Shona read >One very avoidable one is bovine tuberculosis. Cases of this have >almost stopped appearing in ferrets in the U.S. now that almost no one >gives raw milk from cattle, goats, etc. or raw ungulate meat to ferrets. >It is a larger problem in some areas where that practice still occurs. >It's not common but it is an avoidable death sentence. asked: >Which areas are you referring to? In areas where bovine TB breaks out (which can happen pretty much anywhere with susceptible animals once the disease gets introduced though it doesn't show up in a smattering of Pacific Islands) then the raw milk or raw meat can pass it on to ferrets. Ferrets are not the only mustelid which is susceptible. See http://www.woodland-trust.org.uk/campaigns/briefingsmore/badgers.htm for example. Nor are mustelids the only other group involved. In http://www.spc.int/rahs/Manual/BOVINE/TBBOVINEE.htm notice " Cattle and buffaloes are the principal hosts for Mycobacterium bovis and are responsible for maintaining the disease. M. bovis can also cause disease in deers, pigs and humans and, occasionally, in horses, dogs, cats and sheep. In New Zealand, the introduced Australian possum is an important reservoir of infection." In other words it really is not a good practice to share raw milk or meat with ferrets unless you are danged sure that your ungulates are free of the disease, and, yes, it also means that people should be getting regular vet care for their ungulates, too. I heard a sad tale from a vet a few years ago of a person's cherished and gorgeous goat who got it; I don't know the source of infection. Herbals: when considering herbals also take into account the risks of the ingredients. For example licorice root is something you really want to avoid. Although it perks them up it does so in a way that causes cardiovascular problems and can even cause thromboses (thrown clots) which can look like a range of things depending on where the clot lands, for instance such a clot can kill a kidney, or cause loss of function of a limb, or look like stroke, etc. Miracle cures aren't either, and an event which has not been repeated over the years is certainly no proof that a compound had anything to do with the event. -- Sukie http://news.zdnet.com/2100-1009_22-5560664.html?tag=nl.e589 (Something everyone should know. Hey, if folks won't clean up their machines they should hire services which do, or stay off the internet, or leave Windows.) http://www.wired.com/news/mac/0,2125,66460,00.html (Eat your own cooking if you keep burning it, or be smart and figure out how to work forward from alternatives that actually work?) http://www.gohomeproductions.co.uk/video/ghp_paperback_believer.mov (a mashup to smile about -- related trivia: the Bs and DJ both performed for the first time on the Ed Sullivan Show in the same show episode) [Posted in FML issue 4779]