John Hines, Thank you for teaching us about the kidney failure treatments. We are keeping a hard copy of this and further updates inside one of the vet text books in case we ever have one with that problem again. (Spot was caught late in his years ago, because his symptoms weren't clear when he was first being treated, he was too weak for repeated tests, and the lab lost his tests too long to get reliable readings.) It always means a lot to us when people advance ferret medical care and share those advances with us all to help as many ferrets as possible. BTW, are you related to Dale from Nebraska? Meghan, thanks for reminding people about the heat. When it's hot and a ferret has trouble waking, or in semi-conscious, or otherwise affected DO respond fast before hyperthermia can kill. Cool them slowly just as you would warm slowly for hypothermia. A cool tub of water can save a life. Sherry, thanks for pointing out that those whose ferret has reacted to Fervac might try Galaxy, and those who reacted to Galaxy might try Fervac. That's what I meant by "two types" but you said it so much better. BIG, thanks much for your good judgement, Bill! Thanks, also, to Lisette, for the important lead warning . We used to use testing kits on things before going to non-ceramics for them. Many years ago there also used to also be reports of ferrets with zinc poisoning from too much of that leeching from galvanized dishes. Oh, one thing that is often HIGH in lead: ashtrays. They are made that way (high lead content since it is heavy) to be too heavy to tip as a fire-prevention aspect, but they are to be avoided for the same reason as pet dishes. Remember Lissette's words: "P.S. Main signs of lead poisoning in ferrets Signs of lead poisoning:Weight loss, loss of appetite, vomiting, and lethargy. If your ferrets have been drinking from the heavy ceramic white dish with black figures of ferrets and rabbits and they have these symptoms, see a vet right away and have a blood test done." There are many possible causes of general symptoms like lethargy, ditto loss of appetite, ditto rear leg weakness, etc. Vets and tests are essential. Oh, my comments on our 8 year old Meeteetse yesterday were my own speculations after many, many years of living with ferrets; could be wrong, and hope she proves me wrong, but no one has large hopes at this point and I was very down about it. Our vets are trying very hard and so are we in conjunction with them to keep her having quality time as much as possible for as long as possible before she needs that final gift. It's always so important to TRY for the sake of the individual ferrets, and in case anything is found which might help other ferrets (like John is doing). So many things are now treatable, often in refined ways for specific individual situations to give the best quantity of quality time when careful testing and treating are done, but Steve and I well recall when most of the things now treated had nothing that could be done for them, -- zip, nada. It's not that long ago. Can't help but feel strongly that people need to at least TRY, with careful vet care, when ferrets are ill, knowing what it has been like in the past. And can't help but thank John and those special people like him who help advance medical care for the sake of the ferrets. I wrote: >Even after us having decades with ferrets it's not unusual to have >situations which simply can NOT be clear without testing; that's just a >fact of life. Opps, left out the word "almost" before "decades": about 18 years. [Posted in FML issue 3167]