and was wondering if it's true for ferrets too. She didn't say why they claimed it was unhealthy and even dangerous for dogs, but the only thing I could even kind of see is maybe the fat content of the skin would be too much for some dogs to digest easily. After laughing hysterically for a while, I replied that turkey, unseasoned and raw, is a-ok. Why do organizations spread those crazy untruths? Gosh, that drives me batty. |
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Post by bigsis7 on Dec 30, 2008 11:44:06 GMT -5
 !! Oh gosh. I think people probably spread rumors like these because it's easier to make up something than research and find out the reality of things. Maybe they meant cooked turkey?? Even then it's not terrible for dogs or ferrets. |
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Post by tss on Dec 30, 2008 11:44:59 GMT -5
I think I know what they are talking about.. I get ASPCA newsletters and every year they send out things saying not to give your pets turkey or ham, because the high (cooked) fat content can cause pancreitas.
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Post by jojodancer on Dec 30, 2008 14:29:06 GMT -5
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Post by tsslilsis on Dec 30, 2008 15:14:35 GMT -5
My dogs are raw fed, Jojo. They mostly eat deer but also eat chicken and turkey and it has never caused a problem. Dogs were meant to eat raw meats, and the way I see it it strengthens their immune systems.. A kibble fed dog would be like a baby exposed to very few germs, and a raw fed dog would be like a baby who is exposed to many germs.. Of course they will have stronger immune systems.
Spoiled raw food might be an issue for ferrets, but it isn't for dogs. My dog Sally won't eat fresh chicken, only chicken that has been smothered in juices from red meat or spoiled chicken. Once Sally had hid chicken outside during a meal, two weeks later her and Tessa got into a scuffle and when we went to see what was going on.. Tessa had found her chicken that she had stored.. Sally ate it (Remember, this was two weeks after she hid it) and she didn't even get sick. Thats the thing.. With wild dogs, if they don't have a lot of choice as to what they can hunt then they might scavenge.. I'm not saying my dogs are wild, but spoiled meat doesn't faze them and I don't mind them having some every so often.
-~Ketlin
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Post by spiritualtramp on Dec 30, 2008 18:46:08 GMT -5
Wolves naturally like to let their prey autolyse a bit in the wild anyway --- the rotting essentially helps to 'pre-digest' any of the harder-to-process things like fats!!!
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Post by jojodancer on Dec 31, 2008 10:34:46 GMT -5
"the rotting essentially helps to 'pre-digest' any of the harder-to-process things like fats"
ewww.....
and of course, as I skimmed and read this, i read it as "farts" and not "fats"
HAHAHAHAHAHHA
I kept thinking about the FML post, and the only thing the ASPCA warns about is the salmonella and e Coli. I had thought that it might have to do with the brining that most turkeys get now. But they didn't mention that at all.
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Post by spiritualtramp on Dec 31, 2008 10:43:37 GMT -5
Someone did post about the brining today, but of course one can still buy unbrined turkey (and chicken) or soak the meat in cold water to take some of the saline out.
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Post by Heather on Dec 31, 2008 15:31:08 GMT -5
I'm not on FML but there was a posting, on a list that I moderate, about feeding turkey and chicken, they didn't specify raw or cooked so we thought (this is a raw list) it was probably cooked. The warning intent on stopping people from feeding a cooked turkey or chicken carcass to your dogs. We also thought it might be to warn people about feeding all the skin and fat that some people might think that is a treat. Feeding this of course would set your furbaby up for a possible pancreatic attack or a perforated bowel or stomach if fed in this manner. I gather that there was also reference to raw feeding but my dogs were each given a turkey for Christmas dinner every year for 7 yrs so if there was indeed going to be any harm they would have encountered it.
Even if the reference meant for food left out, both ferrets and dogs are more than capable of handling food that is "off". Dogs bury their food to dig up and eat later, so do ferrets. Ferrets stash their food to be eaten later when food isn't so plentiful, their shortened digestive tracks are more than capable of handling the bacterial load. Now of course this reference if for animals who's immune system hasn't been overly compromised. I've heard of people who've had ferrets who have been diagnosed with bacterial infections ie...salmonella or e-coli....now I've never encountered a raw fed ferret who has come down with this, but that's not saying it can't happen. I've had ferrets with ulcers, lymphosarcoma and juvenile lymphomas who've eaten a raw diet until the day they've passed and not suffered from the bacteria growing in the food.
Just my experience
ciao
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Post by mustelidmusk on Jan 7, 2009 10:16:13 GMT -5
Dogs (espcially some breeds) get pancreatitis a LOT more easily than ferrets. Ferrets require more fat in thieir diet than dogs/cats.
My ferrets eat a bit of chicken fat here and there as treats, and they've never had a problem.
Regardling the bacteria...my kids have had "high bacterial count" in their stools, but no "food-borne illness" such as e-coli, salmonella. I would expect the stools of a raw fed animal to contain more bacteria. In fact, I suspect that there are small amounts of e coli, salmonella in their stools too - it's more a matter of how well their system handle the pathogens.
I have had minor bouts of looser stool for a day , and then the ferrets are fine. I suspect that sometimes the bacteria level in the food may be higher in that batch of food. But, they handle it just fine.
Pleas keep in mind that I'm feeding ground raw commerial diet, which potentially has more bacteria than larger chunks of food (just like hamburger)
So, I suspect the comments about turkey are targeted for dogs, and some of them have very sensitive tummies. There are also owners who may be tempted to feed all the grease in the bottom of the pan after cooing a turkey ----- LOTS of fat will make anybody sick!!!
-jennifer
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Post by spiritualtramp on Jan 7, 2009 14:40:52 GMT -5
LOTS of fat will make anybody sick!!! Ugh, tell me about it...  |
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