Phil, In response to your questions, or rather, some of them: My husband and I have dogs, cats, birds, ferrets and a skunk. All of the animals get along with eachother, though the ferrets aren't left unsupervised with anyone...basically because we feel sorry for all the other animals and wouldn't wish the little ferret heathen on them unsupervised...think of the chaos! Basically, as long as you are careful when you introduce the dogs to the ferrets, you should be able to get them used to eachother. Regarding Ferretone and Linatone. These are vitamin supplements manufactured by 8 in One Co. Ferretone is specifically designed for ferrets, Linatone certainly won't hurt them and is usually very easy to get hold of. Regarding Descenting: Most veterinarians believe that descenting is an unnecessary operation and refuse to perform this surgery, or if they do it, it is outrageously expensive. Chemical descenting is still practiced by some vets, but is a horrible way to go. It usually doesn't work and frequently has some really awful side effects. DESCENTING DOESN'T CHANGE THE SMELL OF THE FERRET!!!!! So why bother with it?? Descenting simply removes the odor sacks, much like a skunk who can no longer spray. The daily smell of the animal will not change one way or the other. None of my whole animals are descented. They only spray when they are extremely agitated or afraid. This is a natural defense. Spaying/neutering a ferret will lower the animal's odor, but nothing can replace the effects of good hygiene. Keep the bedding clean and fresh, bathe when needed and keep the litterboxes clean; these will do more towards combatting odor than any surgery! regarding polecats: BIG difference. Ferrets are domestic animals. Polecats are wild animals. Even if captively bred, Polecats ARE NOT domestic. Therefore, you're dealing with all of the inherent instincts and inhibitions of a wild animal. I'm not saying that some don't make good pets, just that you have to know what you're doing in order to make them one. Ferrets were domesticated over 500 years before the house cat. They have no wild characteristics. As long as they are properly raised, they are the best little pets around! I'd be happy to talk to you more about your questions. Please consider writing to The American Ferret Association, Inc. for some of their educational information. The address is: P.O. Box 3986 Frederick, MD 21701 USA Take Care! Chrissy Peggy, Stick to your guns!!! If you keep your fuzzie's physical environment non-changing, the blindness should be easily dealt with. I wouldn't let him out to play unsupervised, but there's no reason he couldn't live a long and healthy life! Chrissy [Posted in FML issue 0571]