For shielding ulcers Carafate or it's equivalent is the best. It comes now in a handy liquid prep that any pharmacy carries and it lasts for years according to our expiration date and pharmacist. When ulcers are present avoid high stress situations and for that reason and others if an ulcer is bad certain antibiotics, antacids, and pepto can be counter indicated until some healing is done. Also, be VERY careful about OTCs and ALWAYS clear any med with your vet before giving it, remembering that a number have version with added ingredients like acetamineprhin which will kill ferrets. There have been too many needless deaths and too many needless cases of severe life-long damage form folks not doing so. For info on treating ulcers I recommend past posts from Dr. Bruce Williams in http://listserv.cuny.edu/archives/ferret-search.html and http://fhl.sonic-weasel.org/ . Finding vets: http://www.smartgroups.com/vault/ferrethealth/ReferenceShelf/FerretVets.htm http://fhl.sonic-weasel.org/vets/ Search by zip code, read FAQ first. http://www.miamiferret.org/fhc/vets.htm http://www.quincyweb.net/quincy/vet.html http://www.ferretcentral.org/for-others/db-vets.html http://www.geocities.com/houseferrets13uk/Vets.html UK vets http://www.ferrets.org/Veterinarian_Listings.htm British Columbia vets also http://www.supportourshelters.org is a shelter list but it also tells what vets they use, and those in CA can also look in the critical refs at http://www.ferretcongrress.org for the medical sections of ferret organizations and link to those sites that way since some of them list vets. In the two archives in the third paragraph you will find a bunch of post-surgical tips. Do NOT give anything your vet does not okay first. Do NOT let the ferret climb (even ramps) for at least 10 days; too much activity has killed a number of ferrets in their first week or so after surgery. Use paper or a very clean paper litter like Yesterday's News after surgery instead of other litters that have a greater chance of getting the incision dirty. Follow the vet's advice and take notes, etc. Chiclet's progress has stalled and even a little progress in some ways has been lost so right now she is one hold with careful care and some more aggressive things may be tried despite their risks. The cause still remains unknown, with the specialists leaning toward some type of massive infection, but it could still be something else. We're still sleeping in shifts as we have been doing for about 2 and a half weeks now and caring for her that way. [Posted in FML issue 4186]