Because someone else posted that in that person's case colloidal silver would not be tried even as a last resort, I just had to note that we probably would try it as a last resort IF other things had already failed, and the illness was severe enough (pretty well self-defined by "last resort" but bears emphasizing), and the treating vet felt that the risks might be well enough offset by any possible benefits. Steve and I would not use it causually or chronically, though. At this point we just don't think there is the kind of good, hard evidence that any possible benefits might offset the potential risks so we don't see what we require to be willing to chance it. Basically, I guess that what I am saying is that we'd utilize the same level of respect that we would give any other experimental (i.e. insufficiently documented) drug, because this IS an experimental drug as long as it remains this undocumented. We've used experimental medications on the past -- both of the "natural" and "manufactured" varieties, but we have to have extenuating circumstances to chance them. We'd use the same care in this case. Please, note that there are no studies of its use in ferrets, that there are well known potential hazards in humans -- whose rate for ferrets would need to be known, that there could be ferret-specific cautions, that there may be certain cases in which it would be contra-indicated, that the level of quality of some of the studies is in question, etc. As with other experimental drugs we have no problem with hoping that documentation winds up taking place at some point in time. Since most of you already know that our pet projects involve the bettering of ferret medical care it won't surprise you that we think ANYTHING ferrets wind up having used on them should at some point be rigorously studied (well and critically) in ferrets by knowledable professionals to check the safety, value, and hazards. In large part many aspects of ferret medicine are still huge mysteries; it's up to each of us to help see that there are funds and impetus to study ferret health issues in a sufficient fashion. That's just our way of looking at it after evaluating the evidence, so take it or leave it as you will. [Posted in FML issue 2568]