To H.R. Bucley who borught up the subject of Proban -
 
I am gland that you don't use it in the ferret.  For everyone who is not
familiar with Proban, it is an ingested organophosphate which gets into the
flea when it bites the dogs.  After several bites, the flea gets enough
organophosphate to kill it.
 
I have never been a fan of this drug, and I've never really thought that it
worked.  There are several major flaws with it - 1) it's toxic, and if you
add a flea collar, or an organophosphate shampoo, you can get a poisoned
animal fairly readily.  2) A lot of people use it in dogs or cats with flea
bite allergies, and since the fleas HAVE to bite the dog to get the poison,
then the dog's allergy starts up and he's miserable anyway.
 
And in my personal experience, it just doesn't work in dogs or cats.  I've
tried it.  But a lot of people swear by it (and I think most of them are so
convinced it SHOULD work, that they don't really take a close look at the dog
for fleas.
 
For ferrets, it's definitely not recommended.  Too toxic.
 
Bruce Williams, DVM  [log in to unmask]  OR  [log in to unmask]
Bruce Williams, DVM, DACVP              Department of Veterinary Pathology
[log in to unmask]               Armed Forces Institute of Pathology
[log in to unmask]             Washington, D.C.  20306-6000
(202) 782-2600/2602
[Posted in FML issue 1171]