There are a number of meds (of any type) that are best avoided in ferrets. I was asked about Ibuprofen in ferrets. Here are several past posts on this. Please, check and re-check before giving any meds to avoid killing or causing permanent damage for a ferret. Ibuprofen is not the worst of the lot but it should be AVOIDED. (BTW, also avoid any med that is an anti-coagulant after surgery or injury and for a while before surgery if possible, with certain rare exception like those involving thromboses, clotting, etc.) http://fhl.sonic-weasel.org/browse.php?msg=YG10768 Well thanks to a shelter mom who wishes to remain nameless I have the information about Ibuprofen... Here is the active link for the ASPCA site that has the info: http://www.aspca.org/apcc/veccs_jan01.pdf http://ae.inno-vet.com/articles/2000/0800/50.htm It's always good to get info; hope to get the chance to read them fully tomorrow but two things stuck out on preliminary reading: the comment that "Ibuprofen is not used therapeutically in ferrets" which is what you needed for your information-sharing with that vet, and that the cases in which death occurred involved quite high doses -- more than a full caplet if the 200 mg ones we have here are typical -- with the lowest dose that caused death being 220 mg/kg. 1 kg is roughly equal to 2.2 pounds. Of course, a number of the non-death things that can happen sure don't sound like fun (poor ferrets) so it's great that you are sharing that info with the vet. If a person thinks that he or she may have dropped a caplet get those ferrets locked up and search -- or better, yet, swallow any of your meds AWAY from ferrets -- with a closed door between you, and store them safely! There are ones worse than Ibuprofen for ferrets. http://fhl.sonic-weasel.org/browse.php?msg=YG4389 August/September, 2000 - Volume 2.4 Managing Ferret Toxicoses by Jill A. Richardson, DVM, and Rachel Balabuszko, CVT http://www.napcc.aspca.org/exotic.htm (Expect to have to search since their server is so-so.) Copyright (c) Exotic DVM, 2001. All rights reserved. January - March, 2001 - Volume 11, Number 1 Ibuprofen Ingestion in Ferrets: 43 Cases, by Jill A. Richardson, DVM; Rachel Balabuszko, CVT http://www.napcc.aspca.org/veccs.htm (Ditto on their server.) Copyright (c) The Journal of Veterinary Emergency and Critical Care, 2001. All rights reserved http://fhl.sonic-weasel.org/browse.php?msg=YG4084 Actually Pheylpropanolamine (PPA) was the nasal decongestion medication that was taking off the market by the FDA. Sudafed (AKA pseudoepherine hydrochloride) is the only one still on the market! Please be careful if you give over the counter medications to your ferrets. A lot of the allergy medications have a nasal decongestion medication (pseudoephedrine) and/or a head ache medication (tylenol/actetaminophen or ibuprofen) in them. Tylenol can be fatal to ferrets (and cats)! Please only use plain Benadryl without anything in it (just plain diphenhydramine). Chlor-trimeton is another antihistamine, but again you want the one without anything else (just plain chlorpheniramine) in it. Yes, as Katherine pointed out some ferrets will suffer from seasonal allergies (spring and fall) just like people with allergies do. Plain Benadryl can be used for ferrets with allergies. Again make sure it is just plain Benadryl and not a combination product. Like wise if you are giving Benadryl before vaccines, make sure it is the plain benadryl. Hope that clears up the confusion, Jerry Murray, DVM [Posted in FML issue 3922]