I sincerely apologize for not responding to emails sent to me in June
and most of July. I was in the process of getting a new computer,
because the old one was an unpredictable dinosaur. Going through a
local computer company turned out not to be a great idea, as all my
June and July emails were lost, and the dinosaur won't go online
anymore. I can't even retrieve the old emails I'd saved from before
June that had info I needed, such as websites for ferret jewelry. Now
I'm trying to adapt to my new Del computer with Windows Vista, an
eleven-year jump in technology from the Windows 98 computer I'd been
using. Email is still erratic, but I'm getting there.

Here's an update on the gang:

Rhys: We took him out on our local Lake Erie peer for the Fourth July.
Before he gets to be a therapy ferret at a local nursing home, I wanted
to make sure he could handle sudden loud noises. It was the last "test"
I intended to put him through. Rhys is just a big cuddly baby, one of
the very few ferrets that truly care for people as more than a play pal
(my opinion). He spent the time before the fireworks being adored by
the kids. He set up housekeeping in my coat sleeve during the
fireworks, peaking his head out every-so-often, but no venturing out;
fireworks don't seem to be his cup of tea. Still, he didn't freak out
at the noises, and that was what I needed to know. He really did look
dashing in his red harness and Uncle Sam hat.

Frost: The oral melatonin is slowing the progression of the adrenal
cancer, but you can still see the cancer aging him. Frost is already
seven-years-old, so he's reached a good age by regular ferret
standards anyway (as if that knowledge is comforting). He still plays
rough-and-tumble games with the others, but he has not resumed
aggressive behavior towards the female, Ayla. I make his medication by
grinding up melatonin tablets in a coffee grinder and mixing it with a
specific amount of Ferretin. He doesn't mind the first couple doses of
a new batch of medication, but, after the melatonin has time to soak in
the Ferretin, the Ferretin starts tasting bad to Frost. He may be a bit
reluctant to take his med, but he's always on the bottom level of the
cage at med time; he's looking forward to his treat afterwards.

Codo: Three months ago, this fluffy boy could only scoot across the
floor, because three of his legs didn't work properly. Codo still
has trouble walking any distance, but he's learned to compensate by
hopping. I promise: he's a ferret, not a rabbit (though you wouldn't
know it by his gate). He is more active now, even wrestling with the
others and not always getting the worst end of it.

Ayla: Her shyness is still in evidence, but we're slowly gaining her
trust. She trembles, if you touch her head or face, but she loves to be
held close. I'm beginning to think she has a thing against men (which I
can understand from having met her previous owner -- you know, the one
that never took Codo to the vet). Ayla is overcoming her fear of ferret
tubes. She actually ran in one earlier this week, when, three months
ago, she wouldn't step one paw in one (We've got the 20 ft. Marshall
stretch tube and assorted configurations of Super Pet tubes around
their room). She gets so interested in the process of cleaning out
their litter. I sit cross-legged in front of the cage to scoop poop.
She will put her front paws on my leg and observe the process. She
requires that I allow her crawl into the cage to inspect my work after
each step: scooping, adding new litter, filling up the water bowl, and
filling up the food dishes.

Little Miss: Though a cat, you've shown great interest in her health
condition. She was licking the hair off her hind legs with no clue to
the reason. It turns out that she has arthritis in her hind quarters,
even if she is only seven-years-old. She is on a low-dose Pred pill
every other day. She'll be on Pred for the rest of her life. This
worries me, because a long regiment of Pred can be very harmful.

Reaganne: Our other cat, Reaganne, has shown a new talent; she heard
escaped ferrets. She really will strongly encourage a loose furkid to
run towards the human. Reaganne is always gentle, so don't worry for
the ferts.

With respect,
Lori in Ohio

[Posted in FML 6405]