Greetings FML friends,

I have had to help some of my rescues to the bridge and I was lucky
enough to have accidentally learned the very best way (in my opinion)
to do it especially when the vet uses the shot in the heart but even an
IV shot would still have to cause pain just because getting stuck with
a needle hurts no matter who or what you happen to be! My first baby
to need help crossing the bridge was Jack, a wonderful little old man
who I rescued from a neglectful home...he and his sissy Jill had been
forgotten about by the little girl I think must have been only 5 when
momma bought these poor ferrets for her. As with many young children,
this one lost interest after only 2 weeks and they spent the next 5-6
years in the small cage, never to see a play time again, until I came!
Jack was terribly ill when I went and got him and Jill. I took them
to the vet right away and learned Jill was fine but Jack had IBD,
Insulinoma and adrenal disease. I was given meds and advice and Jack
lived another 2.5 years before his little body could go no longer and
he became paralyzed which terrified him. I felt so bad for him and
thought if I could get him to go to sleep he wouldn't be afraid anymore
so I took apart one of my prescription sleeping pills and mixed it with
water to dissolve then mixed it with his turkey baby food and fed it
to him. I thought it would be great if it would just send him to the
bridge since that's where he needed to go but it didn't. He woke up
about 8 hours later and was again terrified so I gave him another dose.
Both times I talked to him and loved on him telling him all about the
Rainbow Bridge and how he would get wings etc. while he again dozed off
and was in such a deep sleep that he couldn't be woken. During this
deep sleep this time I went ahead and took him to the vet who used the
shot in the heart. I learned that there is convulsing and all kinds of
things I never want to see again but I knew that he was asleep and as
far as he knew, he had passed away earlier when he went to sleep in my
arms with me kissing and loving on him talking sweetly to him in his
ear. I think this is the best way to do it for their sake and it also
relieves me from having to be there for that horrible heart stick/shot!
I think this is the best way to do it and just wanted to share with
everybody what I learned so if any of you agree with me and my theory,
you could use my method of putting the sick baby to sleep before they
have to get the shot that helps them over the bridge. I used Restaril
but I think Valium would be even better and may be all that's needed
but I can't get that from my doctor, only Restaril.

Thank you for reading my thoughts on this uncomfortable subject and
if you think I'm right about them not feeling any more pain because
they're already in a deep sleep, and you can get something to give
them or can get your vet to give you something in some baby food that
you bring so you can feed it to your baby and do like I do with my
terminally ill ferrets. It's just my thoughts on this. I just want to
help end any more suffering of ferrets when it's time for them to cross
the bridge if possible. I've told the vets I hired to do this for me
what I've done and ask if they agreed with me and no one said I was
wrong, in fact the last one told me that it was a good idea and said
they will consider offering it as a service to future pet owners! This
particular vet wouldn't let me be there when they gave the heart shot
and I told them then what I'd done at that time and my baby wasn't
quite asleep yet so I made them wait for my baby to fall asleep before
I handed them off to get the shot.

Micheal Forrest,
Ferret Rescue and Adoption of South Texas
www.ferretrescueandadoption.com

[Posted in FML 7368]