>From:    sargentcolburn <[log in to unmask]>
>Subject: Rod Wax
>
>Oh, Mary!  Feel free to post over me if I ever say anything that gross
>again!  I had never even really thought of Vaseline as what it is,
>something that forms under a salt dome, and floats on top of a lake of
>PETROLEUM, something I would not feed a ferret!  Thank you for pointing
>that out.  (Applause for the plant lady)
>
>Does anyone know what the active ingredient is in hairball remedy?  I'm
>always happy to save a few bucks, but I don't really want to be feeding
>HYDROCARBONS, now do I?  Great, flaming ferrets Batman!
 
Hi.  It may seem gross, but the active ingredient in most hairball
remedies I know of (i.e. Laxatone) __IS petroleum jelly__, basically
Vaseline, and it works quite well with no harm done to a variety of
animals, including ferrets.  You can't use Laxatone with insulinomic
ferrets like my Marley and Bandit, so they can have just plain petroleum
jelly (or you can mix it with Ferretone if they won't eat it alone).
 
It's really not like feeding them crude oil, I assure you; none of the
vets I've ever worked for would recommend a dangerous substance to their
clients.  There may be other natural remedies that work great with the
same effecft, but I certainly don't feel that I'm doing any harm or
injustice to my animals.
 
-April (who has been using Laxatone and similar products on cats, dogs
 and ferrets for years without incident)
[Posted in FML issue 4482]