For those interested in animal food studies or in spongiform encephalopathy in mustelids there is a very interesting (though not for easily turned stomachs) article in today's (Wed. 3/11/97) New York Times on pages C1 an d C11. Fortunately, the Times is a paper which any library pretty much can get a hold of so anyone should have access. (Posted since it COULD have importance for ferrets if they get it as readily as mink, and since standard pet food manufacture is gone in to in some depth in the article, also because some backyard mills might follow the same feeding practise which got the several hundred minks' brains so ill.) Bob, 'Chopper has always had a thing about blue, so it may be that some pet ferrets can see it (or that she prefers the specific neutral it looks like). Her preference is so strong that around the holidays she will remove and stsh ONLY blue baubles, and it another ferret wears a blue collar that ferret will be mercilessly abused till the collar is removed. There are other blue stories, too. Jeff, glad you tackled the recent Van Weil's topic and ECE, but wish you had pointed out that calling a disease other than ECE "ECE" is like calling gastroenteritis "stomach flu". The latter is not influenza and ECE is not a bacterial disease nor runs from other causes other than ECE itself. Mislabeling things can cause a REAL unexpected uproar -- something which I saw first hand a quarter century ago when I had leptospirosis from a restaurant and my physician informed the county that I had Van Weil's (which is why I know the name). Yep, all Hell broke loose. The same thing can happen if folks are given reason to think that a ferret may have ECE because it is so contagious. Miscalling something "ECE" or calling it "stomach flu" which is a meaningless term that can naturally result in all SORTS of problems, so it pays to find out what you are actually dealing with such as coccidia, or e. coli, or salmonella, or giardia, or whatever and posting that when you make your mention. Meltie is having a off couple of days. Just staying on top of it, which means poor Steve isn't getting much sleep because I've got a lungs-ful of influenza, so he's stuck with all the critter work while I wash my hands raw and use a face mask. (Notice how slowly and carefully this was written? Actually, I'm almost better.) Sukie [Posted in FML issue 1869]