Vitamins & Minerals:
Friends or foe?
by Crazy Lady

To begin with let us look at Vitamin A.

Vitamin A is a fat soluble vitamin (it is also called retinol) Normally a ferret on a natural diet would find vitamin A in oily fish or the liver of other animals (it can also be found in milk and eggs) when a ferret has eaten a food rich in vit A its own liver needs to go to work to regulate the blood level of vitamin A. It uses a special blood carrier to transport vit A throughout the body. A ferret who has a high protien diet rich in fat can readliy absorb vitamin A into its body. Ferrets fed on raw liver once per week do not need a vit a suppliment as the raw liver of another animal contains more than enough vit A. THIS IS WHY RAW LIVER MUST BE FED ONLY ONCE PER WEEK TO PREVENT AN OVERDOSE OF NATURAL VITAMIN A. Vitamin A is destroyed when cooked at temps of 40 degrees centigrade or more so to obtain the maximim benefit liver should be fed raw.

Vitamin A is an anti oxidant that may protect against disease in the body. This vitamin is used for night vision, growth, and reproduction it also has many varied uses thorugh out the body and also helps maintain a healthy skin.  It helps to prevent dryness of skin. It also helps with the health of mucous linings and these include eyes, ears, lungs, nose, throat and bladder. It is also good to help prevent colds! So all in all vitamin A has many good uses, it also helps the ferrets immune system stay healthy.

A ferret who is deficent in vitamin A can show it in many ways and the simple deficiancy can often be mistaken for something more serious. Some of the signs of a vitamin A deficiency can be as follows:  dry or rough skin, problems with growth (bones appear weak), low resistance to infection, digestive problems (diarreah, kidney stones, loss of appertite) weak teeth that easily chip or break and appearing to have problems seeing - especially in darkness.  These are all the plus sides vit A can help solve but like all good things there is a reason for caution as there CAN be a down side if the vitamin is not treated with respect and used with care. I personally only give my ferrets a tiny pinch once every fourteen days on food if raw liver is not available as vitamin A is a fat soluble vitamin that can be stored in the body and can cause overdoses if there is not a good break between doses. Very high doses can cause the following side effects: vomiting, hair loss, liver damage and painfull joints so a ferret finds it painful to walk. Vitamin A is a good vitamin it is simply one that needs to be treated with respect and given in very, very small doses with a decent break between them. The plus side far outweighs the minus side but as I have stated and can't state enough, all vitamins should be treated with respect. Get the balance right by carefully monitoring and your ferret can live a happy, healthy, long, illness free life. I know a lot of people think well it's all added in the kibble any way so why worry but we all need to realize that the balance isnt' always right.  For example how do we know the vitamins they need that day are contained in that bowl of food or did the manufacturers place the daily portion of say taurine in a certain colour of kibble? And is my ferret eating that colour today? We don't honestly know if our ferrets are receiving all they need for a balanced healthy diet so the odd boost of different vitamins can only act as a plus.

Certain vitamins can be given on a daily basis and those I will talk about as the series progresses.  The next vitamin will be the vitamin b complex family and its uses and benefits in a ferret's life.

B Vitamins

The second vitamin we will look at today is the B vitamins.  This family of B vitamins is made up of a good number of important vitamins.  Just as they are important to humans they are of double the importance to the ferret.  The B vits are often grouped together and called vitamin B complex.  This is simply because for a lot of years it was believed it was all one complex vitamin not several seperate vits!  I will take each seperate B vitamin and provide some information on its use to the body and where it can be obtained.
 
We will begin with vitamin B1:  Vitamin B1 (Thiamin)

Vitamin B1 is a very important vitamin. It is something of a miricle vitamin to both human and ferret. Vitamin B1 is a water soluble vitamin that is not stored in the body and therefore its level must be maintained in the diet.  It is hard to overdose a ferret on vit B1 unlike vit A as any excess vit B1 is passed in the ferrets urine.  Vitamin B1 has many uses.  It helps with the making of healthy blood, it ensures healthy brain tissue, it helps with digestion in young ferrets, it aids growth and in old ferrets it helps prevent arthritis or aids those who suffer from it. Breeders have also found that once vit B1 levels are correct in breeding jills there is a marked improvement in conception so it may also be good for fertility.

Signs of vitamin B1 deficiancy:
The signs you may see if your ferret is low in vit b1 (thiamin) are as
follows: fatigue, irritablility, loss of appertite, poor coordination, weight loss and general weakness.  PLEASE NOTE THESE SYMPTOMS ARE ALSO LINKED TO OTHER ILLNESSES SO IF IN DOUBT SEE A VET!

