George,
 
Don't get discouraged, just look at the links, read the info I sent, make
sure your vet gets the article referenced, discuss all with your vet and
you'll be fine.  IT'S NOT A FAILURE IN YOU OR IN YOUR FURRY; THE FAILURE
IS IN THE TREATMENT CHOICE FOR THIS ILLNESS AT THIS STAGE OF THE ILLNESS
(especially).
 
It's hard for me sometimes to remember that not many people have had
ferrets as long as we have. In fact, I'm not sure how long we've had them.
It's definitely fewer than 18 full years but certainly over 16 years (by
months? by a year or more?), so I usually just say "around 15 years" or
something similar, figuring that understating is safer.
 
For our first years with them and some of the ferrets' lifetimes with us
EVERYTHING OR ONE HECK OF A LOT OF THINGS qualified as experimental.  Most
of the advances in ferret medicine go back only fewer than ten years.
We've done a LOT of experimenting of ALL sorts of types -- no choice.
That's probably why we have some personal guidelines on when we do and
don't try something experimental -- have seen successes, partial successes,
and failures of various degrees.
 
Now-a-days when there is a well tested option we go that way.  It's not as
adventurous as the old days and we aren't breaking any new ground that way,
but it's good for the ferrets.  When we have to pull out stops we mix and
match a good assortment of things, even as recently as this last summer
when we were so happy with the combination of Co-Enzyme 10 Q (given with
some C and some E) when used in ADDITION to established cardiomyopathy meds
(depending on stage:  Lasix, Enacard, Digoxin, etc), had one individual
helped by Viocase, and found that the Papaya tablets which didn't help her
sure controlled my age related reflux when combined with no late or large
meals (Maybe one day I'll get around to testing  for helicobacter <G>.)
 
I am sure that in a discussion with your vet you'll find the best option
for your own family and current situation.  Remember that I'm not a vet,
just someone with a good bit of experience and a half-way decent memory.
 
Sukie
 
Oh, BTW, having recently learned how very dangerous and easily acquired
zinc toxicity can be for ferrets (from the James Fox veterinary text) we'd
change now WHERE we got the E.  We'd been using Efa-Z though not shaken
since they prefer it with the minerals dropped out, but now we would not be
inclined to do that and instead would go with the vitamin capsules -- which
are something we alsi used for helping Meltdown a few years back when she
was throwing clots but didn't tolerate more typical anticoagulants.
[Posted in FML issue 2569]