As I read Randy's post this morning about the poor ferret, Phoenix, that
was helped to cross to the Bridge, I knew that I just had to post about
the Phoenix in my care.  I know that this can't erase the terrible pain,
but I hope that it helps at least a little.
 
Last week, I agreed to take in 5 ferrets that were abandoned at 2 different
PetCo's in my general area.  I will be fostering them until a place becomes
available for them at a shelter.  The ferrets were received in 2 pairs and
one single.  One pair and the single came from a store in NJ.  The other
pair came from a store on Long Island.  They are all 5 Marshalls ferrets.
 
The Long Island pair are older, 4-5 yrs, and show advanced adrenal.  The
male, whom I named Bubbles, is a sweet and active albino.  The female,
named Squeak of course, is a shy dark sable sweetie.  One look at Bubbles
told us that he was in dire need of care.  He is bald top and bottom and
looked to have either the beginnings of prostate involvement or a urinary
infection.  He went in for surgery on Wednesday.
 
I had to drop Bubbles off and go to work, so I was waiting for a phone
call with the news of his surgery.  I got the call I didn't want to get.
Bubbles had bilateral adrenal and the vena cava had split lengthwise as
the vet carefully tried to debulk the huge right gland.  My vet had never
seen anything like it before.  Bubbles had bled out.  They'd lost him.
 
I was in shock mixed with anger and sadness.  I called back to ask if I
could bring him home to bury him with my own kids who've gone.  Imagine my
surprise when I was told that he wasn't actually dead yet.  They'd gotten
a heartbeat back and they'd managed to close the tear.  They didn't give
him a high chance of surviving, though.  The vein and the repair were very
fragile.  They would keep him for the night and see how he did.
 
How did he do?  By that evening he was up and wanting to climb out of the
carrier!  I got to pick him up yesterday and bring him home.  He is giving
me quite the challenge to keep him quiet.  Even with 12 staples in his
tummy, he wants out of the sick cage.  You'd never know anything was wrong
and that we'd thought we'd lost him.  It's a miracle!  We have unanimously
decided that his name must now be Phoenix.
 
It may be trite to say this, but I hope that it helps to know that although
one Phoenix has passed, another has risen from the ashes.  That's what the
Phoenix was supposed to do, after all.
 
Anastasia Kidd
[Posted in FML issue 3520]