Mary -
 
        1 cc of hydrogen peroxide squirted with a syringe in the back of the
throat will cause your ferret to vomit - but this is not the way you want to
treat most foreign bodies.  If you suspect a non-caustic poison that was
recently ingested, I would suggest this.  Or perhaps some foam rubber, etc.  But
for anything that may damage the lining of the stomach, it's better to work with
it when it's in the stomach.  Vomiting is a very forceful way to remove things,
and you may tear the esophagus or cause more damage by inducing vomiting too
hastily.
 
        Concerning Merritt and his food -
 
        Feeding kitten chow is not necessarily going to put on any weight, but
in an older animal, the increased protein is harder on the kidneys.  I would
switch to an adult maintenance food and go with something like Gerbers Chicken
baby food to put on weight.  That's what we use at our house, and our friends
use it to.  Ferrets need to be force fed a little to start - just stick some in
their mouths, and the 2nd or third time, they go after it like gangbusters....
 
       Bruce Williams, DVM                 Department of Veterinary Pathology
       [log in to unmask]         Armed Forces Institute of Pathology
       (202) 782-2600/2602                 Washington, D.C.  20306-6000
[Posted in FML issue 1073]