Hello everyone. It's been a while since I have posted anything but I
have been watching the posts.

But today it is with a heavy heart that I bid farewell to our beloved
Sherlock. Some of you FML folks may recall his picture where he is
laying flat on my sons head as they watched TV (the picture is titled
"Ferret Fashions" on my yahoo album of New Kids

<http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/ladyhawk_76/detail?.dir=33ca&.dnm=3620.jpg>

Sherlock was also my shop picture for my ebay sales as No Nonsence
Sherlock.

It has been beautiful here in New England the past week and I had
everyone outside in their enclosure enjoying the warm spring day. I had
clipped nails a few days before and didn't notice anything out of the
ordinary with any of my gang. I had seen Sherlock flattende out on the
concrete dozing and I figured that it just felt good. When he heard me
he got up and started to walk towards me and I noticed that his rear
right leg didn't look right. I picked him up and to my horror his whole
hip was stiff and swollen. all I could think of was that he had caught
his foot in one of the beds and dislocated his leg. It was late in the
afternoon st I started making phone calls. I knew most vets in my area
would not look at ferrets so I called right away to Angell Memorial in
Boston. I had arrangments to take Sherlock to Boston the next morning
so while I was waiting to leave I had a whim to call a few places
around me. Praise Be I found a vet that not only knew about ferret care
but has owned ferrets her self. The made a appointment for him right
away and of course the first thing was an x-ray. The bad news came when
the pictures were developed. The good news was that Sherlocks hip was
fine. The bad news was it looked like he had ostcosarcoma and the
treatment would be amputation of the leg.

This was no problem, I knew of someone else who had a fuzzy with the
same problem and were fine with three legs.

So this morning I delivered Sherlock with his overnight bag to the
vets. We managed some outdoor stimulation time and a short romp in the
office with a small puppy patient before I gave him his see you later
kisses. Later this afternoon I received a call from the vet. Sherlock
had done well during the surgery but just as she was closing him up his
heart stopped. It turned out that 25% of his blood flow was channeling
to his bad leg. The vet told me they tried everything to revive him.

Sherlock touched the hearts of everyone he met. Even the office staff
in the short time they knew were not immune to his +10 cuteness factor.

Sherlock was a rescue ferret from the Dook-N-Dance shelter in NC. For
all the pain and suffering he had endured before being rescued he was
the image of what unconditional love ment.

Of everyone he met Sherlock loved my son most of all. There was a
special bond between I have only seen a few times.

Sherlock will be reunited with all of those that he met at the shelter
as well as some of his family from here at Harmony House. I'm sure his
mommy dog Gerry will be waiting as well as Montana Max who passed a few
months ago will most likely bring himself out of seculsion from where
ever he is hiding in the ferret meadows.

Although we are sad by his leaving we are happy to know that he passed
before his problem started causing him pain and lessened his joy of
living.

We will miss you Sherlock. May our love and hugs be carried to you on
the spring breeze.

[Posted in FML 5589]