Sheena Staples wrote: >Thin ferret, black tarry stool and what sounds to me like teeth grinding. >These are all the "classic" symptoms of an ulcer, am I right? ... >As well, he has a fairly rotten tooth ... could this be the primary reason >for the thinness ie a poor appetite because the tooth is bothering him? Or >would it primarily be the ulcer? Or a combination of both? Probably both. Nearly all ferrets carry Helicobacter mustelae, the bacteria thought to be the cause of gastric ulcers; it takes some stressful event or condition to make it start causing problems, and I've heard of a couple cases where a troublesome tooth was the stress factor. Once an ulcer has flared up, it doesn't go away easily without treatment. Watch for the new Gastric Ulcer/ H. mustelae FAQ, coming later this week. (I just sent a pre-release copy to you, Sheena.) -- - Pam Greene Ferret Central <http://www.optics.rochester.edu:8080/users/pgreene/> or send INDEX FERRET in email to <[log in to unmask]> [Posted in FML issue 1729]