Dogs & Ferrets Well, the babies are reminding me how traumatizing they can be to dogs and puppies, especially when there's 8! The babies think its great fun to nip doggie toes, ankles and tails and the dogs can't get away because the babies climb on the couch and bed after them. The dogs have been raised with ferrets and know not to bite them, but even the warning growls and nips are having little results. Out comes the bitter apple spray! I spray the dogs feet and legs and except for some very discontented dogs, it seems to work, so far. The kits are scheduled for spay/neuters next Tuesday and hopefully they will settle down after the surgeries, at least for a few days! Skin Problem A couple years ago I was treating feral kittens for ringworm and my neighbor inadvertently transferred it to some of my ferrets. Ringworm on the ferrets looked rusty (orange), and speckled, and its formation was in a circle on some but not on all. Some of the ferrets didn't get it and others got a spot here and there. I treated the infected ones with a topical solution called Fungisan. This is a nonprescription, clear, nonoily, unscented solution that is applied 2 times a day on the infected area for 7-10 days. The bottle reads that it is effective for other fungal infections so if it isn't ringworm it may still have beneficial effects. Sebulux is a gentle anti-fungal shampoo that can be used sparingly on ferrets, at least I've used it without any complications and I wash incoming ferrets with it, just in case. The problem with ringworm is that it is spread on hair follicles so bedding, floors, carpets, furniture, etc. must be washed, vacuumed, swept frequently. A 1:30 dilution of bleach to water is a very effective disinfectant for bedding and floors. Ringworm can be found in some soils, so you may not know its being transferred. A simple way to tell if it's ringworm is to go into a dark room and shine a black light on the infected area. If you see florescent green or yellow specks, you've got it. Human adults seem to be somewhat immune to it (I didn't catch it), but children are quite susceptible (I had it when I was a child too). It takes about 6 weeks to get rid of it. Hugs to all! tle [Posted in FML issue 0889]