I finally found a good vet and he's right in my neighborhood.  He's a
real ferret lover, has had them all of his life and has one now.  He was
so happy to see Rocky and said he'd like to treat ferrets all day.  He's
a fairly recent graduate of Cornell Vet school, and is co-authoring a
paper about adrenal disease.  His name is Dr. Martel, at the West Village
Veterinary Hospital.  If anyone wants any further info, please email me.
 
I finally got Rocky's teeth cleaned and they look so beautiful and
white -- much better than my teeth after cleaning, though also much more
expensive!  Dr. Martel said on a scale of 1-4 of dental disease (with 4
as worst), Rocky was a 1.  So I want to thank everyone who encouraged me
to do it and gave me info, especially Gail (anesthesia), Lisette (dental
process and why scraping alone was not sufficient) and Joe in Toronto
(who stayed on my case to have it done with many emails).  I know there
were others, but it was awhile ago and I can't remember everyone's names,
so thanks to all!
 
Rocky did fine with isoflurane (sp?), and that put my mind to rest about
anesthesia, which was my main concern.
 
Shron & Rocky
 
P.S. Does anyone know why ferrets' teeth get so much tartar in a short
time, while cats don't?  My cat didn't really need to have her teeth
cleaned until she was about 14 yrs. old, and even then they didn't have
as much tartar as Rocky's at age 3.  My cat was too old to have it done
at that point, but she lived another 5 yrs. and had no real problems.
And I never brushed her teeth, though I do attempt it with Rocky (and
sometimes succeed!)
[Posted in FML issue 4510]