First, I had meant to write to all who wrote to me regarding my ferrets smelly ears! Unfortunately, my Netscape crashed and I lost all of my email (among other things). It turned out that most of you were right.. it was ear wax and not mites! I do however, have another question to ask....just before i took the guys in to get their ears checked, Punkin became ill.(She just turned 6 in July) She was eating (marshall's ferret food), and began to choke..this has happened before as she has a tendency to wolf her food down. This time though she began to throw up...and she wouldn't stop throwing up! I could not get anyone to take me in right away so the vet advised me over the phone..by the next day, Punkin had gone from 2.25 lb to just a tad over a pound! She was dehyrated somewhat, no temp. They sub q'd her and also did blood work..no insulinoma which was their first guess, no lymphoma which was their second. They suspect she might be starting with adrenal disease because they see a little lost hair on the rump (honestly, I do not see any bald areas but I'll defer to the vet on this). All blood tests were normal. They really aren't certain what the problem is...they put her on an antibiotic and she immediately began to perk up..much more alert, active (although still tires easily), more normal self. They said she might also have a GI problem...they just don't know. What i am concerned with is that she is not putting the weight back on. They had me feed her Hills prescription diet a/d to bulk her up but it doesn't seem to be doing the trick. She is still very scrawny in the rump area and wants to eat frequently. Any suggestions? On what else I can feed her to put some of the weight back on or what this might be?? I am so worried about her..especially since all the tests came back normal! Thanks in advance guys!! [Posted in FML issue 3143]