Just a bunch of short stuff. Some time ago I posted about Buddy's rear right foot, discribing a dermatitis-like condition. I forgot (was was recently reminded) to report the vet diagnosis. Turns out it was a dermatitis caused by bacterial infection--sort of a cellutitis--and responded quickly and favorably to antibiotic theapy. I was asked if arthritis was common in mustelids, and while I can't speak from a vet viewpoint, I can say that I have seen lots of skunk, otter (both sea and river), mink, and ferret skeletons, and the problem seems to be rather common in the hips and lower back, but also affects most joints at a lower rate. Foster, who is 9-yrs-old, has severe arthritis in his lumbar-pelvic area, as well as his hip and knee joints. When he first gets up, he walks like an old rodeo cowboy, and sometimes his back half will fall over or drag. We treat him rather gently when handling him, and have even spoken to our vet about administering anti-inflamatory agents, such as asprin, but hesitate because of possible side-effects. Osteologically, the weak spots in the mustelid skeleton seems to be the sacroilliac and femoral-acetabular joints, where the sacral spinal vertebrae and the rear leg attach to the the pelvis. Because of the remarkable springy quality of the mustelid spine, the sacroilliac joint has a lot of "give;" any compromise in movement is immediately noticable in the locomotion of the little fuzzy. As for the hip joint, it is the most common location of injury I have ever seen in mustelid skeletons. Ferrets are huge compared to their legs, and the rear legs power the animal. Joint fractures, dislocations, bone spurs, and arthritis are all too common because of the amount of stress placed on the joint. As with humans, I would suspect exercise to be the best treatment. I also allow Foster to sleep on a warm heating pad during cold weather (taking precautions not to over heat the rugrat). I have yet to decide on non-steroid anti-inflamatory drugs, and would appreciate comments. Regarding the FML thread on loyalty. While anecdotal evidence is not evidence at all, there are alot of comments on the FML about ferret loyalty to other ferrets, and to human slaves. Stella lost half her body weight when I was last in the hospital for surgery, and Bear went off his feed and developed ferret squishies when I was in New Orleans. Both are very close to me, and come at the sound of my voice. I have no scientific evidence, but suspect ferrets are close to dogs in the loyalty category. I know the thread on vacinations is closed, but this is a different type of comment so maybe BIG will let it through. I've visited nearly a hundred foreign countries and have the passports and shot records to prove it. I work in dirt, and with old nasty bones (and some new nastier bones). I do a lot of surveying and field work which brings me in close contact with barbed wire and broken glass. I have taken the rabies series, and take a tetnus booster once a year. In short, I have had just about every vacination possible. My reactions to these shots have ranged from puncture pain to systemic illness. My nodes have enlarged, my arm has puffed up, my skin has reddened and blistered, my temperature has increased, I have vomited, become dizzy, and even--then administered typhus and typhoid togther--thought I would die, and wanted too. But I somehow survive each traumatic experience, as well as close contact with people infected with the diseases I was vaccinated against. They worked. The bottom line is, without rabies vacination, you have nothing to help you prevent the death of your ferret should it bite someone. Without distemper, your ferret could die (People are worried about ECE, but distemper terrifies me, as well as scores of wildlife biologists.) No vaccine is 100% safe or effective or without side effects. That's the facts of life. I think dialogue concerning specific vaccines is valuble, but I agree with BIG that statements slandering vaccine manufacturers or other individuals goes a bit far. This is an emotional issue discussed by people who have a tremendous investment of love for their animals, and both sides work for the same goal, which is a better and longer life for the fuzzies. Perhaps instead of yelling at each other. 0we should ask the on-line vets to get together and post their opinions. I trust them. About strange colors in stools. Bear loves jerky, and recently stole the treat bag and consumed probably 1/4 lb of the stuff in one day. That evening, and into the next day, his stools were slightly runny and very dark--similar to those exhibited by ferrets having gastrointestinal bleeding. It was the jerky, and cleared up with the "passage" of time (I wasn't very worried; just didn't smell like GI bleeding). The green in runny stools is "unprocessed" bile, and the bird-seed effect is undigested fats and food particles, and can be simulated with green dyes and sesamee seeds, as Daye taught me after eating a gummy bear, and Stella after eating part of a hamburger bun. Once, just after we adopted her, Balistic stole a spool of white thread and swallowed some of the pieces she chewed off. Later, everyone thought she had a severe worm infestation. If I have doubts/worries, I don a pair of gloves, and look into the matter. Worms don't unravel. Pam; if no one responds to adopt the two beasties you mentioned, let me know, and I'll drive over and take them off your hands. I wouldn't mind doing some lab work at the Smithsonian anyway, so I could combine the two into one trip, and maybe visit Paw Paw and the Foxes on the way home. Bob and the 13 Pooper Foolers. [Posted in FML issue 1548]