Hi to everyone, it seems that the swelling that my beloved ferret has in his mouth is an epulis: a benign tumor of the gum! I wrote an email to all of my friends here in the FML because I needed reassurance. Also my wife called Troy Lynn Eckart early in the morning on Sunday morning and woke her up! Sorry again Troy Lynn, your help is always good to calm down my anxiety!! Dr Sanders suggested that it could be an epulis. Today my vets removed the growth and it is going to be analyzed in a lab, if the amount is enough! I would like to know if someone has experienced an epulis in ferrets! Please I would like to compare the descriptions! BAD NEWS IN ITALY: In Italy it is going to pass a law that forbids the importation. It is also not allow to keep wild animals as pets and unluckily ferrets are in that list. It seems though that MUSTELA PUTORIOUS is the name listed, but have you ever tried to explain the difference to an italian officer? Here the policy is: First I confiscate, Second give me time to think about it, Third you are wrong anyway! They are doing that with people so there will be less respect for the animals! So please wait before coming to Italy with your ferret: California does't seems that far away!!! Ciao Roberto Roberto is at [log in to unmask] personal e-mail for life: [log in to unmask] P.S. I forgot once again to thank publicly my italian vets: Dr Michele Toldo and Dr Tatiana Fioriolli for their patience as I am a tough "patient" and I think they realized that I am the sick one: vets must be good psychologists and listeners! Also I hope that ferrets will be loved as much as we all love them! Thanks again as it is important for us (my family) to know you are there! Ciao [Posted in FML issue 1730]