Joseph Smokey's diarrhea may very well be caused by the fact that he has been eating dog food for the last couple days. His system is not used to that very different food. I'm sure you are aware that dog food is not an acceptable diet for ferrets. It is far too low in protein and fat, and too difficult to digest--hence the diarrhea. Ferret food should be at least 34% protein and 20% fat, with meat ingredients listed first on the label. You will probably find that dog food, and even many cat foods, list corn as the major ingredient. Get your Smokey back to his regular diet, and his diarrhea will probably go away. Get him on a quality ferret food, or higher quality kitten food, and he'll do even better. But if he doesn't get better immediately, get your parents to take him to the vet as soon as possible. Ferrets can go downhill very quickly. Let us all know how he does. Linda Iroff Oberlin OH [Posted in FML issue 3201]