Hi again! I finally got a chance to sit and down and look through these great mags today. I never bought Natural Pet before, but stick a ferret on the cover and I'll buy anything! It was worth it! Dr. Nancy Scanlan(from CA) wrote a very informative and somewhat amusing article on basic ferret care, and also offered several holistic remedies to help with various ferret ailments. I'll be happy to respond to e-mails for specifics, but I don't want infringe on the copyrighting by quoting that info. Here are a few that I thought were rather interesting...... Ear mites: Tea tree oil or a combo of olive oil and almond oil followed by a rue(a what??!!<G>)and witch hazel extract mixture. Ringworm: betadine or betadine scrub Respiratory infections: mild coughing and sneezing can be treated with ester C(a buffered vit. C)in fruit juice. ECE: if not vomitting, arsenica alba can help diarrhea or use echinacea or colloidal silver. Arthritis: vit E, dlphenylalanine, glucosamine and ester C. Another section discusses the attributes of the Oregon Grape root. This stuff has the makings of a wonder drug! It says it has antibacterial properties which have been shown to be more effective than some antibiotics, including chloramphenicol, and can be used effectively against E. coli, Giardia, ear, eye and UT infections. The berberine it contains is also believed to slightly elevate blood sugar levels in hypoglycemic animals(Insulinoma!). It also can be used in conjunction with echinacea for various infections, as a bitter tonic, and to stimulate liver function. DISCLAIMER: I have absolutely no experience with holistic vet medicine and merely thought I'd bring some interesting info to the readers of the FML. I certainly think it would be wise to consult with a vet, especially one with holistic experience, before trying any of these on our fuzzies. Unfortunately, Dr. Scanlan apparently used some of those outdated books which claim that ferrets were originally tamed by the Egyptians! Here we go again!<G> Anyway, it was very nicely written and she referred to ferret owners as being a "devoted bunch, that have developed their own vocabulary and lifestyles to accommodate their fun-loving pets." Hee-hee! Yeah, I guess that description fits!!! My poor sofa has been ferret-proofed on the sides and the bottom, and my living room looks like I live with small children 'cause their toys are everywhere!!! <GGG> I'm not quite sure how to take one point she made, though, about the ferret world not being strongly connected to the holistic world yet, and that ferrets are still being vaccinated. Well, hey.... in light of the adverse reactions, if she would like to make another suggestion that would prevent my ferrets from dying of distemper..... ;^/ THE FERRETS USA 1997 issue is out and I'm very proud to see several names from the FML as the authors of various articles. Way to go, to....Pam Grant, Tricia Curtis, Dick Bossart, Mary Van Dahm, and Jeanne Carley!!! (Applause!!!) One thing that bothered me...I don't know where the magazine got its pictures from, but all of their nails(the ferrets....not the people!<VBG>)were pretty long and it made me want to run for my nail clippers!<GG> Check out the fuzzies on pages 52 and 87 and you'll know what I mean! I hope they pay more attention to that detail next year. Other than that, the pix are really great and I especially loved the one of the ferret "jailbird" in his black and white stripes! It was just too cute!!!!! Well....that's all for now. Dodie Newcomb and the Frenzied, but still Fabulous Five Gidget, Molly, Teddy, Fozzie and Angel(aka "Betsy Wetsy")<GGG> [Posted in FML issue 1745]