Marguerite wrote: >I heard you are not suppose to use Frontline on Ferrets. Just >Advantage. Nope. That is a rumor and right up there with spider eggs in bubble gum. Frontline is fine for ferrets. You will find some MARVELOUS vet posts on this in the Archives of both the FML and FHL. I know multiple vets posted about it but off-hand I just recall several from Dr. Jerry Murray who knows his stuff big-time. Search with AFERRETVET in the "from" box for the FHL Archives. FML Archives (addy in the header of every day's FML digest: http://listserv.cuny.edu/archives/ferret-search.html FHL Archives: http://fhl.sonic-weasel.org Angela, extreme lethargy calls for a vet appointment. If the cause is hard to find then testing makes sense. As with coughing we've found that a chest x-ray often makes sense in case there is cardiomyopathy, though that usually happens at older ages. A CBC with Complete Blood Chemistry might make sense. Blockages cause extreme lethargy and must be tackled rapidly. If the ferret is not eat, not drinking, or not defecating get an emergency appointment. Disease of pretty much any type can cause lethargy. Yes, we have ones who become more peaceful in Winter but it's not extreme like you mention. In 21 and 1/2 years with ferrets extreme lethargy in a ferret sends us to the vet hospital. Okay, I notice that he is eating and drinking: good! It is so heartbreaking when there have been blockages and folks haven't jumped fast enough, so I'll leave the warning in just in case it might help save another FML member's ferret. Salt water embolism: for anyone who missed reading the vet post which says that it is not a risk factor (unless your ferret has some nifty scuba gear): http://fhl.sonic-weasel.org/browse.php?msg=SG4675 (See Karen's post in the Friday FML because she read it.) All fingers and paws here are crossed hoping that the reading of carcinoma is wrong. The slide will be read by at least one more expert. If carcinoma she doesn't have long, and sadly I do have to say that she is going downhill far more rapidly than any lympho ferret on Prednisolone ever has with us in all the time we've had ferrets. If carcinoma the only solution is surgery before it spreads, but her symptoms and the tests indicate problems with multiple organs which also make her a great surgical risk even if it hasn't spread (but it stands a good chance of having spread). We are doing all that we can for her and Steve and I are also making sure to make a point of emphasizing the good things, so last night while so happy about our human friend's health news we went out and bought ourselves some celebratory treats. When things are hard it is important to stick together, to emphasize the things that so right so that the rest doesn't push itself into seeming undefeatable, and to find ways to deal with the added problems (like learning about Evan's malignancy which is not as limiting a factor as his lung damage from over-used nightime cold medications -- a relief found by really hitting the books), and accepting what can't be changed like Fran and Lou's lack of capacity and the reality that with the mess they have wrought we can't do beyond what is already being done without the help of Adult Protective Services in NY, etc. Hey, it's life. We've had a lot of good things happen (the best for me being Steve and the ferrets) so at there have to be times when things go wrong, too. [Posted in FML issue 4340]