Food, glorious food — or is it?

Ferret eating duck soup

Ferret eating duck soup

Watch this video about why the first several ingredients should contain meat (click on the date):

THINK YOU KNOW HOW TO READ A PET FOOD LABEL?Today, marketing research shows that a major decision factor for pet…

Posted by Rodney Habib onĀ Thursday, December 17, 2015

Barb’s comment:

The ingredients in one food I use: Turkey. Chicken, Chicken Meal, Salmon Meal, Menhaden Meal, Chicken Fat, Peas (EVO dog little bites chicken)

Another food I use: Boneless chicken, chicken meal, chicken liver, whole herring, boneless turkey, turkey meal, turkey liver, whole eggs, boneless walleye, whole salmon, chicken heart, chicken cartilage, herring meal, salmon meal, chicken liver oil, chicken fat, red lentils, green peas (Orijen cat/kitten chicken)

Some foods people feed their ferrets:

8in1 Ultra Blend: Chicken Meal, Ground Yellow Corn, Brewers Rice, Corn Gluten Meal, Animal Fat, Corn Oil, Dried Eggs, Cane Molasses, Beet Pulp,

Drs Foster & Smith Ferret: Chicken Meal, Brown Rice, Chicken Fat, Dried Egg Product, Natural Flavor, Lamb Meal, Salmon Oil, Brewer’s Dried Yeast, Vitamin E Supplement,

Totally Ferret Complete: Chicken meal, Wheat flour, Corn meal, Chicken fat, Brown rice, Cooked Potatoes, Dried Egg product, Catfish Meal,

Are you noticing a pattern? How many blue ingredients are in your ferret’s food? Just because it says “ferret food” does NOT make it a good food! I don’t like Totally Ferret. The ferrets who have come into the shelter on that food have rough, dry fur. Totally Ferret could have been that food in the video. So could Ultra Blend. What is the most common foods I see people feeding their ferrets? Ultra Blend and Marshall’s. What about Marshall’s?

Marshall’s Premium: Chicken By-Products (organs only), Chicken, Chicken By-Product Meal, Corn Meal. Dried Beet Pulp, Brewers Dried Yeast, DL-Methionine, L-Lysine,

No, Marshall’s is NOT the most horrible food in the world! The improvement may be recent, but it does show pet food companies are paying attention to those of us who scream: Read The Ingredients!

What other foods do people feed their ferrets?

Wild Harvest by Walmart: Chicken Meal, Ground Rice, Chicken Fat, Papaya, Pineapple, Chicken Digest, Rasin Juice, Banana Puree, Fish Oil, Garlic Oil, Dried Egg Product,

Where’s the meat? Ick!

How about the 8in1 sold at Walmart? This one is a terrifying 30% protein, 8% fat (and most of the protein is from grains which ferrets don’t even digest):

8In1 Pet Products: Ferret Food Premium Ferret Food: Poultry By-Product Meal, Brewers Rice, Ground Yellow Corn, Corn Gluten Meal, Chicken Fat, Brewers Dried Yeast, Taurine

About Barb Carlson

I have owned ferrets since 1987 and have been running the shelter officially since 2002 (although I was doing it unofficially for a number of years before that). I'm also involved with the Three Rivers Ferret Council, and have given two talks on how to care for sick and post-surgical ferrets.
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