Liver:  Go to this website:
http://www.afip.org/ferrets/index.html
and read and copy to your vets the write up called
"Confusion and Controversy in Interpreting Ferret Clinical Pathology
Data" especially the sections on liver chemistry results and why they
differ greatly in ferrets compared to other animals, with bilirubin
being the only decently reliable factor.  This section starts with:
 
>Probably the most common misinterpretation that I see on a routine basis
>is in the area of hepatic enzymes.  Remember, that the ferret, being by
>nature an obligate carnivore, has an extremely short digestive tract,
>and requires meals as often as every four to six hours.  Should food not
>be available, it possesses the ability to quickly mobilize peripheral
>fat stores in order to meet energy requirements.  When this physiologic
>mechanism is activated, the liver is literally flooded with fat, which
>results in hepatocellular swelling which may be marked.  The result of
>this swelling is the leakage of membrane enzymes such as alanine
>aminotransferase, and as the hepatocellular swelling increases,
>occlusion of bile canaliculi occurs, resulting, over time, in elevation
>of alkaline phosphatase.
>
>In conjunction with this physiologic change, elevations of ALT up to
>800 mg/dl can be seen, and alkaline phosphatase up to approximately
>100 mg/dl.  This often causes confusion to practitioners, who render an
>erroneous diagnosis of unspecified hepatic disease.  However, hepatic
>disease is quite uncommon in this species...
 
There was a recent discussion of this on the Ferret Health List in
Smartgroups, too, so check the archives http://fhl.sonic-weasel.org/.
 
>Of course I don't remember where I saw it, but I recently saw a listing
>of the best and worst ads of 2002.  The verizon ad made the list of the
>worst.  Don't remember where it ranked, but it was there.
 
The ad ranked among the five worst ads in the aspect of not selling
the product.  Probably reported in multiple places dealing with
entertainment, tv, and advertising beyond where you saw it and where I
did.  Not only was the ad offensive, and not only did it cost Verizon
business, but it didn't even sell.  Whatever executive okayed it, ran
it, then reinstated it didn't earn his or her salary on that one, so
the difference should all go as bonuses to Verizon's PR folks who had
to take all the calls and letters.
[Posted in FML issue 4025]