Hi FMLers!
 
Sorry I haven't posted recently, but it's been more than crazy the last
couple of weeks.  I've read the FML in bits and pieces, rarely able to
finish a whole day's posting even on the weekend.
 
So here I am, trying to catch you up on things and wish you all the best
Christmas ever (if you do that sort of thing)!
 
Anyhow...a couple of months ago the 40# ferret toy started to play
bottomless pit...eating not only her food and any ferret food she could
get her lips to, she started eating things around the house that even a
senseless ferret might (notice I said might!) not eat.  The thing that
caused the problem was a small ball of yarn.  She spent Labor Day weekend
in the emergency clinic having a vet help her remove it.  Fortunately,
the very first day, 2 1/2 hours after admittance, the vet pulled out 6'
of yarn.  Ouch...
 
The bad eating habits continued.  Caught her vomiting up pieces of "her"
afghan and my favorite sheets.  Sigh.
 
Then I noticed what I thought were tummy aches.  Fortunately for me, when I
went to San Diego in late Nov.-early Dec.  Tess stayed w/ a fellow ferret
club member who witnessed an attack!  Sugar problem...hypoglycemia.
Immediately made an appointment w/ the vet for her and he took a thorough
history, palpated up a storm, and ran a battery of tests.  Low glucose
reading the only discrepancy from normal.
 
The tech calling w/ the results started saying that the vet thought the
problem thought the problem was tumors in the pancreas...I didn't even give
her time to finish.  I just said "Do you mean to tell me he thinks my dog
has insulinoma?" She said, how'd you know that?  It's very rare in dogs.
I explained that I had ferrets, and it was extremely common in them.
 
Took her in for a fasting insulin test...yup, you guessed it...insulinoma.
Surgery was last Wednesday.  Tess is slowly recovering from being a ferret
for the second time in months.  My only concern is the low glucose reading
I got when I tested her yesterday...
 
Two days ago Joy dropped off the Indiana, PA twosome...Star and Odie.  Star
is an absolutely adorable sable mitt and Odie is a classic chocolate.  Both
have been getting regular doses of A/D and STAT and have been given a bowl
of ProPlan Kitten (which seems to be the change over food of choice in this
house) which they are absolutely inhaling.  I hope to have them fat and
sassy for their mom when she gets done w/ school.  Both Joy and I agreed to
keep this going as a foster until she gets back and then we'll let Star and
Odie decide where they belong.
 
This morning was the first day Star and Odie got to play w/ their new
brother and sisters.  Star sent Cecil running because he didn't like her
butt sniffing, but other than that they're all getting along just famously.
This makes me think I'll be able to house them all in one cage.  Hooray!
My living room looks too much like a pet store right now...
 
My Christmas present to the ferrets was one of the fleece lined cat tubes
with two toys that dangle inside.  It's a big hit.  Cecil was displaying
possessiveness, but the girls all ganged up on him and he decided that
maybe sharing isn't all that bad.
 
The forty pound ferret toy got a sweater (ho, hum)... And my best gift?
The news from my vet that the two insulinomas were easily found and
removed...with enough tissue removed to insure that he got it all.  One
thing about this vet, when it's good news or bad news you can tell by the
tone of his voice...I knew as soon as I answered the phone that it was
thumbs up!  Long may Tess reign in the Andrews household.
 
May all of you have such great holiday news!
 
Pat and the Furry Inspirations, missing Sonny and celebrating good news
and new friends
[Posted in FML issue 3278]