>We don't know what the desk is finished with but is it possible that Henry >could have reacted adversely to a lead based finish? ... he still tries to >get in bonking his head repeatedly. What are symptoms of lead poisoning? >What are the treatments, if any? Risk of permanent damage (he is a youngin' >at 6 months)? Well, I haven't seen any cases of lead poisoning in ferrets, but they shouldn't be much different than in dogs and cats. However, just because the paint on the drawer is lead-based doesn't mean that he is would be poisoned. He would have to eat or absorb the paint through the skin (and that would equire fresh paint and lots of it. But ferrets could eat the paint chips, so you should look for areas where the paint is missing. Symptoms of chronic lead poisoning are often nervous signs - there may be abnormal gait, nervousness, twitching, seizures, lack of contact with surroundings, etc. You ay also see anemia, vomiting/diarrhea (more common in acute toxicities). Treatments would include evacuation of any lead in the stomach following an X-ray, and repeated injections of a chelating agent to bind all of the free lead in the body, and a percentage of that which has accumulated in the bone. In cases of chronic lead poisoning, there is significant chances of permanent damage. While the anemia and the GI signs are temporary, the changes seen in the brain, in which neurons selectively accumulate lead which often leads to their death, are permanent. Once neurons are severely injured, there is no regeneration. However, I think the chances of lead poisoning are fairly remote, unless you find that your pet has been eating the paint off of the drawer. Bruce H. Williams, DVM Dept. of Veterinary Pathology Chief Pathologist, AccuPath Armed Forces Institute of Pathology [log in to unmask] Washington, D.C. 20306-6000 [log in to unmask] [Posted in FML issue 1245]