Now, I know that some people give very low levels of probiotics for very short periods of time to their ferrets. Today I heard about something else. It is a probiotic product that is marketed for what sounds like a range of small animals including ferrets. The reason I heard about it off-list is because the person's ferrets became ill after use. This raises several questions: 1. Ferrets simply do not have the concentration and range of bacteria in their digestive tract that species which normally eat vegetable matter do (Bacteria help digest plant matter.), and they lack an appendix. From recent research the function of the appendix seems to be to serve as a safe-house for needed bacteria during bouts of diarrhea. (See: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17936308 ) So, when a large amount of other or additional bacteria are introduced to the digestive tract might they mess up the needed balance of symbiotic bacterial species? That itself can cause illness (including long term severe diarrhea) in other species so can such an imbalance do that same thing in ferrets? 2. The product says that it should be given for a month. Well, I am sorry, but if a ferret has severe diarrhea then a vet visit is in order, not an over the counter product. Diarrhea and the resulting dehydration are not only problems in themselves but they can cause further problems like malnutrition and kidney damage. Would people use such a product instead of getting veterinary care and therefore undermine the health of their ferrets? 3. Given that the medium is conducive to the 2 species of bacteria in the product how easily might it also prove to be a happy home for other bacterial species? In other words, does the very nature of the product make it ripe for contamination, with worse bacteria being given as a result? 4. Is this yet another case of taking a product that is designed for a very different species, for example, humans, and just repackaging it for other species' use? 5. Why would people expect such a product to generalize among a range of small mammals with entirely different dietary needs and foods? I don't have firm answers to these questions but they sure are waving warning flags for me, especially after that one person's ferret became so ill after use of the product. 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/ http://www.ferretcongress.org/ http://www.trifl.org/index.shtml http://homepage.mac.com/sukie/sukiesferretlinks.html [Posted in FML 6274]