To Charlene Lowe:
 
    You stated that Henry's problem was fear of every small noise, etc.
After several tests, he is being treated for ulcers.  Yet you never
mentioned that he was off his food, had diarrhea, vomited, tarry stools, or
anything else.  And his blood count is good.
 
    I've seen nervous ferrets from time to time, but not because of any
physical problem.  If you look very hard at a ferret, to find a physical
problem for nervousness, you may be able to find a problem.  I would
probably not do the exploratory unless I had physical symptoms that pointed
to a definite medical problem.  If there was hair loss, or low blood sugar,
or a painful abdomen, or no stools for a week, I would go in.  But not
because the ferret was nervous.  You need more than that, and something a
bit more definitive than vague radiographic signs to justify the exploratory
in my opinion.
 
Bruce Williams, DVM, DACVP
Dept. of Vet Path, AFIP
[log in to unmask]  OR
Chief Pathologist, AccuPath
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[Posted in FML issue 1285]