As part of the credentials discussion the question may come up in
people's minds after Marguerite's astute comments:
 
>Well, if I don't have a ferret knowledgeable vet then what should i do?
 
Okay, there are options beyond just discussing what you find on-line with
your vet.
 
1. You can help educate the vet by mentioning texts, consultants,
journal articles, symposia and conferences of which you hear.  You
can find some useful info on those by looking at archives like
http://fhl.sonic-weasel.org and
http://listserv.cuny.edu/archives/ferret-search.html ,
specialty sites, or list links like the crit refs in the IFC site (See
below.)
 
2. You can get a second opinion, change vets, or even work on getting a
cooperative agreement with your vet and a somewhat close specialist.
Here are some sites to help with that (but I know there is at least one
more in the FML archives):
 
http://www.acvo.org/locate.htm
http://www.ferretcongress.org (crit refs but there is a lot more there)
http://www.supportourshelters.org
http://www.smartgroups.com/vault/ferrethealth/ReferenceShelf/FerretVets.htm
http://fhl.sonic-weasel.org/vets/   Search by zip code, read FAQ first.
http://www.quincyweb.net/quincy/vet.html
http://www.miamiferret.org/fhc/vets.htm
http://www.ferretcentral.org/for-others/db-vets.html
http://www.ferretuniverse.com/index.html
http://www.geocities.com/houseferrets13uk/Vets.html UK vets
http://www.ferrets.org/Veterinarian_Listings.htm British Columbia vets
http://www.ferretnews.org/clinic.html California-specific
http://www.ferretsanonymous.com/medical.html California
 
3. No matter who your vet is, here are a few important things to
remember:
 
Your vet may know a lot more than you think and you may be the one who
doesn't have the full picture yet.
 
Don't make changes that affect health without the treating vet first
okaying them.
 
Be frank with the vet about meds, alternative meds, supplements, foods,
etc.
 
Ask questions, ask questions, ask questions.  This is so important.
 
Never try an OTC or other med without first clearing it with your vet.
 
Try to understand the premise behind why a problem is occurring because
that can help you avoid making changes which may worsen it.
 
Discuss what you learn on-line with your vet before trying it.
 
Learn up front what to do if an emergency occurs when your vet is away
 
Use on-line reading as a way to be able to spot symptoms early enough to
get to the vets and do something about them, or better yet avoid them
(like meds to avoid heartworm in areas where that is a common problem).
 
Say "thank you"; vets don't hear that as often as they should.
 
If you are dealing with a terrible illness in your ferret you may be
feeling very emotional.  Try to not let that get the better of you.
Alienating the experts you need can undermine care and going from one
vet to another over and over again also will.  Sometimes a person needs
to change vets, but if you use resources like the ones above you can
optimize for success.
[Posted in FML issue 4867]