To Kelly and Michael:
 
>Gave all the animals, cats and ferrets, a dose of HARTZ Hairball Remedy for
>Cats...  However, this time all three ferrets that I gave it to (Clementine
>was asleep and I thought I'd get her when she woke up) immediately started
>vomiting!
 
        While I've never heard this complaint - let me give you a piece of
advice - stay away from Hartz brand products - or whatever you can buy at the
pet store as a therapy for animal problems.  Period.  Most of this stuff is
fairly useless, although it usually doesn't cause any problems.  Hartz Mtn and
the other companies that make over the counter remedies know that a lot of the
stuff will be overdose by well-meaning owners who don't read instructions, so
they water it all down very thororoughly.
 
        If you have a problem - call your vet, or check with the FML, etc.
Your vet probably carries a large line of over the counters which are much
more effective and you won't need a prescription to get them - in most cases,
as is the case with hairball remedies, all you have to do is stop by and pick
them up.   And there will be someone around who can tell you about the product.
 
      Why did that particular remedy cause vomiting - I'm not sure, because I
am not familiar with the ingredients.  Throw it in the trash and call your vet
to see if they carry Laxatone or Petromalt, or a similar substitute.
 
--
Bruce Williams, DVM, DACVP              Department of Veterinary Pathology
[log in to unmask]                       Armed Forces Institute of Pathology
(202) 782-2600/2602                     Washington, D.C.  20306-6000
[Posted in FML issue 1211]