Howdy Fertfolks and Fuzzel Kids ;o) Ferris sez dookdook as always, and insists we point out that HIS OWN prostate is doing just fine thanks ya very much! :o) And in reply to a recent post stating he didn't have one (below), we've excerpted a small portion of Dr. Bruce Williams "Ferret Pathology Page" which would appear to drastically disagree with that idea, and apparently most aptly prove that both the poster and the poster's vets are simply WRONG! >From: Anonymous Poster <[log in to unmask]> >Subject: re Margret Merchant > >Ferrets don't have prostates! At least thats what I have always been >told by my vets? :) Soooooo, From Dr. Williams, Ferret Pathology Page . . . Prostatic Squamous Metaplasia Synopsis: Squamous metaplasia of the prostate has only recently been recognized as a common cause of dysuria and urethral blockage in the ferret. The squamous change in the prostate is the result of excess estrogens liberated from proliferative adrenal lesions Accumulation of secretory material and lamellated keratin results in the formation of multiple prostatic cysts. Impingement of the prostatic cysts upon the prostatic urethra results in dysuria,and finally complete urinary blockage in male ferrets. The bladder of blocked ferrets may be manually expressed, but ferrets cannot void on their own. In earlier literature, due to the close association with the bladder, the condition was referred to as the "triple bladder syndrome". Surgery is directed toward removal of prostatic cysts and the affected adrenal. Gross lesions: Single to multiple, variably-sized fluctuant cysts are present near the bladder trigone. The cysts are thick-walled, and firm on palpation. Identification of an enlarged adrenal gland or an adrenal neoplasm is often possible in these animals. Microscopic lesions: Multiple cysts or fragments of cysts are often available for examination. Atrophic prostate glands (as a result of the effects of circulating estrogens) are often present at the periphery of the cysts, although in advanced cases, they may be lined by squamous, rather than glandular epithelium). The wall consists of multiple layers of squamous epithelium, surrounded by variable amounts of immature fibrous connective tissue. The lumenal contents of the cyst may vary from lamellated keratin and keratin debris, to abundant purulent inflammation (in which case there is often a combination of chronic-active inflammation and granulation tissue in the cyst wall and prostate (overeager manual expression of the bladder?). And we pray God's Grace and Mercy for all of da FML crew. Ferris "Whew, tanks goodess fer Doc Williams or I'ds been prostateless!" and his mom DC Brezden [Posted in FML issue 2425]