Once again I write about the passing of one of my guys.  I had to help
Freddy to cross to the Rainbow Bridge Mon, Feb.  28.  Freddy was a rescue
I took in 2.5 years ago.  At the time I was told that he was 2.5 years
old.  He was owned by a very young girl from a very poor family.  The
girl was pregnant and the social worker involved with the family told her
that she couldn't have all of the animals she had and a baby too.  The
day I picked Freddy up he was covered in fleas and flies.  Both his sides
were bald.  He had been living in pine shavings for his whole life and
very seldom got out of his cage and the cage was small.  At first Freddy
didn't know what to do with his out of cage time.  It wasn't long before
he war danced and loved to run around the ferret room, chasing his 2 cage
mates.  Never mind trying to cuddle, he didn't have time for that.  He
was the only ferret I had who could get over the plexiglass barrier at
the bottom of the stairs.  He would investigate up stairs a little, but
soon returned to us downstairs, so he could play.
 
Freddy had an episode of low blood sugar on Valentine's Day and was put
on prednisone and regular feedings of duck soup.  he did really well on
that until Friday evening and he started having laboured breathing.  I
thought I was losing him and told him about the Bridge.  On Saturday I
took him to the vet.  Cathy thought maybe cardiomyopathy and kept him.
She did an x-ray which showed a fairly normal heart, and some patchy
spots in his lungs.  By Monday morning his breathing was so laboured we
decided to help him rest.  I went to the vet's to be with him and I told
him that soon he would be better.  I told him about all of our business
that have gone before him.  I told him how much I love him and how very
much I will miss him.  I wrapped him in the last piece of orange fleece
and sent him for cremation.  Cathy says he must have had a tumour , that
didn't show up on the x-ray, pressing against his trachea, for his
breathing to be that bad.  Even administering oxygen didn't relieve his
breathing.
 
Sandee, please see that he finds our crew.  Some of them he knew, but
others had gone before he came to live with us.  They are Moxy, Baby,
Mitzy, Sandy, Beasely, Daisy, Heidi, Casey, Bear, Toby, Murphy, Smokey,
Bandit, Buddy, and Laser.  I've lost 3 of my little angels in February.
My heart is breaking.
[Posted in FML issue 4805]