hi....
 
It's been a little more than 2 days now since Slinky's passing.  I'm
feeling a little better.  We are having Christmas at my house this year
(my fiance's BrILLIANT idea), so I have been too busy to think for too
long.  I think the other reason I am handling it so well is that I knew
it was coming.
 
You may remember me posting way back in April about Slinky being diagnosed
with kidney failure.  Vet gave us 3-6 months.  Of course, I wasn't taking
that.  We went through phases of him not eating, drinking only water and
Gatorade, eating some baby food, then finally eating baby food with
FerretVite.
 
We got Slink up to 1-1/2 jars of Gerbers chicken (or turkey) a day with
about a tsp of FerretVite.  He gained tons of weight.
 
In September, he had surgery to remove a benign tumor on his chest that
sprouted up almost overnight to the size of a grape.
 
Everything was going great.  He was active and playful.
 
Then last week, he didn't want to eat as much baby food.  At each sitting
he left more and more.  So i decided to isolate him.  Much to my surprise
and joy, he was eating hard food again!  Very small amounts, but I was
trying to be optimistic.
 
Thursday night he didn't want any babyfood.  Friday, he still didn't want
any.  Friday night, I noticed he was very weak.  So I set him up with the
Gatorade again, and he guzzled a decent amount.  I figured we were back
to square one, the way we were in April and everything would be fine.
 
Saturday morning when I checked on him, he had the top half of his body in
the hammock and the bottom half in the litter box.  I pulled him out and
immediately knew.  It was like Slinky implanted into my head "Please,
mommy, I'm ready now."
 
So we made the rounds, saying goodbye to the two dogs and the other
ferrets.  I made sure Kyle spent an extra minute with him.  Then off we
went to the vet's.
 
I tried a new vet, as I am pretty fed up with the cavalier and uncaring
attitude of the support staff at my current vet's office (even though I
love my vet).  The new place was great.  They were very sympathetic, got
us into a room immediately, and let us take our time.  I felt very good
about the whole experience, and the new vet seemed very
ferret-knowledgable.
 
I have two ferret angels on my bookshelf (the same ones Chere McCoy sold
this past week, I love em!), one for Gizmo and one for Sandy.  Before we
left, I spoke to the angels and told them to watch out for Slinky.  I know
they were there for him.  I imagine the amazing embrace between Slinky and
Gizmo, bestest buddies for 4 years until Giz went the Bridge last year.
 
This is already too long, so I'll say adieu.  Happy Holidays, and thanks
for letting me vent.  Look for Slinky's story to appear on my website
some time this week.
 
=====
Aileen & the Herd
Aching from the loss of our alpha, Slinky (12/22/01)
The Ferrets: Kyle, Noel, & Toby
The Dogs: Rootie the beagle & Tank the GSD/basset
Still missing Sandy & Gizmo. We love you.
 
Check out the Herd's website at: http://www.geocities.com/anippy
[Posted in FML issue 3642]