Hi FML Folks, My name is Hanan Caine and I am a veterinarian who has been treating and operating on ferrets for ten years. I have been following the FML through my clients for years but have never participated. There are veterinarians like Drs. Williams, Brown, and Weiss (just to name a few) who I think are more qualified to respond to many of the veterinary questions posted. However, I have seen what a valuable resource the FML has been to my clients, and I believe you can never get too many professional opinions. I also hope to alleviate the burden on those vets who already participate by helping to share the load. My one caveat is the one you have heard from all the vets that participate: NONE OF THE OPINIONS I OFFER ARE IN LEIU OF HAVING YOUR FERRET EXAMINED OR REEXAMINED BY A QUALIFIED VETERINARIAN. IF YOUR FERRET HAS, OR CONTINUES TO HAVE, SIGNIFICANT SYMPTOMS OF DISEASE, SEE YOUR VET OR SEEK A SECOND OPINION. To Thor Hansen: I would ask your veterinarian whether he/she thinks another exploratory would be worthwhile. If Lucky were to develop definitive signs of hormonal activity (like the vulva enlarging again) either the Tennessee hormone panel or another exploratory are viable options if you want to proceed. Right adrenal gland disease, ovarian remnants, or (rarely) ectopic ovarian tissue (congenitally abnormally located tissue) are all possibilities. If the only real symptom is the recurrance of aggressive sexual behavior, I would be hesitant to rush back to surgery... To Cindy: Don't confuse "declawing" with removing one damaged nail. I think repeated injuries or painful problems with one digit might be dealt with most humanely by removing the tip of it. To Jane Odell: Casper's symptoms don't sound much like Diabetes Mellitus (reported anecdotally in ferrets) unless he drinks a lot of water. We believe epilepsy occurs in all mammals, but is reported rarely in ferrets and the diagnosis is one of exclusion (we try to prove nothing else could be causing the seizures). Casper's episodes do sound like seizures, but I'd want to be very sure he doesn't have an insulinoma. [Posted in FML issue 2661]