Sukie and I have, as always, been engaged in a diaglogue about the benefits and considerations in using herbs in the treatment of our ferrets. Sukie said, >It pays to always check on things like side effects or >contraindications...". Here's one you all should be aware of and could be fatal. Since many ferrets experience heart problems, one herb that might be of interest would be hawthorne. Sukie found (from Tyler's Honest Herbal by Varro Tyler and Steven Foster, Haworth Herbal Press) that hawthorne MIGHT hold some future promise if it doesn't interfere with meds known to work since there is a study showing that it does help lower blood pressure by dilating major vessels. We don't know if anyone duplicated the study but hawthorne appears to have low toxicity and the author said that further studies ARE needed. This seems benign enough. But suppose you didn't tell your vet you were giving your ferret hawthorne and the vet prescribed enalapril (Enacard). My vet says that enalapril is the single best drug for treating heart problems. From Hillyer and Quesenberry page 67: "Ferrets appear to be sensitive to the hypotensive effects of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors and can become lethargic and inappetent 1 to several days after the start of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor therapy." In other words, the blood pressure may drop. Combine hawthorne and enalapril and it could kill your ferret. My own Magellan was extrememly sensitive to enalapril. He developed problems over the course of several weeks and almost died before we could figure out what was wrong (this was in the days before Hillyer's book). Susan Brown (in Hillyer page 109) says "All avenues should be investigated for their potential merit" and lists some adjunct therapies that "may be beneficial supplements to support the patient suffering from this disease [lymphoma]". Susan then lists some adjunct therapies she has used for lymphoma (Vitamin C, Pau d'Arco, Essiac, pycnogenol, and Acemannan Immunostimulant). Please, PLEASE, know what an herb is used for, know the contraindications, know the interactions, and know the side effects. And it certainly doesn't hurt to know your source to be sure it's pure and of the correct potentcy. -Carla [Posted in FML issue 2788]