>Silly question but...which is better. I have both and have a hard >time making up my mind which one to use. Of course the furkids like >the Kaopectate better. Dear XXXXX: The real question here is "better for what"? It all depends on what problem you are using it for. Pepto-Bismol has an anti-inflammatory property which makes it a better choice for some inflammatory conditions of the stomach, such as helicobacter infection, and ulcers. Kaopectate is called an adsorbent - it supposedly binds some toxins and/or bacteria in the intestine and has a protective coating action. Its effectiveness in diarrhea in any species is largely anecdotal, and I generally don't think it has much of any use in ferrets. If your ferret has diarrhea, it is there for a reason. I believe a better way to approach the problem of diarrhea in ferrets is not to try to control motility or "firm up the stools" by giving chemicals, but to let the body's natural defense mechanisms do their thing - moving out the bad poop quickly, and concentrate on replenishing the fluids and electrolytes that may be lost. When I was gong through vet school - that might be the most important lesson that I was taught - if there is something bad in the poop that the body wants to get rid of - the last thing you want to do is to make it so the body retains it. I have never prescribed Keopectate for ferrets - it won't harm them, but really doesn't do any good. I rarely use Pepto-Bismol these days, except in cases of Helicobacter infection - for ulcers, Carafate does a much better job. With kindest regards, Bruce H. Williams, DVM, DACVP Join the Ferret Health List at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Ferret-Health-list [Posted in FML issue 3361]