I'm SO upset! I just got back the results of my allergy test for ferrets (RAST for ferrets). And the nurse mentioned something about 60 being average, and I'm at 1688!!!! "Very High." So, I'm now trying to figure out where to go from here. I'm lucky that, although I test high, the symptoms aren't unbearable. I suppose that, in my heart, I knew it all along. When I had to go away for 2 weeks and leave my girls behind, I felt better than I have in years. I could breathe! I felt energized! Alive! I wanted it so badly to be the change in the environment, not the fuzzies. But, alas, it's them. I've told my hubby that it'll take a trip to the hospital for me to even consider getting rid of them. Thankfully, I don't have asthma -- just constant stuffiness and itchy eyes and skin rashes on my face when I kiss their bellies, their necks, their cheeks... (I digress). And no, I won't stop kissing them! So, as far as symptoms go, I've got it good compared to others. I read previous posts about allergies to ferrets and have called a pharmacy that makes ferret serum (to desensitize me). They make the serum using ferret hair/fur. I asked them why they use hair because I thought it was the saliva that I'm allergic to. My previous allergist had said that there are 3 possible allergens from a ferret: saliva, urine, and, I think, the oil. The pharmacist at this compounding pharmacy says that it's the hair. The nurse at my new allergist says it's the dander. Now, from what I understand (from what I've read and heard), my former allergist is correct and the others haven't caught up to current research. The problem is this: For a serum to be effective, the allergen (or specific protein) needs to be isolated. If I cannot do my best to isolate the specific allergen to send to the compounding pharmacy, my attempts to desensitize myself to ferrets may be fruitless. I have called the company that conducted the actual labwork to determine whether I was allergic; however, they cannot determine what part of the ferret I was tested for. Is this making any sense? Additionally, they cannot figure out what company supplied the ferret proteins/allergens. If I must, I will use ferret fur. I suspect that traces of dander, saliva, urine, and oil are on there. If anyone out there knows the truth about allergens and what parts of the ferret cause allergies, please contact me. I want to do my best in making sure the serum is as effective as it can be. Although, I'm not sure how I would collect ferret saliva or oil... Thanks in advance for your help! Suzanna Donahue [Posted in FML issue 3462]