ZuPreem Dental Stick Ferret Treats?

[katt]

I went to the Pet Store to get N-Bones...and left with $80 of ferret stuff! hahaha Funny how that works... ("Hello, My name is Katt. And I have a Problem. A Furry one.") Anyways, they were all out of N-Bones but I found chicken ZuPreem Dental Stick Ferret Treats. They are 30% protein, and while there are a few questionable ingredients (soy and potato protein? lol) I thought I remembered hearing around here somewhere that ZuPreem makes relatively high quality foods. Koda LOVES them and they make an AWESOME training treat. However, I do not necessarily want to buy more after these are gone if they are bad for him. Does anyone have experience with these treats? And/or with ZuPreem? Here is a link: www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=6067+10376+22256&pcatid=22256

Btw I discovered that if he likes the treat enough, Koda likes foraging cups. Now to buy some freeze dried raw and try that...

[Heather]

I would go easy on these type of treats. I will be honest I know nothing about them, we don't have them up here...maybe in the city but not here. Zupreem used to be a top quality kibble way back when but I don't think they stayed with the times . My question isn't about them, it's about dental treats. I know that dog dental treats were known to cause blockages...seemingly they weren't supposed to be eaten all at once as some little dogs have a tendency to do. This caused some digestive issues. Now, they claim that they've solved this problem...but....I'm a little nervous of an industry that will use melanine to raise protein levels in food. It's just my opinion and I'm an old cynic
The freeze dried treats in the foraging cup sounds like an awesome idea, just remember to provide lots of fresh water for drinking.
ciao

[Kerit]

They're brand new, and basically short N-bones with ridges. They're not exactly health food, but they're no Yogies or raisins either! I doubt they'll do much for actual teeth cleaning, but I wouldn't consider them a blockage hazard. One of the cats stole my sample pack right off the counter and ate the whole thing, so the fuzzies never even got to share their opinion.

Speaking of ZuPreem, they also just launched their grain-free diet. I was wondering when ferret companies would start to get in on that trend.
www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=22258

[sherrylynne]

While I like the fact kibble companies are starting to go "grain-free", I really wish they wouldn't just replace the grains with vegetables.

[Kerit]

Yeah, I'm not terribly impressed, but... step in the right direction, I guess. Hopefully the fact "grain-free" anything exists at all will prompt people to look at the reason why.

[Forum Administrator]

Personally I do not care for N-Bones or these Zupreem treats. I just think there are so many great, all-natural alternatives that I haven't been able to justify getting these for my my little ones. These treats aren't going to kill your ferret, and if you use moderation they should be fine, but personally I'd seek out a more natural, 100% meat treat for your furry friend. Super dried out chewy 100% meat jerky is a great chewy snack for ferrets and its biologically appropriate. If your little guy really likes these treats you can still give them, but I'd try to really limit the amount of them you give.