This post is a long time in coming.  I thought that, in light of the
situation going on in the FML community, now is a perfect time to update
you on Zinc and her IBD.  Quick history first.  Zinc began having diarrhea
only when active.  So, basically, whenever she was playing, she had very
fluid diarrhea.  It didn't seem to affect her in any way, but I thought
it was prudent to see the vet.  A biopsy was taken, and IBD (inflammatory
bowel disease) was the diagnosis.  She was put on pediapred, but did not
respond at all to it.  In fact, she got worse -- she had diarrhea
continually.  So, we started giving her imuran (sp?) along with the
pediapred.  The protocol: 0.3 ml of pediapred 2x daily and 0.1 ml of Imuran
every 3rd day.  We ended up increasing the Imuran to 0.1 ml every other
day.  It took approximately a month (it seemed longer) for her to respond.
And every time I'd tell someone that she was better, she'd have another
bout of diarrhea.  Now, I can safely say that she is better.  No more
diarrhea!  She'll be on this protocol at least until March.  I'm not sure
if we'll gradually wean her off or not.  I know that there is a chance
that she'll be on medication for the rest of her life, but we'll cross
that road when we come to it.  I'm just happy that she's better!
 
Which leads me to what the FML has done for me.  When I first posted, I
received a personal response from another vet regarding IBD and his
treatment plan, which I promptly forwarded to my vet.  After consulting
each other about their experiences with IBD, my vet took that information
and utilized it when treating Zinc.  How wonderful that the FML could
facilitate such information exchange!
 
On another note that isn't ferret related, but is very much connected to
the current situation: The FML has taught me to be more tolerant, more
forgiving, more careful about how I deal with things.  I am saddened by
certain posts.  But what saddens me more is that so many of the posts
afterward exhibited the same behavior that they were condemning.  I realize
that I have a choice in how to deal with things, and more often than not,
I'll get my point across a lot better if I don't approach it in a hostile
manner.  I just recently exercised this (when I really wanted to just
fling back the kind of attitude I received) and I was very happy with
the results.  Three people on this list have been instrumental in my
self-examination: Kat, Bill, and Sukie.  I have never corresponded with
Kat, though I have read many of her posts, and was inspired that she, so
often, is willing to give the benefit of the doubt.  Bill and Sukie are
both extraordinarily patient and diplomatic, and have an amazing ability to
put emotions aside.  It's incredible the influence that you can have on
people that you haven't met just by being an example of good human spirit.
Thank you, Kat, Sukie, and Bill for being an inspiration to me and for
showing me the kind of person I'd like to become.
 
Suzanna Donahue
[Posted in FML issue 3333]