It is with a heavy heart that I write a farewell post for my special
gal LOS White Dove of Xtasy. I brought Dove home from the LOS show in
1999. It was the last show trip I took with my ( now angel) friend
Jeanne S. In fact Jeanne was the one who chose White Dove over her
sibling. I pray today that Jeanne has White Dove in her care, I miss
them both very much!

White Dove was SUPPOSED to be my breed jill for a DEW line... but she
became my million dollar ferret. AS she began to grow she got thin,
very thin - she was fast as a shot and into EVERYTHING in the world.
But she got lankier and lankier adn she was robust when I first got
her. Eventually I begged the vet to do an exploratory as she had an
intermittent cough as well adn I suspected soemthing had been ingested.
Sure enough the exploratory surgery brought out 3 Large long pieces of
fleexible rubber which resembled hair curlers. How she ever swallowed
them adn managed to live with them we were amazed. Now I do NOT ever
use curlers and certainly had not ever seen anything like that she came
with them-- or on her first night in my care stole them from one of the
other gals I was rooming with. Shortly after the surgery she blossomed
again.. a gorgeous gal but it was apparent she was not hearing
enabled-- so afraid to breed her and have her not hear her babies
crying she was spayed to live a jolly life. And that she has!

At 7 yrs she started showing thinning coat and coarse hair so we
started her on melatonin implants and every 4 mos she got a one month
lupron depot. I am pleased to say she left this world with the award
winning coat she had when I first met her.... but alas there was more
to her leaving than adrenal issues. I will have the full results on
Wednesday- she is having a necropsy today and that will be a good
resource for her vet and the new vet that will be treating ferrets at
the hospital. After all White Dove did come from an educational
environment.

Several months ago after she turned 8 she started having, mild episodes
which I assumed were insulinoma. she was fed turkey & poultry more
often than before and maintained well until 2 weeks ago, then the
episodes became more often and more intense. There was not the
insulinomic actions though rather more neurolgical ones. Dove developed
a tick which she had most of the time but it got worse.. she seemed
to respond to feeding and then I would give her a small dose of pred.
Llast week we started the doses of pred daily. Today I went to her cage
and found she was having another episode and evidently she had had
others earlier-- as her bed was soiled and dirty... so she had no
control during this episode now.

I started the usual feeding of turkey and pred but over a half hour
later and she had more ticking of the head, her eyes seemed not to be
focusing and then her tongue started shooting in and out -- something I
have only seen in a several spinal fracture before. SO I picked her up
and held her close and told her things were going to be all right. I
promised her she would get better and I would be with her.. and the
long ride ensued. I suspect the necropsy will reveal there was lymphoma
at bay... and I pray she is feeling much better and is happy now.
Please find our Jeanne little Dove and tell her to save a place for
me when it is time...

Gosh this never ever gets easier.... and I find i have not a single
photo in the computer..... I wish I could have shared!

Alicia D.

[Posted in FML 5713]