Well, it's taken me some time to write of this, and most of you won't
remember, but a few might.  Just over a year ago my Tempest had a
fast-growing bone tumor on his skull.  Because my 6 year old angel, Rocky,
died from complecations after surgury (things didn't look good and he
probably didn't have more than a couple more months to live even *with*
the surgury), my vet was able to practice a surgury to remove the tumor
which we had to assume was malignant.  She was told that she would kill the
ferret by some, should she attempt the surgury.  Because of the practice
the surgury went far far better than could be expected, and thankfully the
tumor was benign.
 
Rocky certainly was an angel.  My landlady's husband was dying, and toward
the end Rocky was one of the few things that could make him smile.  During
an event he sat for 20 minutes in a 3-4 year old child's lap.  The adrenal
disease brought out his caretaking side and he cared dilligently for his
potatos...moving them to well-protected nests, keeping an eye on them when
he was out and about.  He was a special guy, and a part of him lived on in
Tempest because of the gift of his death.
 
Tempest hadn't been doing particularly well off and on for the past few
months...assumption was from the stress of a new kit in the household.  A
week ago Tuesday I took him in again for rehydration, be put back on his
meds, and to discuss the long-term strategy to help him be healthy again.
He died in emergency surgury five hours later.  His decline, we found out,
was not due to stress from the kit (though it didn't help) but a tumor
the size of his liver attached *to* his liver, and the pressure it was
apparantly putting on his stomach, making it uncomfortable to eat or drink.
Aside from what appeared to be a chronic on-again, off-again helicobacter
problem, there were no indications of any problem.  Because of the way it
was sitting, the tumor wasn't easily felt either...we took the X-ray due
to a different lump, which turned out to be an enlarged lymph node.  The
tumor, especially in comparison with his X-ray from a year ago, is easily
seen though.  It appeared that it had started spreading to his lungs,
though that remains to be confirmed.
 
As an interesting aside, a good portion of bone had regrown across the 3/4"
hole in his skull from the removal of the tumor a year ago.
 
In spirit he is now with his angel, the rest, or some of the rest will be
cremated and mixed with Rocky's ashes, which will be saved for the day that
I have a potato patch.  Farewell to two of the most special kids I've had.
 
Sue
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[Posted in FML issue 3049]