Hi, everyone! This is a question for Dr. Williams: I was just perusing through a file containing general information about ferrets and found the following statement: Ferrets do not have a cecum, an appendix, a prostate gland, or seminal vesicles. I remember not long ago you wrote about prostatic squamous metaplasia associated with adrenal disease... so clearly ferrets DO have prostate glands. I was just curious as to why someone would think that male ferrets don't have prostates. Have you heard this before? And what about the other structures listed? Earlier today I came home from shopping and let my sweet little Walter out of his cage as usual. Immediately he started vomitting --copiously-- and the vomit was tinged with blood. I nearly collapsed from absolute terror. I called my vet immediately to see if I should take Walter in. The vet asked if I had changed Walter's diet in any way recently and I said, yes, I had run out of ferret food just that morning and had given him some wet cat food until I could get to the pet store for more ferret food. The vet said that wet cat food usually makes ferrets vomit like that, and that it probably wasn't (isn't) serious, and that I shouldn't bring him in unless it happens again. Walter has been acting quite normal otherwise, though I've locked him in his cage so that I can keep an eye on him (of course I DO take him out from time to time to smother his little whiskery face with hundreds of kisses). I'm still pretty scared and hope that, indeed, it is not serious. Has anyone else had this experience before when changing their ferret's diet? --- Kimberly and Walter [log in to unmask] [Posted in FML issue 1064]