I wouldn't put vanilla on ferrets where it can come in contact with the skin, for the simple reason that it is a pretty strong skin irritant. Ruth Winter, M.S., says in her book "A Consumer's Dictionary of Cosmetic Ingredients" that vanilla is "a skin irritant that produces a burning sensation and eczemz. May also cause pigmentation of the skin". Oh, and I forgot to add something to my post on colloidal silver early (sorry). Mel, you had described colloidal silver as an "homepathic miracle drug". Actually, I wanted to point out that colloidal silver is usually used in allopathic dosages (the way amoxicillin, penicillin, etc. are), not homeopathic dosages. I have the feeling the homeopathic dosage would be WAY to low to achieve any sort of discernable effect in a human or animal. Some people use colloidal silver in ayurveda, too, btw. - Ela [Posted in FML issue 2493]