To Dana Lane:
 
    Dana - From the signs that you mentioned - firm abdomen and black
stools, a gastric ulcer is also at the top of my list.  Your vet seems
pretty wellon top of it.  I would also go with a month's worth of Amoxi,
Pepto and a bland diet.  When we treat for an ulcre, we also treat for a
bacteria that lives in the stomach called Helicobacter, which is often seen
in ferrets with ulcers.  The treatment regimen is usually about a month.
Often, the reason that ferrets with ulcers have little energy is that
theyhave mild anemia due to blood loss from the ulcer.  You should see an
improvement in about 5-7 days.
 
        Yes, I commonly see one ferret become depressed if it's playmate is
taken ill.  You need to take up the slack and give the healthy ferret almost
as much attention as you will the sick one.
 
Bruce Williams, DVM, DACVP
[Posted in FML issue 1287]