He was the runt of the litter, a litter we had to start hand feeding at 3
weeks of age because their mother came down with a case of mastitis.
Mother, Missy O'Leary, came through the episode just fine.  She was spayed
and adopted out.  5 kits survived, including the runt.  He was a twin to
another male, both being silver pandas.  There were also sable girls in the
litter, and the odd man out was an albino male.  The father, Casper - a
black eyed white stripe, had a genetic jaw problem and could not open his
mouth completely.  This was passed down to all the sons (not the daughters
though) and so all males were sold as pets and neutered.  We kept Runty.
His twin brother was killed in an accident in his new owner's home, and the
other brother was sold as a pet and we lost track of him.  One daughter went
to a Maryland breeder, and either belongs to Ellen Byrne or Denise Edens the
last time I asked.  The last kit went to a friend for breeding, and was
returned to us after two years.  Jessica has her own unique story, but that
is for a different time.
 
Runty was always small, often mistaken for a female.  Other than a quick
bout with the green slime two and a half years ago, and some rotten teeth
being pulled earlier this year, I can not recall him every being ill.  He
was always pale, his nose so anemic looking, but he had more than enough
energy to accomplish anything he put his mind to.
 
Casper was taken by convulsions earlier this year.  He was 6 years and 8
months of age when he went over the Rainbow Bridge.  I noticed similar
symptoms in Runty a few months ago - thinness, shaking and swaying,
difficulty in coordinating his moves.  No, this was not insulinoma, more of
a body/brainwave wear out.  I separated him from his friends, gave him a
special cage and fed him whatever he wanted to eat.  He fattened for awhile,
but I could tell it was short-lived.  September 16th I took him to see Dr.
Weiss, and he confirmed what I already knew, Runty was getting old.  This
past weekend, Runty stopped eating - would not touch Duck Soup or even his
all time favorite - Nutrical.  I won't go into his decline, it was swift and
I had set his final vet visit for this evening, but when I got home, he had
already crossed the bridge.  Runty was 6 years and 4 months of age.  He is
survived by his sister Jessica, and probably a few nieces and nephews.
 
Rest in peace,  Runty Grant - 5/21/89 - 9/18/95.
[Posted in FML issue 1319]