Sorry to disappoint, but no, the Jurassic mammal was not a mustelid. Mustelids did not even exist until about 30 to 35 million years ago, around 130 million years after this fossil unless there is new reputable info on that since I last read on the topic. The order Carnivora itself didn't even exist until about 100 million years after this fossil, again with the disclaimer (LOL!). The animal to which you refer existed about 165 million years ago and is the largest and most specialized mammal of that time found, about the size of a very small (emphasize small) female ferret (around 18 ounces/500 grams), showing that mammals filled more niches than known for the time and that at least one form of highly specialized mammals was present so there likely were others, too, and is the first semiaquatic mammal found so far by over 100 million years. It also is the first to be preserved with fur of two types -- dense undercoat and short guard hairs. This mammal also has features which indicate an ability to burrow. Vertebrae were like an otter's, and the teeth were fish eater's teeth like seals have. The name give is Castorocauda lutrasimilis which literally translates to "beaver tailed" for the genus name, and "otter similar-to" for the species name. It was docodontan; a group which no longer exists. http://www.sciencemag.org/ and http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/abstract/311/5764/1123 and http://palaeoblog.blogspot.com/ If docodontans sound familiar there was a recent study (last year, I think) indicating that some may have been venomous. Green feces indicates very rapid transit. There are a range of possible causes: some types of food borne bacteria (bloody flux is mentioned in Fox's _Biology and Diseases_ in relation to salmonella which can be gotten from food or from birds and reptiles, and I think maybe amphibians, but that symptom is apparently not common. See post like http://ferrethealth.org/archive/browse.php?msg=SG6619, http://ferrethealth.org/archive/browse.php?msg=SG12118, and notice that http://ferrethealth.org/archive/browse.php?msg=SG11178 among other things discusses treatment of gram negative bacteria.), some types of parasites (coccidia, giardia which can be gotten by drinking outside water or aquarium water, etc.), ECE (See http://www.afip.org/ferrets/ECE/ECE.html and remember that secondary complications like colitis can happen, but remember that there would have to have been a disease exposure as with any other disease.) and multiple other GI problems. What tests have been done? Has Eosinophyllic Gastroenteritis been considered? Influenza is a respiratory disease which can have GI symptoms, but always has respiratory ones. If there is no respiratory disease it is not influenza. There are certainly transient GI diseases, though. Hydration is paramount in importance, and your vet is seeing to that. Also, treating the symptoms. If it is coccidia treat all vulnerable individuals. Anonymous, has the ferret's mouth and throat been checked by the treating vet. looking for things like sores or infection? (If there are a number of oral sores also check the kidneys.) Can the ferret swallow okay if held vertically as happens with MegaE? Have causes of dysphagia (difficulty swallowing) been considered? In dysphagia it is usually harder to swallow thin fluids, so try making it into a soup and see if that works. Is this a neural crest variant ferret? Dysphagia has not been proven with these variants but both the nerves of the area and the formation of the mandible can be altered by those genetic variants, so it is hypothetically a factor. Examples of the pelage of such ferrets are life long ones with panda heads, head blazes, extraneous white spotting that is not a cleanly margined and complete mitt and bib set. If there is dysphagia be extra careful to not force, because these individuals are much more prone to inhaling the food or fluid so more vulnerable to aspiration pneumonia. -- Sukie (not a vet) Ferret Health List co-moderator http://www.smartgroups.com/groups/ferrethealth FHL Archives fan http://ferrethealth.org/archive/ replacing http://fhl.sonic-weasel.org International Ferret Congress advisor http://www.ferretcongress.org [Posted in FML issue 5169]