Hill's a/d is in the "prescription diet" line, but no it is not actually a prescription item. Hopefully your "ferret" vet can call or fax a "prescription" to your local vet to solve your problem. Hill's a/d is a good food to use as a supplement (soup). Plus if/when your ferrets need surgery in the future they will already be used to a/d for the recovery period. Hope that helps, Jerry Murray, DVM [Posted in FML issue 4522]