Hi Denise!
        I volunteer at our Ferret Shelter and have seen a lot of
different medical conditions. One ferret had very dirty ears (just like
you described) so I used what we had always used - hydrogen peroxide. A
couple of days later we noticed that the ferret was digging at his ears
and in pain.  It seems he had a lot of black, which is ear mites, down in
the canal and the peroxide irritated the condition.  Our vet said NEVER
to use peroxide! (I know other vets may recommend peroxide - but I guess
caution is the word.)  He suggested Oti-Clens instead since it is not
irritating.  Since it sounds like your ferret probably has ear mites, it
would be wise to have a vet check it out. Our vet recommends the
following course of treatment, of which any or all may be necessary:
        1. A bath with flea shampoo to kill any ear mites residing in the
fur next to the ears.
        2. Treatment with oral or sub-Q Ivermectin, which is a HIGHLY
toxic substance and should only be administered by a competent vet (the
dose is very, very small for ferrets) but it works very well too!
        3. Daily cleaning followed by treatment in the ears for 14 days with
Tresaderm.
 
        Ear mites are nothing to fool around with.  One ferret arrived at
the shelter unable to hold her head up.  It seems that Angel had a terrible
case of mites that her previous owner had neglected and it permanently damaged
nerves.  We got rid of the mites, but it's sad (and slightly comical) to see
her running around the house with her head tipped to one side. Good Luck!
 
        - Carla Almaraz
 
[Posted in FML issue 0911]