I want to write this before I forget anything that might help anyone.
 
We had to help Sevie pass today.  There will be communication among
our vet and specialists to try to get as much information from her as
possible, trying to help otehrs.
 
After close to 7 months of decent life with her meds her last few weeks
were very weird.  She went through inappetance and steadily weaker but
even though we got her eating again she get weaker and weaker.  For the
last three days she was fouling herself, but we were trying for her to
perk up again.  Strangely her ascites cleared up to the point where her
oral meds simply got rid of it, her axillary nodes which had been blown
up some from poor circulation for months wwent down.  When she had her
EKG today she actually had the best heart rate she has had in 7 months,
after being steadily worse and steadily a Level 3.  At the same time she
was very cold and she could not control or move her body from the chest
down except for a few minor motions.  When she had enough of a adrenaline
rush she could somewhat piloerect her tail and she could move her feet
but she had no ability to bear weight.  She seemed to have lost light
pain sensation (given the clips for the EKG) but could feel the cold of
the alcohol.
 
The last time she needed additional (shot) Lasix was 7 days ago.
 
Obviously, all that be learned form her wil be because she did go 7
months with Complete A/V Heart Node Block so she has lessons to teach.
 
It appears that what was getting her was that since her insulinoma
surgery 7 months ago she developed liver disease.  Pathology will give
details, but apparently her liver was just plain shot when she was
openned up, possibly a malignancy there.
 
Sevie was of unknown age.  The minimal age she could be was 5 years but
she easily could have been older and we have reason to think that
certainly was.
 
I'm osrry if this is a mess.  We are upset, obviously, but I didn't know
if this may help someone.
 
Maybe what we all used was a good routine for maintaining one with this
heart condition, perhaps better than we thought since she not only lived
a lot longer than expected but she died of somerthing esle.  Why her
heart would begin acting so much better at the end after so long of being
bad is a question.  It was enlarged when removed, BTW.  We hope that
something can be learned to help other ferrets.
 
Her vet who kept her alive despite her being expected to die 7 months
ago is Joe Martins of the Bellemead Animal Hospital here in New Jersey.
If you are around here he is excellent.  The hospital number is
1-908-874-4447.
 
Sandee, Sevie loved to play with bell balls, but her absolute favorite
thing when she could still do it was to climb the furniture and steal the
big (really big) toy stuffed ferrets from a bookcase and them get them
down and drag to them to whatever special places she had designated.
Some belonged behind the dining room table, some belonged at the head of
the bed on my side, some in the bedroom closet, but most belonged at the
head of the bed on Steve's side.
 
I snet a message to the FHL, too, but it's not really the same because
I can't put her vet name down in the post, and then I remembered some
stuff, but I really am not up to figuring out right now what i added.
I'm going to sign off for now now.  She was a really tough liittle
ferret.
[Posted in FML issue 4040]