Hello:
 
Thank you first for all the mailings you have sent me so far.
 
'Sorry, I do not remember if this is the same address I write to when I
have a question that I need advice on.
 
My albino male ferret, 4-5 yrs old, is losing his fur.  Only his tail lost
fur first, so I thought it was some type of acne which I read about in a
book about ferrets.  Unfortunately, now he is thinning ALL OVER.
 
     -   He is still very active.
     -   Still eating well.
     -   Still having good bowel movements.
     -   No other obvious symptoms or problems.
 
I live in a town with no vet that is knowledgeable of ferret problems.  My
town Lake City located in North Florida.
 
Also, my income at the moment is not the greatest.  Not that I would let
"POLAR" pass away because of it, just hoping perhaps there is something I
could administer or do without incurring a huge, insurmountable VET bill.
 
I have started giving him several drops of "ECHINACEA" extract in a small
amount of "FERRETVITE" a high caloric vitamin concentrate.  As Echinacea
aids in supporting the immune system in humans, I thought it could not hurt
to at least try this.
 
All my ferrets had E.C.E. last year & at that time I added Echinacea to the
food I hand fed them.  I believe it may have helped them thru it faster.
Of course, have no way of proving this except they all lived thru it even
the the middle aged ones.
 
     -   Is Echinacea harmful for him?
     -   Is there any other Herbal Remedy that may help
         him?
     -   Any specific diet I should put him on?
 
Thankyou in advance for any & all information you can give me.
 
Sincerely,
 
Rebecca Felten
[Posted in FML issue 3302]