To the FML on various subjects:
 
        Sorry to have been lax for a few days.  Brief thoughts on various
subjects, which have been fairly well addressed by others:
 
Aspirin and PeptoBismol: There is no aspirin in PeptoBismol.  Aspirin may be
used in several species, including dogs, but really has little place in ferret
medicine.  Ferrets have little facility to detoxify this compound, and may
suffer severe GI ulcers as a result of aspirin inhibiting prostaglandins in the
stomach lining.  PeptoBismol is good for ulcers, though.  The bismuth
subsalicylate should not be mistaken for salicylic acid, which is the chemical
name for aspirin.  Tis true that ferrets hate liquid Pepto with a passion.  But
you can give a ferret 1/15th of a tablet every six hours, crushed and blended
with food, which they don't even notice.  That is now the accepted way to
administer Pepto, and you don't even have to wear your old clothes to do it.
 
To Jeff Haremski on heartworms: Jeff, ferrets in heartworm endemic areas should
receive heartworm prevention.  The best formulation is a liquid one whose
recipe has been posted several times, but one that your vet would have to make
up for you.  A less secure form is to use the ivermectin tablets available at
your vets once a month, dosed to weight.  Your vet is correct though, and talk
with him about testing your pets and getting them on the treatment.
 
On bone cancer - (I missed this post entirely): Bone cancer is very rare in
ferrets.  I have only seen three cases of "bone cancer" - a malignant chordoma
in the cervical vertebrae.  Now benign bone tumors are fairly common, and
althought they can be unsightly, and have to be removed by your vet, they
generally don't result in the pet's death.  Oftentimes, diagnoses of bone
cancer may in fact be due to infection.  Always request a biopsy in cases of
cancer before you put an animal down - to make sure the neoplasm is bad news.
 
To Michael about the ferret's scab: Michael, Laura's dead on on this one.  I
often get mast cell tumors that were submitted as "scabs".  Don't worry - these
are benign tumors, but they should be removed anyway, as they can be very itchy
and uncomfortable - that's how they end up looking like a scab - and they can
serve as a source of infection for animals that don't leave them alone.
 
Finally about the length of the FML: Recently I have been a bit concerned by
the FML, although not by the length.  I can scan the list, looking for
questions that are directed to me, or items that interest me.  I don't read
every word, nor do I think most of us do.  We all have a good idea what we want
out of the list, and how to get to it quickly.
 
My concern is the recent note of contention that I have been picking up lately
on the FML.  I have long known that many of the groups: AFA, LIFE, STAR, etc.,
are at odds with one another over various issues, to the point that I don't
even know who likes who anymore.  I always try to maintain my neutrality and
act as a source of information to ALL ferret owners, regardless of affiliation.
But I do feel now that many of these groups are getting to the point that their
association is more important than the tasks at hand.
 
But now similar contention seems to be spilling out onto the FML as a whole -
people are taking sides over various issues, and free speech is being rewarded
with castigation.  There are camps on descenting, and declawing, and who is a
good ferret owner and who is not, and who gives the best legal advice.  While
everyone has the right (and should exercise it) to voice their opinions on any
issue, I believe it should take the form of "My feelings are..." and not
"So-and-so is obviously wrong..."
 
A recent post took the list as a whole to task for not contributing financially
to their cause; totally ignoring the fact that many of us are already giving
freely with our money, time, and effort on the behalf of ferrets.
 
Let's get together on this one, folks.  If you want to get negative or argue
with someone, take it offline.  That is the biggest waste of bandwidth that I
see.
 
[Moderator's note: It's sometimes difficult to know where to draw the line, but
Dr. Williams' statement is well put.  I do believe in issues being talked out,
and sometimes this leads to debates and such on the FML.  That's fine, in my
opinion, as long as new stuff is being discussed.  If "flaming" begins or the
discussion is leading nowhere, then it gets stopped.  BIG]
 
Bruce Williams, DVM   [log in to unmask]
[Posted in FML issue 1156]