I would like to respond to the vet who wrote in to say that ferret owners should be wary of advice coming from veterinary assistants on FML and to stick with advice from more experienced veterinarians: I will be as polite as possible. I went to THREE such experienced people only to find that I received more misleading information from them than I did from all of the FML people COMBINED! I went to one such vet who said he "knew all about ferrets". So, I trusted him with my precious Misty who had begun chewing everything in sight, losing weight, losing hair, and who had stopped eating. This EXPERIENCED vet told me that my ferret had a "behavior problem" and that I should try changing her food! Well, if he knows more about animals than just the assistants, than he should have known that Misty had an adrenal tumor on her right adrenal gland that make her extremely weak and feeble. He would not and could not answer any of my questions concerning her weight loss and practically shoved me out the door. (Needless to say that he is now being investigated after I wrote a 4 page complaint to the Veterinary Medical Examiner) I thank goodness that I trusted my intuition and decided to get another opinion (as well as several from the people on the FML and Dr. Williams). She is now alive and thriving no thanks to these experienced people (with the exception of Dr. Williams who is simply wonderful). She is alive because I tried everything possible, talked with as many "nonexperienced" people as I could, and gave her more love and prayers than I ever did for anyone in my life. Many of the people on the FML have owned ferrets for many many years and have gotten their experience the hard way. I always seek the advice of a vet when needed but I will also continue to consult with those who work hard to help all the ferret owners on the FML. VIVA LA FERRET Julie and The Fuzz Factory --Sobriety, Charity, and Misty [Posted in FML issue 1417]