This is my first time posting. I have been reading the FML for about a month now and I have really enjoyed the articles. In brief my family consists of 5 members: My husband and I, my 8 year old son & 2 adorable fuzzbutts Qpid (1 yr old sable) & Valentine (5 month old sable).My son refers to our ferrets as his "sisters." We love them as a part of our family not just pets. My problem at this time is Valentine has been sick.She has not been eating for the past few days &when she does use the litter box it is a very small amount of green jelly-like stool. She has vomited a couple of times but most of all she just lays there. She has been very clingy & sleeps all day. The vet says she has "viral enteritis" which she says she has been seeing alot of recently. A big concern of hers is that Valentine is very depressed. I am a psychiatric nurse & I am wondering is this the same kind of depression that humans experience? I know this ia a silly question but I was shocked by the diagnosis. I have never thought about animals being depressed. If anyone knows about the subject matter please feel free to e-mail me. Also does anyone have any suggestion as to what I can do to help her during this time other than the perscriptive measures ( amoxicillin, carafate &nutrical)Seeing her depressed is really making me depressed. One last thing, we live in NC in the Raleigh area. If anyone knows of a vet in the area that Knows more than just a little bit about ferrets,please e-mail me. We have been taking them to the after hours clinic as our vet doesn't know a great deal about them. It's really costing us a fortune & after hours doesn't run a day clinic. Thanks in advance for everyones help & the laughs our family gets when we read the FML stories. Mike,Melony, Josh, Qpid & Valentine Dorman Qpid: Come on Valentine. Get up! Mom left the bathroom door open again. You know how we love those Q-Tips. Valentine: Leave me alone. Qpid: You really need some Prozac. [Posted in FML issue 1830]