North Coast Duck Soup by Bev Fox, North Coast Ferret Shelter

INGREDIENTS

1 cup Dry Food (Totally Ferret, Iams Kitten or other high quality food)
1 piece of chicken fully cooked, skinned and de boned
2 cups chicken broth
10 papaya tablets
1 tsp. Ferretone or Linatone
1 6 oz can Iams Cat or Kitten food
1 TBS Brewers' Yeast1/2 tsp. honey or corn syrup
1 inch ribbon of Ferretvite, Nutrical or Nutri-Stat (optional)
Water

PREPARATION

Cook chicken until well done. Do not add salt. Save broth. Add skinned de boned chicken to blender with broth, Add papaya tablets and blend on high until mixture is pulverized. Add dry food and continue blending until smooth. Add water or remaining broth as needed. Add the remainder of ingredients one at a time with the canned cat food being the last item. Add the canned cat food and blend for approx. 3 minutes. Reduce speed to low and add water to top off the blender.The mixture should be thin. Strain mixture if desired. Freeze in ice cube trays. Place the frozen cubes in sealed plastic bags for long term storage. Each cube equals 1 serving. For ill ferrets, feed a minimum of 1 cube every 4 - 6 hours. The more the better but feed at least 4 times a day.

SUBSTITUTIONS

1 jar of chicken baby food or turkey rice baby food may be substituted for the piece of chicken and a can of low sodium chicken broth can be used in place of the homemade broth if desired.

MODIFICATIONS

For insulinoma ferrets - Add 200 mcg (1 tablet) elemental chromium (G.T.F. Chromium) available at health food stores.

For ferrets on Lasix therapy or severely dehydrated ferrets - Add 90 mg Potassium (1 tablet).

For adrenal ferrets - Add 200 IU of dry vitamin E (1 tablet).

Of course if you are like us and don't know what the duck soup is going to be used for from day to day just add one tablet of each of the above to the recipe and you are covered for most illnesses and situations.