Ticks -
Ack!  I found a tick on Deno yesterday.  None on the dogs.
Hmmm...  Wonder if ticks prefer ferrets?!  Just a reminder to check
for ticks even on your ferrets.
 
July 4th -
Please be careful with your pets this weekend.  If you have friends
and family over you may want to safely tuck your pets away in a
locked room so they don't accidently slip out the door or be exposed
to the noisy fireworks.
 
Franny -
In Sept 93, Ruby (my 6 1/2 yr old albino) had her tail amputated
because of a tumor that broke through the skin. A week after
surgery she quit eating. One evening I noticed her right front leg was
jerking and also her right eye. It only lasted a few seconds but
happened again the next morning at breakfast. Over the weekend
she became worse, started having severe muscle spasms on her
right side and refused to eat or drink. I started her on a Science Diet
A/D and Pedialyte mixture and fed her small portions several times
a day. By Tuesday she had a constant head jerking motion, lost
movement on her right side, and started having seizures. Her
seizures quickly became severe and lasted 5-15 seconds.
 
On Saturday I talked extensively with Ruby's veterinarian who
advised the most humane course was euthanization. Ruby and I
were very close and I felt I just couldn't part with her. Her appetite
was good and her coat and eyes were bright, surely those were
good signs. I refused to give up and decided to take the weekend
to make my decision. By Saturday afternoon I decided to keep Ruby
at home until she showed me she didn't want to or couldn't go on.
Each day I tearfully watched as she tried with all her might to move
from bed to bed, but her right side refused to cooperate, and the
process was frustratingly slow. Although her seizures were quite
frequent and shook her little body, she didn't seem to be in pain. It
was heartbreaking to watch her swim across the floor to the litterbox,
but I knew if she tried to get to the litterbox she still had full control
of bodily functions (excluding muscle control), and was obviously
thinking clearly.   I helped her walk by holding my hand under her
chest and belly. I added a mixture of vitamins and minerals to her
food.
 
Miraculously, on Sunday evening she was a little better. Monday she
continued to improve slightly and each day thereafter she seemed
stronger. Tuesday I started muscle rehabilitation by having her push
with her little feet on my hand. I massaged her entire body and
stretched every muscle. Each day our hopes grew, along with
Ruby's strength.
 
On Friday morning, as I was preparing her breakfast, Ruby came
slowly scurrying (on all four feet!) into the kitchen. With tears in my
eyes I watched her skitter to and fro waiting for me to pick her up
and feed her. She refused to eat on her own and still wanted me to
feed her, and by golly she deserved to be waited on after her ordeal.
Ruby gained all her weight back and more.  Ruby lived comfortably
for 3 more months and died quietly at home on the Sunday before
christmas.
 
Hugs to all fuzzies!  tle
 
[Posted in FML issue 0873]