See: http://nal.usda.gov/awic/pubs/Ferrets06/feed_nutrit_metab.htm for a number of ferret nutritional studies. Now, for some veterinary ones: on diabetes: <http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?artid=1255590> The FULL article is present at this location. BEGIN QUOTE Can Vet J. 2005 October; 46(10): 895=96897. Copyright This is an Open Access article: verbatim copying and redistribution of this article are permitted in all media for any purpose, provided this notice is preserved along with the article's original URL. Histopathologic lesions of diabetes mellitus in a domestic ferret Marie-Odile Benoit-Biancamano, Michel Morin, and Isabelle Langlois DEpartement de Pathologie et Microbiologie (Benoit- Biancamano, Morin); Clinique de MEdecine Zoologique, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire VEtErinaire (Langlois), FacultE de MEdecine VEtErinaire, UniversitE de MontrEal, 3200, rue Sicotte, St-Hyacinthe, QuEbec J2S 2M2. A 2-year-old ferret was referred with a diagnosis of diabetes mellitus. The animal died despite insulin therapy and was submitted for necropsy. Light microscopic examination revealed a mild hepatic lipidosis and pancreatic lesions consisting of a diffuse vacuolation of the Langerhans' islet cells with a periodic acid-Schiff positive material compatible with glycogen. END QUOTE Being unable to produce images here I can not provide that entire article above for you in the messages, but you can get it at the URL given and the pdf is here: <http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/picrender.fcgi?artid=1255590&blobtype=pdf> You will LOVE this; it is a 25 page, highly comprehensive list of ferret medical studies from 2002 into 2006: http://nal.usda.gov/awic/pubs/Ferrets06/veterinary.htm I'd love to get this article by Tom Willard whose doctorate is in veterinary nutrition. If his name rings a bell he has Performance Foods which makes Totally Ferret: BEGIN QUOTE >Willard, T.R. (2002). Ferrets. Exotic DVM 4(4): 36-37. >ISSN: 1521-1363. > >NAL Call Number: SF981 .E96 > >Descriptors: ferrets, anatomy, physiology, diets, feed formulation, >nutrient requirements. END QUOTE Given Hilbert's repeated bouts with allergic dermatitis, sometimes with complications, I'd enjoy gathering this, too: BEGIN QUOTE White, S.D. (2006). Rabbit, rodent and ferret dermatology. In: Ahead of the curve: OVMA Conference Proceedings., January 26, 2006-January 28, 2006, Ontario Veterinary Medical Association: Milton, Canada, p. 102-115. Online: http://www.ovma.org Descriptors: ferrets, rabbits, rodents, dermatology, etiology, alopecia, clinical aspects, diagnosis, drug therapy, ectoparasites, pruritus, skin diseases. END QUOTE Intriguing: BEGIN QUOTE Schoemaker, N.J., J. Wolfswinkel, J.A. Mol, G. Voorhout, M.J.L. Kik, J.T. Lumeij, and A. Rijnberk (2004). Urinary glucocorticoid excretion in the diagnosis of hyperadrenocorticism in ferrets. Domestic Animal Endocrinology 27(1): 13-24. ISSN: 0739-7240. NAL Call Number: QL868.D6 Abstract: Hyperadrenocorticism in ferrets is usually associated with unaltered plasma concentrations of cortisol and adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH), although the urinary corticoid/creatinine ratio (UCCR) is commonly elevated. In this study the urinary glucocorticoid excretion was investigated in healthy ferrets and in ferrets with hyperadrenocorticism under different circumstances. In healthy ferrets and in one ferret with hyperadrenocorticism, approximately 10% of plasma cortisol and its metabolites was excreted in the urine. High- performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) revealed one third of the urinary corticoids to be unconjugated cortisol; the other peaks mainly represented cortisol conjugates and metabolites. In 21 healthy sexually intact ferrets, the UCCR started to increase by the end of March and declined to initial values halfway the breeding season (June). In healthy neutered ferrets there was no significant seasonal influence on the UCCR. In two neutered ferrets with hyperadrenocorticism the UCCR was increased, primarily during the breeding season. In 27 of 31 privately owned ferrets with hyperadrenocorticism, the UCCR was higher than the upper limit of the reference range (2.1 x 10(-6)). In 12 of 14 healthy neutered ferrets dexamethasone administration decreased the UCCR by more than 50%, whereas in only 1 of the 28 hyperadrenocorticoid ferrets did the UCCR decrease by more than 50%. We conclude that the UCCR in ferrets primarily reflects cortisol excretion. In healthy sexually intact ferrets and in ferrets with hyperadrenocorticism the UCCR increases during the breeding season. The increased UCCR in hyperadrenocorticoid ferrets is resistant to suppression by dexamethasone, indicating ACTH-independent cortisol production. Descriptors: ferrets, hyperadrenocorticism, disease diagnosis, urine, glucocorticoids, cortisol, excretion, metabolites, creatinine, breeding season, seasonal variation, dexamethasone, urinary corticoid-creatine ratio (UCCR). END QUOTE Well, I could quote on and on, but I think many will want to make a copy of the list at that URL and retain it. Sukie (not a vet) Current FHL address: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ferrethealth Recommended ferret health links: http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/ferrethealth/ http://ferrethealth.org/archive/ http://www.afip.org/ferrets/index.html http://www.miamiferret.org/fhc/ http://www.ferretcongress.org/ http://www.trifl.org/index.shtml http://homepage.mac.com/sukie/sukiesferretlinks.html [Posted in FML 5579]