For shielding ulcers Carafate or it's equivalent is the best.  It comes
now in a handy liquid prep that any pharmacy carries and it lasts for
years according to our expiration date and pharmacist.
 
When ulcers are present avoid high stress situations and for that reason
and others if an ulcer is bad certain antibiotics, antacids, and pepto
can be counter indicated until some healing is done.  Also, be VERY
careful about OTCs and ALWAYS clear any med with your vet before giving
it, remembering that a number have version with added ingredients like
acetamineprhin which will kill ferrets.  There have been too many
needless deaths and too many needless cases of severe life-long damage
form folks not doing so.
 
For info on treating ulcers I recommend past posts from Dr. Bruce
Williams in
http://listserv.cuny.edu/archives/ferret-search.html
 and
http://fhl.sonic-weasel.org/ .
 
Finding vets:
http://www.smartgroups.com/vault/ferrethealth/ReferenceShelf/FerretVets.htm
http://fhl.sonic-weasel.org/vets/    Search by zip code, read FAQ first.
http://www.miamiferret.org/fhc/vets.htm
http://www.quincyweb.net/quincy/vet.html
http://www.ferretcentral.org/for-others/db-vets.html
http://www.geocities.com/houseferrets13uk/Vets.html UK vets
http://www.ferrets.org/Veterinarian_Listings.htm British Columbia vets
also
http://www.supportourshelters.org  is a shelter list but it also tells
what vets they use, and
those in CA can also look in the critical refs at
http://www.ferretcongrress.org for the medical sections of ferret
organizations and link to those sites that way since some of them
list vets.
 
In the two archives in the third paragraph you will find a bunch of
post-surgical tips.  Do NOT give anything your vet does not okay first.
Do NOT let the ferret climb (even ramps) for at least 10 days; too much
activity has killed a number of ferrets in their first week or so after
surgery.  Use paper or a very clean paper litter like Yesterday's News
after surgery instead of other litters that have a greater chance of
getting the incision dirty.  Follow the vet's advice and take notes, etc.
 
Chiclet's progress has stalled and even a little progress in some ways
has been lost so right now she is one hold with careful care and some
more aggressive things may be tried despite their risks.  The cause still
remains unknown, with the specialists leaning toward some type of massive
infection, but it could still be something else.  We're still sleeping in
shifts as we have been doing for about 2 and a half weeks now and caring
for her that way.
[Posted in FML issue 4186]