To Bob Raymond: >To encourage him to take his meds, and to eat well, we >sometimes add a drop of honey to the crushed pill or the food dish, which >ensures that he'll take it all. Is a VERY small amount of honey, with all its >natural sugars, good/harmful for ferrets? No, in moderation, it should be fine. Too much honey may cause islet cell hyperplasia in the pancreas, which MAY be a precursor to insulinoma. Other vet's claim that a high-sugar diet leads to diabetes due to chronic fatigue of the islets due to continuous high secretion of insulin. There's no definitive anser on this, but a high-sugar diet is probably not a good idea in ferrets. > What's a good, safe way of >improving his skin and coat quality? Diet consists of Iams Kitten Food and >one or two Cheerios a day for treats. I'm afraid that too much shampooing in >the past might have contributed to the problem, but I've seen no change in >fur or skin quality in the three weeks he's been living with us, and he's had >no bath during that period. I nice bath every 2-3 weeks with a hair conditioner may help. Also, we all have a good fatty acid additive in our possession - Linatone. Make sure he gets about 1/4 teaspoon per day. Remember, bad skin and coat can also be the result of some type of illness, so a good check by your vet is always in order in cases like this. Bruce Williams, DVM, DACVP Dept. of Veterinary Pathology AccuPath Armed Forces Institute of Pathology [log in to unmask] OR Washington, D.C. 20306-6000 [log in to unmask] (202) 782-2600 [Posted in FML issue 1262]