Vit B1 and where to find it!
Vit b1 is readily available in tablet form from health stores for owners
whose ferrets are non-meat eaters and can be easily crushed and a pinch added daily to their kibble.  It is available as a simple vit b1 tablet or included with other members of the vit b family. For meat eating ferrets, it is found in beef liver (as is vit A), pork, seafood and egg yolk.  There is no risk of ovedosing as it is a water soluble vitamin so the size of the pinch given is not important what is important is that vit b1 levels are maintained.  For owners who make soup with, for example chicken, it is advisable to add vit b1 after cooking and cooling as heat destroys the vitamin completely.

Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin)
Vitamin B2 is also another important member of the b vitamin family. It helps the adreanal gland do its job. It also helps the body with oxygen and it metabolises fatty acids, carbohydrates and amino acids. It is also needed to activate another vitamin from the family, vitamin b6, but its uses to the body does not stop there.  It also helps with the making of red blood cells, antibody production and last but not least cell growth, so it is an important vitamin to the body.  It has many many uses - it aids digestion by keeping the mucous membrane of the digestive tract healthy and helps iron and other b vitamins be easily absorbed.  Owners may think if their ferret is receiveing a high protien diet then this vitamin is not needed - this is when the vitamin is needed most when protein levels are high!

Signs of vit b2 deficiency:  The signs of deficiency are many and varied but please remember lots of ferret illnesses overlap so if you are in any doubt about your ferret's heath seek a vet's advice.  The signs of deficiency are as follows: skin lesions, poor digestion, retarded growth, hairloss, light sensitivity and eye disorders.

Vit B2 and where to find it:
Like vit b1, vit b2 can be found in health food stores in tablet form and crushed and added to food but if bought as a single vit then it must be given at the same time as vit b6 and in the same quantity.  Often owners notice that the ferrets urine becomes a darker shade of yellow when given this drug.  This is normal and nothing to worry about.  There have been no reports of overdosing.  Vit b2 it has also been found to be beneficial to skin, coat and nails so it has an added bonus.  Fresh meat feeders can obtain vit b2 by feeding all organ meats (liver, etc.), all fresh lean meats, milk, eggs,fish and in natural yogurt.

Vitamin b3 (Niacin)
Vitamin b3 can be produced by the body if it receives the correct diet.  It is needed for cell production and also helps with metabolisim of proteins, fats and carbohydrates.  It also helps with the releasing of bile and stomach fluids.  Vitamin b3 has many uses in the body.  It ensures proper circulation and heps with the proper function of the nervous system.  It also ensures healthy skin.

Deficiency of vit b3:  Vit B3 deficiency can also be shown in many diffrent ways.  A few are sores, depression, fatigue, bad breath, loss of appertite, low blood sugar and muscle weakness.

Where can you find vit B3:  Vit B3 can and often is purchased at heath food stores and given as other b vits. I would recomend that this was only given along with other b group vitamins and vitamin c, as dosage levels are hard to work out and it is available in a b complex form of tablet.  This takes away any need for exact measures.  If your ferret is suffering from ulcers or any liver problems
it may be advisable to ask your vet's advice before giving any extra vit b3.  Owners of raw meat eaters can find vit b3 in liver, lean meat, poultry, fish, rabbit and milk.   Vit b 3 dissapears when food is cooked in water.

Vitamin B5 (pantothenic acid)
Vitamin b5 is another important yet not often talked about vitamin.  It has an important role to play in a ferret's body.  Vitamin b5 can be classed as the anti-stress vitamin.  It is a water soluble vitamin that can also be produced in the body.  Vit b5 has many uses in the body among them are the secretion of important hormones throughout the body.  Among these hormones are those that support the adrenal gland, help fight allergies andalso helps maintain healthy muscle, nerves and skin.

Deficiancy of vit b5:  As with other deficiancies, consult a vet if in doubt.  The signs can be frequent infection, tiredness, muscle weakness and depression.

Where to get vit b5:  Vit b5 can be obtained from a heath store in tablet form and there have been no reported cases of overdosing with vit b5 as it is a water soluble vit and is not stored n the body. Excess is passed in urine.  It is also better given along with the other members of the b group and with vitamin a and c and e.  Owners of raw meat eaters can find vit b5 in beef, brewers yeast, kidney, live , pork and eggs.  Cooking meat destroys most of vit b5. 

~Continued On Page Two~

border/button by: Dobro