**Warning-long post**
 
Hello, I wanted to update everyone on my ferret Blaze.  He was diagnosed
with DIM in late Feb and began med's as advised by my vets office.  He
was deathly ill...he was nearly dead when I took him out of his cage
(there were no onset of problems none!) and had a very high fever...
further testing confirmed it to be DIM...I and my vet would not known
what was wrong with him had you fellow ferret lovers not given me advise!
I emailed my questions to you guys when I first took him to the vet so
he had exploratory surgery before we suspected the DIM but it was only
days before I (& my vet) was put into contact with the vet doing research
on DIM and she told us what to do and it makes me so happy to say that it
seems to have worked!!  He began responding to the meds once we took him
home (we decided that if he did pass we wanted him to go in a place he
loved and where he was loved).  His weight went up & down as did his
fever but he continued to "act" better after several weeks of meds.  At
first he acted as if I weren't even there and he did not fight us at all
with the meds...many times I wondered if I should just let him go BUT
after a few weeks on the meds and me feeding him and then the chemo
drug(?) he began responding.  He started to acknowledge me and by the
time he took the second dose around the end of April he was really doing
good and I knew that he would get better.  He has been doing really well
for several weeks now and today was the final test...he had no fever and
his CBC was excellent..all his numbers were like they should be.  The
vet gave me a print out but it makes no sense to me.  She says she
considers him to be in remission so he could get sick again but I am
hoping it is just gone!
 
But I just wanted to let everyone who sent me kind wishes, who kept Blaze
in their thoughts & prayers, and especially who responded with advice.
Thanks to Sukie & others who put me in contact with the incredible vet
out west (not sure if I can put her name or not) if not for her my baby
may not be here with us today!!
 
Also, I hope this will give hope to any future DIM patients...I was told
very early that He would die..no question..everyone said none have lived.
So I started out very discouraged and if I weren't just stubborn when it
came to letting him go I may have had him put to sleep (I just shudder
now when I think about how close I cam to letting him go)...so please
give em a chance...dire diagnosis do not always have to end bad....these
guys have very strong of spirits and if yours can match it they may just
surprise you!!!!
 
Dooks,
Cyndi Johnson
Rocky, Blaze, Hershey, Roscoe & Monster
[Posted in FML issue 5290]