Unfortunately, yesterday was very sad.  I got a call from one of our
members who got a second ferret a month ago.  She was a young healthy
wonderful beautiful little girl but had been through 4 homes already.  She
had bonded so closely with her last person that the move was very hard on
her.  Then when the food ran out the new person switched her straight to a
new food (low quality).  On top of that she didn't like the water (she came
from a different town) so she wasn't drinking much.  She ended up with an
ulcer and her new person was concerned but thought she was eating because
he has two ferrets and the other ferret was eating her food.  He called a
vet on Saturday night and the vet said to give her kaopectate.  Well he
gave it to her, one time 1 cc.  She had a bleeding ulcer....
 
He called me Saturday morning and I sent Lynda over (she was much closer)
while I got things taken care of at home so I could go over, I gathered
supplies, jumped in the shower (I always shower and put on clean clothes
and shoes before going out) and when I got there I subq-d 150 cc's, gave
her a steroid shot (vet suggestion) and we waited.  Lynda had her on a
heating pad and had cc'd about 70 cc's of fluid.  It didn't look good at
all.  Finally after 1 1/2 hours I asked if Lynda could take her home to
work with her.  She wasn't responding and previously I'd called my vet and
he said we were doing all we could and she probably would not survive a
blood transfusion.  He did suggest karo syrup/water rectally in case it was
a sugar crash.  Her teeth were clenched shut, the death clench, her eyes
were open but fixed although she did flinch when lightly tapping by the
eye.
 
She died at 4:15 that afternoon.....
 
I'm so angry and hurt.  This shouldn't have happened.  If I had know the
night before, she would have had a better chance as we could have worked on
her all night.  She was trying to walk the night before, she was alert.
She was bleeding out and kaopectate wasn't enough.  It isn't fair.  She was
young and beautiful.  It just isn't fair... I was so close, only a few
miles away...
 
I know I shouldn't question what is to be, but whoever is in charge of life
and death (people believe differently) could have guided the caretaker to
me before it was too late.  Even 24 hours might have made the difference.
All we did and as strongly as we all prayed for this little girl, it just
wasn't enough.
 
Please, monitor your ferrets closely.  Watch to make sure they are eating
and drinking, monitor their weight and output.
 
Please go hug your ferrets.  This little girl had such a short life even
though she was well loved.  No more hugs for her here on this earth.
 
Please learn all you can about your companions and if there is a problem
call someone who can help.  If you can't afford a vet bill, call a
reputable ferret caretaker or shelter to ask for suggestions.
 
And remember, when introducing a new ferret to the family, use bottled
water and keep them on their old food and switch them slowly.  This is a
matter of life and death.
 
Hugs to all. tle
Troy Lynn Eckart
Ferret Family Services
http://www-personal.ksu.edu/~sprite/ffs.html
http://www.geocities.com/Petsburgh/Haven/5481/
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[Posted in FML issue 3088]