More Dooks Ferret Food Chart
Summary
This ferret food chart
mathematically rates dry ferret, cat, and kitten foods.
Keep in mind that it is impossible to determine the
exact quality or the meat content of a food from just the information that is required to be on its label. The best we can do with the bit of information we get is approximate (or look at foods that provide
meat content claims or other extra information).
This chart rates foods by assessesing the amount of protein and fat they contain, and then scoring the quality of their main sources. It also penalizes high amounts of carbohydrates (such as vegetables and sweeteners).
The Exact Math (feel free to skip if you're lazy)
We award equal points to both protein and fat being as high as possible. Each percent that is in the food earns 0.51 points. The first 6 ingredients are rated on a weighted scale (meaning points are more greatly affected by ingredients that are higher on the list):
+6 for the first ingredient, +5 for the second, +4 for the third, +3 for the fourth, +2 for the fifth, +1 for the sixth
Named meats and meat meals. Named animal fats or oils.
+3 for the first ingredient, +2.5 for the second, +2 for the third, +1.5 for the fourth, +1 for the fifth, +0.5 for the sixth
Unnamed meats, meat meals, fat, or oils.
Named by-products and digests.
0 points awarded
Unnamed by-products and digests.
Flavoring, plant oils, supplements, and anything else not listed.
-3 for the first ingredient, -2.5 for the second, -2 for the third, -1.5 for the fourth, -1 for the fifth, -0.5 for the sixth
ALL vegetables and fruits. Grains/corn/wheat will not be punished beyond other vegetables unless someone can find substantial proof that they do more harm than potatoes. I've spent a lot of time trying with no luck getting results.
-4.5 for the first ingredient, -3.75 for the second, -3 for the third, -2.25 for the fourth, -1.5 for the fifth, -0.75 for the sixth
Vegetable proteins (not to specifically penalize them, but rather to roughly take back the points they awarded for elevating the protein level of the food)
-12 for the first ingredient, -10 for the second, -8 for the third, -6 for the fourth, -4 for the fifth, -2 for the sixth
Sweeteners (sugars that provide no nutritional benefit).
This criteria seems to be quite effective for scoring the majority of foods, but do keep in mind that some foods with a very limited ingredient variety may score a bit lower than they "should" (ie. Instinct Chicken).
The Score
All Foods are given a ranking in points, and point ranges are divided into tiers.
Green Tier: Excellent Foods that a ferret can thrive on.* These all have a minimum of 40% protein. Most of them are grain-free and provide a promise of at least 75% animal ingredients.
*note that Epigen cat/dog is an exception that has excellent protein levels, but does not contain enough fat for a ferret to thrive on (it is 11-12% fat) and is thus recommended as a treat or 'mixer' only.
Blue Tier: Solidly good foods. Most of them meet a ferret's basic requirements for protein and do so without using meat by-products.
Orange Tier: A ferret could certainly live on these foods, but I would not personally expect them to thrive. I would recommend switching or mixing with a higher quality food.
Red Tier: Foods that I would personally NOT consider to be suitable for a ferret.
Important Tips
If you're entirely new to ferret nutrition and would like a crash course to help understand this logic, visit our Ferret Nutrition for Newbies- Where to Start page.
While we believe that high quality kitten foods are ferret-suitable (especially compared to some of the low-end ferret foods out there), there are also people who don't. If you're not comfortable feeding cat food, don't do it. You can scroll down to the bottom of the page to disclude cat foods or change the chart's scoring system if you disagree with our scoring setup.
I'm not a vet, so please consider my word to be professional medical advice. Read our full disclaimer here.
DON'T feed only one food. Pick 2 or 3 foods and mix them or rotate (read why here).
Whole prey or raw meat is generally regarded as the very best diet, I recommend checking it out before making any decisions.
*All foods below 8% or above 12% moisture have been converted to kibble matter on this chart
Foods Database
This is an advanced tool for searching through our database of ferret, cat, and/or kitten foods, and ranking the results based on a points system.
If you want to save a chart made with your own search criteria, you'll need to log in. If you'd like some help understanding how to use this tool, or want to know more about how its math works, click here
Search Criteria
Disclaimer