In yesterday's FML there were a couple posts referring to herbal and homeopathic remedies being used to treat ferrets. Lots of us here use herbs and herbal mixtures on ferrets, but I would like to caution everyone that the effects of some of these herbs on ferrets are *completely* unknown and that the dosages for ferrets are MUCH, much smaller than you would expect. Herbs like yucca (mentioned in one of the posts), goldenseal, and licorice - all frequently included in herbal combination tinctures - can have rapid nasty side effects if used incorrectly. Also, 'homeopathic' refers to a method in which you give a small dose of something that produces the same symptoms that are present in the illness. This assists the body in dealing with the illness. If you give the wrong remedy, or too much, nothing should happen - these remedies are the sort that usually come in little vials and are labeled '12c' or '6x,' etc. If you're giving herbs to address a medical condition, you're not treating 'homeopathically,' you're using herbs like you'd use a regular prescription drug. For medicinal herb information, please go to http://sunsite.unc.edu/herbmed/mediherb.html I strongly urge anyone who is going to use an herb on their ferret to do more than simply just look up 'sore throat' in a book and then administer all the herbs found in there. Please DO YOUR RESEARCH. Get an herbal dictionary, get Pitcairn's book on natural healing for dogs and cats, and look up the potential side effects of the herbs you would be using! Or go to a holistic/homeopathic vet in your area - you can look one up through the Alt Vet Med site at http://www.altvetmed.com. Just as a side note: herbal tinctures usually recommend a dosage for people of 15-30 drops (usually - not all) 2-4 times per day. Taking the *maximum* dose of 30 drops 4x/day for a, say, 180lb human, if you reduce the dose per pound of weight to an appropriate dose for a ferret who weighs, say, 3 lb, you get a MAXIMUM dose of 2 drops per day for a ferret. Melissa ___ Melissa Litwicki __ [log in to unmask] ___ By the whole newsgroup devoted tennis showing it after scarfing fork and laughters [Posted in FML issue 2031]