To Bob Raymond:
 
>To encourage him to take his meds, and to eat well, we
>sometimes add a drop of honey to the crushed pill or the food dish, which
>ensures that he'll take it all. Is a VERY small amount of honey, with all its
>natural sugars, good/harmful for ferrets?
 
        No, in moderation, it should be fine.  Too much honey may cause
islet cell hyperplasia in the pancreas, which MAY be a precursor to
insulinoma.  Other vet's claim that a high-sugar diet leads to diabetes due
to chronic fatigue of the islets due to continuous high secretion of
insulin.  There's no definitive anser on this, but a high-sugar diet is
probably not a good idea in ferrets.
 
> What's a good, safe way of
>improving his skin and coat quality? Diet consists of Iams Kitten Food and
>one or two Cheerios a day for treats. I'm afraid that too much shampooing in
>the past might have contributed to the problem, but I've seen no change in
>fur or skin quality in the three weeks he's been living with us, and he's had
>no bath during that period.
 
I nice bath every 2-3 weeks with a hair conditioner may help.  Also, we all
have a good fatty acid additive in our possession - Linatone.  Make sure he
gets about 1/4 teaspoon per day.  Remember, bad skin and coat can also be
the result of some type of illness, so a good check by your vet is always in
order in cases like this.
 
 
Bruce Williams, DVM, DACVP                                   Dept. of
Veterinary Pathology
AccuPath
Armed Forces Institute of Pathology
[log in to unmask]  OR                                 Washington, D.C.
20306-6000
[log in to unmask]
(202) 782-2600
[Posted in FML issue 1262]