Wow, I have to admit that I guessed this one wrong. Since I posted the "If you have had ECE then you are EVIL" post I have been flooded with e-mail about how "wonderful" I am. This was NOT the purpose of the post (but if you want to send me a letter about how wonderful I am then that's ok <grin>). The post was not meant to be a "poor Jason" post or a "nobody likes me" post. I have really appreciated all of the responses but I would like to think that my ego isn't quite that fragile. In fact, as a truck driver, if I don't get "flipped off" at least three times a day then I feel left out! <grin> The purpose of the post was an attempt to get some people to "think" a little before saying or doing something. Sometimes parents won't admit to themselves that their child may have a learning disability and so, regardless of the evidence, they will not get them help. They may feel that to get their child help would be to admit that they themselves are not perfect or that they failed somehow. Because the child may need some extra help doesn't reflect negatively on the parents (unless the parents refuses to get the child help for the fore mentioned reason). I think that some may feel the same way about their ferrets. For some reason they may feel that if their kids get ECE that they have failed to protect them but as the famous saying goes, "Sometimes crap happened". And if you even have the slightest question if your ferret has ECE or not, then I would suggest getting the ferret to the vet as soon as possible. But meanwhile, you should make sure that the ferret stays hydrated and keep food in their gut. If it is ECE, you will be grateful that you started treating it immediately. If it is not ECE, then you can sing a song and do a jig. I am a great supporter of taking reasonable precautions to keep our ferrets safe from harm or illness. The question is, "What is reasonable and what is not?" For myself, if I go visit someone else I will shower before going over and put on a fresh set of closes that the ferrets have not been in contact with. I also make sure that I put the ferrets up before showering so that I don't touch them until I get back. There are a few other things that I do also but I won't mentioned them now. My number one goal for this and the earlier post, is to eliminate or diminish any suffering that any ferret may have to endure. Jason, Sammy, Doris, and Buddy ICQ # 7528859 (Sammy's Dad) ICQ - www.icq.com E-mail: [log in to unmask] [Posted in FML issue 2327]