>The gagging was horrible- does anyone know of a more palatable way to
>dose them?
 
Ferrets HATE Flagyl.  (For that matter, so do humans, but we know we have
to take it.)
 
The trick that works for me is to use pills instead of liquid.  Ask your
vet for the pill form.  Cut a pill up into tiny pieces and measure out a
single dose from them.  For example, if you have a 10 mg tablet, and have
to give a 1 mg dose, you can cut the pill into 40 roughly even pieces and
give each fuzzie 4 pieces per dosing.  (10 mg / 40 pieces * 4 pieces =
1 mg)  Don't worry about getting the pieces exactly the same size - you
won't be able to.  When it comes time to give them, just give a big piece
with a small piece, or two medium pieces together, etc. to balance out
the dose.
 
Then take the little pill pieces and hide them in something tasty.  I use
Nutrimalt or Nutrical.  Your ferrets should lick the whole thing right up
without every noticing the pills.  Don't use Laxatone or other laxatives
as they will coat the pills and might not digest.  Water-based mixers
like chicken gravy might dissolve the pill pieces so your fuzzies can
taste them again - but you can try this if you like.  DON'T powder the
pills - your fuzzies will be able to taste the powder, just like the
liquid.  The key is to make pill fragments as large as you can so you
don't have to feed many of them, but still small enough to swallow whole.
 
It's a little work to prepare the pills this way, but it saves you and
your fuzzies a whole lot of stress when you medicate them.
 
roger
[Posted in FML issue 4494]