Dr Weiss,
 
May I respectfully - and strongly - disagree with you on using gentamicin in
ferrets?  I'm not a vet and don't claim to know alot about pharmaceuticals,
but I do know something about using gentamicin/gentacin in ferrets.
 
Injectable gentacin was administered to several ferrets for resistant ECE
complications - it was recommened on a stool culture report.  I believe it
was used for 10 days - I do not have the specific dosage and would not want
to just guess.
 
I don't know the total number of ferrets - somewhere around 20 - allow for
variation on either side, however, several days off gentacin about 10 of the
ferrets died of renal toxicity in a 3 to 4 day period.  Not only was this
heartbreaking for the owner, it was devastating for the veterinarian.
 
Additionally, Judi Bell has noted in her book as well as her handout, that
gentamicin causes deafness in ferrets.
 
My vet tells me it is a great drug, but probably should not be used in
ferrets.
 
Now, before anyone tries to compare this to the Tribrissen incident,
remember that about 10 ferrets died and the surviving ferrets had elevated
BUNs and creatinines for sometime after.
 
Debbie Riccio
WNYFLFA
Rochester, NY
[Posted in FML issue 1289]