>I am overwhelmed by how many people have been writing to offer me >support and suggestions about Patches, and I'm falling behind on personal >thank-yous, but please everyone who wrote know I am VERY appreciative. I >wanted to post out here about tonight's vet visit and I will keep people >updated in case (a) I can learn more and (b) it may help someone in the >future. Dear X: My suggestion based on your very detailed description of the vet visit would be to try to build her back up with the diet and prednisone in hopes of eventually getting that biopsy. Yes, the vet is correct that there are a number of GI ailments that can cause similar signs to IBD, but the only way to really tell them apart and tailor the appropriate therapy is to get a biopsy of the intestine to see what is really going on. Bloodwork is not very predictive for GI problems, and I'm not sure why kidney disease is in this differential. A fecal test will identify coccidia if they are present, but multiple tests may be required. Pred and dietary manipulation are fine in the short term for most of the GI problems that ferrets get, but only a biopsy will determine what precisely is going on. With kindest regards, Bruce Williams, DVM [Posted in FML issue 3811]