Wolfy,

I think I was the cause of your reasoned argument against using
psychogenic drugs to control pet behavior. I think you made a good
case against using pharmaceuticals willy-nilly when some calm, patient
training is all that's required. I wouldn't dope my kids under almost
any circumstances and the same holds true for my pets -- ferrets
included.

However, I would like to point out that when my little Kuttu drank
lord-knows-how-much strong sugary, milky tea he became quite
distressed. Very distressed. Extremely distressed! He was having
what some of us oldsters might call a "bad trip". <grin>

He didn't like the caffeine/xanthine stimulation, and I could tell. My
vet had previously prescribed Valium for him during a cross-country
journey via airplane and I knew both its effect and the recommended
dosage. So I gave it to him and seemed to quell some of his anxiety.
Not completely, because he was still not having much fun even after it
kicked in. But it DID help AND came with a vet's okay, so I thought it
was prudent intervention to alleviate some of his discomfort.

So while I do agree with your argument that drugging pets to control
their behavior is in most cases inappropriate and selfish on the
owner's part, I'd like to defend the small percentage of cases in which
ONE-TIME intervention is useful.

And I'm also afraid the issue of the Valium overlooked the warning and
main point I was trying to impart:

*****Ferrets are very sensitive to caffeine/xanthines, so don't EVER
leave a half-empty cup of milky, sugary coffee or tea or cocoa sitting
around where they might drink it.*****

Huggies & little ferret kisses,

Felia

[Posted in FML 6266]