In real secondary constipation from laxative dependence the intestine becomes accustomed to the added help and motility levels decrease. Besides being seen in some animals who are given laxatives on a very regular basis (daily or close to it) it is documented in humans who overdo laxatives. The intestine will relearn the right level of motility but that can take time. With a ferret who has as many health considerations as the one mentioned very short term secondary constipation from laxative dependence would have raised more red flags than it would for most, hence that part of the cautions (as well as the need to not pass the meds too rapidly). Luckily, there were no such problems for that individual when the laxative was stopped. There is also perceived secondary constipation because laxatives empty a digestive tract. Normally, there is always some waste in the intestine and the ones farthest along are what pass out. (A childhood family physician used to tell kids to think of bumper cars. Not terribly accurate but it gets the image fastened in.) After the use of laxatives the intestine needs to once again get back to the normal situation so it takes a little longer at first to have a movement. Early on the topic is one that used to be tackled often by FML member vets but I think that hands finally got thrown up in frustration because the popular tide was so strong. Off hand, I can't recall if it has come up on the FHL, and do not know if the FML discussions precede the years for which the FML archives is searchable, but I do recall it as being early on so that is possible. You can find a lot on the topic in humans on the internet because it is a common enough problem. There are fewer when +veterinary is added to a general search. Interestingly, a number of those seem to be related to the misuse of certain herbs. As is no secret, I am very low on time so just on skimming: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi brings up 6 articles on the term "laxative dependence" though often full articles need to be sought once it is known which ones to seek because the abstracts may not have the details sought. Some abstracts at PubMed connect to free full articles, others to ones that can be purchased, and some need the help of a librarian (a real unsung hero type of profession in my eyes). http://www.bionewsonline.com/v/2/fermentation_r.htm This one needs a subscription which I don't have: > Essiac(r) > ... melanosis coli, laxative dependence, and pathological > alterations to the colonic smooth muscles (8; .... J Am Vet > Med Assoc 6-1-1993;202(11):1839-1844. ... > www.naturalstandard.com/monographs/herbssupplements/aux2-essiac.asp I don't have time to check but I notice a number of hits on that search refer to Aloe Vera but I do not know the circumstances. This one http://www.herbalabstracts.com/aloe/aloeveralibrary.htm (which needs to include the bad along with the good) seems to be the best of the lot to check through on that (though honestly I find it lacking in balance because I think that any herbal references and uses just like any other med site or promotion/sales should prominently contain the associated cautions, interactions, etc. and I have seen that failure to include mentions of the bad as well as the good far too abused in ferret care (Just a couple of truly serious examples which could even prove fatal: licorice not containing warnings about the associated cardiovascular damage and thrown clots (often mislabeled "strokes") and other problems, Pau d'Arco not containing the warnings of side effects -- including drops in blood sugar which are a dangerous risk if insulinoma is present -- mentioned by known ferret vets (including one noted ferret veterinary text author, Dr. Karen Purcell: http://ferrethealth.org/archive/SG964 http://ferrethealth.org/archive/SG12059 are from vets who used it in the past and found too many serious side effects in ferrets so stopped doing so.) BTW, in the links section at the FHL are links which help look up a wide range of med types including herbals, alternatives and complimentary approaches, etc. I did not include those in my search so that people can easily supplement what I write in this post on their own. Again, I am very short on time so this post is meant for nothing beyond helping people begin their own searches and their own reading, so is obviously incomplete and just meant to help people get started. Steve and I were a little worried (needlessly) when we first tried the vet-advised reduced use of furball meds (though we give the laxative if a ferret "glatches" (a good Don Martin word), and during sheds though combing to remove loose fur is our first-order approach, or if we think a ferret may have eaten certain things -- with the last such instance being styrofoam something like 10 plus years ago). Honestly, we have not personally had any problems here from the reduction in use, and our change was a large one. That is just our experience and "the plural of data is not anecdotes" (a quote for which I am always grateful to Linda) so use that grain of salt. Sukie (not a vet) 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 5624]