If you are in NJ then the pet store is placing its license at risk by not treating. MANY states currently have laws governing pet stores which require vet care when needed. Whichever state you are in contact: 1. Whichever office provides ferret permits because it may have the right info on who to contact. 2. The office of your area representative for the same reason. 3. The office which licenses pet stores. If you don't have that contact info the representative's office data can usually be gotten from the town hall or local library. Having documentation, even a photo of the problem, will help. A letter from a vet on hospital letterhead is best but any documentation helps. Washing the ferret is going to be insufficient given your description. The ferret needs vet care and the store needs to have its license placed at risk. Another thing you can do is to contact the breeder of the ferrets. I don't know if the other farms would do this, but years ago when a pet store about 45 minutes from us was treating Marshall kits badly Marshall refused to sell to them until they improved their conditions. (This was years ago.) They did improve the conditions. They had time to think about it, too, because our vet back then was able to get letters to the state offices (for which we tracked down addresses) and that store was banned from selling any mammals for 6 months due to their refusal to treat the coccidia that was found in multiple mammal species in the store, had to have a vet check all mammals and treat those who had problems, and then had to transfer the animals to another of their stores which ALSO had to first have a thorough check. They needed a kick in the butt to realize that failure to provide medical care was going to be a lot more expensive for them than fulfilling their obligations, and it sounds like the store hold that ferret you know is similar. For some people that is all that will work. Sukie (not a vet) [P.S.] I just noticed that you are in Canada, but suspect that many of your provinces will be similar in those regards as many U.S. states. 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.ferrethealth.msu.edu/ http://www.ferretcongress.org/ http://www.trifl.org/index.shtml http://homepage.mac.com/sukie/sukiesferretlinks.html all ferret topics: http://listserv.ferretmailinglist.org/archives/ferret-search.html "All hail the procrastinators for they shall rule the world tomorrow." (2010, Steve Crandall) [Posted in FML 6744]