I was very sad to hear about Buddy's death.  It came at a most unfortuate
time.  I wanted to make two comments if it isn't too painful.  First, pets,
wild animals and people die suddenly all the time, and in many cases you
are rarely given a clue.  From my experience, mustelids are notorious for
this; even when ill they hide the outward symptoms until the disease has
become grave.  This may be (probably is) an evolutionary response where ill
animals are singled out by predators.
 
Second, I don't want to gross anyone out, but I study skeletons and the
first thing I do when an animal is donated to me is freeze it.  The reason
is because freezing breaks open the cellular membranes making processing
easier.  The pathologists I work with recommend to never freeze an animal
that you wish to do histological studies on at a later time, but to (as
soon as possible) cool the body to 37-40 degress F.  Speed is important for
best results.
 
Much of the pain and anger you are feeling is natural and will pass with
time.  Because the life spans of the ferret is about a decade, our time
with them is all to short.  One way to help in the grief process I learned
when I adopted my older children, and have since applied to every person
and pet in my household.  Its cheap, it simple and its easy to do.  I
simply create an individual journal for each ferret.
 
I use the cheap blank books available at book and/or stationary stores.
The first pages are filled out with birth/adoption information.  I take a
introductory photo, record the weights and sizes, and other quirks, like
"hates raisins, loves 9-lives cat food." If adopted, I record what is
known about their former home and life.  From then on, I weekly weigh
them, record what foods they eat, how thwy react with each other, etc.  It
doesn't have to be a scientific journal; many of my entries read as
"Foster was a complete shit today--went from one fight to another.  I
finally had to quiet him on my lap..." I periodically add photos and once
a month record vital statistics and general health.  I glue in the old
rabies tags, stitches, parts of chewed toys, and so forth.  I even glue in
snips of fur and the occasional cliped toenail.  Everyday activies are
just as important as the special things; the book becomes a permanent
record of your pet.  I admit these pet journals are very valuable to me
emotionally; when my parrot died the book helped me through the bad times.
 
There is another valuable aspect to these journals, and that is the legal
one.  If your pet ever bites someone, these could be used to demonstrate
that your ferret was never in a position to contract rabies, and might be
used to persuade a judge or other legal authority that isolation is
preferable to chopping off the head.  A journal with dates and events is
much more persuasive to a judge than a person saying "it never got out..."
The hardest part is getting used to regularly recording stuff.  I just set
aside time once a week, and all it takes is a few moments.
 
Just an idea.
 
Bob C and the Wild One Three.
[Posted in FML issue 1426]