Ran into something interesting in the Tuft's University Health and
Nutrition Letter in an article on bad interactions of herbs and medicines:
it sounds like it's still not tested enough to know for sure but they
say that Echinacea should be AVOIDED when corticosteroids (including
prednisone) or cyclosporines are used.  Just something to keep in mind for
ferrets which are taking chemotherapy, or need steroids.  It might prevent
some of these drugs from working, or diminish their effectiveness.
 
Lydia wrote:
>I just want to say my hats off to shelter people.  I could never do what
>you do.  I love the ferrets, but I could not do it.  I did my first
 
Ditto (!), and both bravo and thanks to the folks who do this!  Know what
else I could never do?  BIG's work.  Every day he helps us all.  Thanks
so much, Bill!
 
Here's an interesting thing I learned recently (from HSUS):
cats live LONGER (by 2 or 3 years -- don't have it handy) if they are
spayed.  No one has done such a look at ferrets.  There are some who figure
that early neutering may play a role in adrenal tumors.  (I personally
think it may be part of the picture for at least some individuals, though
late neuters and whole ferrets turn out to sometimes get them, too.)
Adrenal tumors usually aren't life threatening, though -- although they
can be in a poor surgical candidate or with some which are malignant (Been
there.), and certainly most ferrets don't get them.  Yet, there seems to be
a subset here which assumes either that neutered or early neutered ferrets
have shorter lifespans even without the numbers to know if that's so.  It
may be so, or it may be that they actually live longer, or it may be that
there is no difference in the long run in survivability among the groups,
so I just wanted (in light of some the private mails I've gotten maybe a
month ago and then reading about cats) to remind folks to not panic when
there isn't cause.  This would be an interesting study, wouldn't it?
 
Every day in every way I am getting better and better.  ;-)  (Yep, am
grinning.)
 
Sandy:
>Ferret o ferret,wherefore art thou ferret.Deny thy species and refuse thy
 
Ashling:
Wherefore?  Do I not back into corners and leave my mark, shining like a
dark jewel in an Caucasian's ear?  Do I not rub my face and therefore speak
my name?  Best ask wherefore I eat and drink before asking that I deny my
species.  Could I be a taper fly or a biped or a unicorn more easily than I
could be me?  I bite my thumb at you, Lady, that you would present me with
a challenge as bound in foolishness as a Gordian Knot!
[Posted in FML issue 2723]