Parts of this post are not what I'd call dinner conversation It's also long
& I ramblem, but this post HAS a point to make.  Consider yourself warned.
 
I don't write often although I have been on this list over a year.
Sometimes I just need to communicate things.
 
My daughter & I took Frasier to the vet today for his rabies vaccination.
He got the distemper one in February.  His vaccines last year were no
problem so I did'nt think this one would be either.  Boy was I wrong.  (read
the darn Faq !)
 
About 10 minutes after his shot we were on our way home when Frasier started
to vomit.  I hesitated turning around--half thinking maybe he was just
carsick & half not wanting to believe what I knew was happening.  After
about 2 minutes of him throwing up & acting like he was chokeing I turned
around & flew back to the vets.
 
He laid on the table at the vets office after our vet gave him 3 more shots,
epinephrine, a steroid, & something else, I don't remember.  He threw up a
little more, peed on himself, passed stools & blood for a few minutes.
 
I petted him for 25 minutes on that table this morning,  hoping he was
not in pain.  Wondering what I'd tell my daughter, who was out in the
waiting room with Gizmo.  I'm glad she did'nt know how serious it was.
 
I was thinking about Frasier when I first got him, he was a scheme dreamed
up by my daughter & myself.  We wanted one bad but knew we had to talk my
wife Connie, into it.  She was reluctant but agreed.
 
Frasier was a rescue ferret, about a year old.  It was obvious that the
people who had him before neglected him.  His feet were bald from being in
too small a cage all the time, he did not like being held by people, and he
did not want to be around us.
 
I made Frasier a big cage so he had lots of room.  We let him out when we
were home so he could do what he wanted.  For the first few months, that was
mostly go into a room we were not in.  Then we got Gizmo as a companion to
him, thinking that if he did not like us, at least he could have a friend to
be with him all the time.  That was a good move.  He always liked to play
with Gizmo.
 
About 6 months ago Frasier opened up.  It was very sudden.  He would sit by
us on the couch when we watched tv, follow me around in the morning dooking
to me and wanting to play the "towel" game.  He was very vocal at times now,
letting us know when he was happy or mad.  But the best part was that he
understood us.  I mean he really did.  He would go to bed (his cage) when it
was time, he would come when we called him for baths.  There were many, many
other things he did too.  You just gotta trust me.
 
He learned to love Connie more than me, I used to get home earlier than her
& open up the cage, both of them ran around playing with each other until
Connie came home , they would hear her car & both run to the door.  She
would come in & say "mommy's home" and they stood up to be picked up by her
& gave her kisses.  It was NOT that way when I get home but what the heck,
I'm just here to clean the cages ;) .
 
Now there I was petting a very limp body, The vet said she had done all she
could, the rest was up to Frasier.  I believed her, she seems to be a very
caring vet.  I could tell she didn't hold out much hope by the way she said
it.  I then choked back a few tears & told her I did NOT care what she did
as long as Frasier didn't suffer.  He didn't deserve that.  She said I could
stay there for a little while with him.
 
I kept thinking of those morning recently when Frasier would run up to me &
attack my leg & I didn't make time to play with him.  I'd also been kind of
hard on him when He pottied in the corners, even when I knew he was telling
me his litter box was dirty or he didn't like a new brand of litter.  I was
wishing I'd played with him more....he really did learn to love me too...
 
That's when a part of me died, that's the good news.  The part of me that
didn't take time to play with him is gone.  I have learned a lot from these
two ferrets over the last 2 years & a lot of it has been stress relief.  I
will always swear that ferrets have changed my life.
 
The vet came in & told me I could take Frasier home--he was still very limp
but she said he had a good heartbeat.  My daughter & I took him home to
mommy.  When he saw her he perked right up.  I gave him a half a jar of baby
food about 2 hours ago.  He seems to be doing ok now, walking around a
little, responding to us, but still sleepy.
 
I am so happy that Frasier is ok--He scared me good today, I'm sorry to
admit that that is what it took for me to wake up again.  I will not take my
two guys for granted ever.
 
Pay attention to your companions & listen to them & learn....
 
love to all today,
 
a very relieved  Tom
[Posted in FML issue 1559]