Ruffle is still with us.  The steroids (Winstrol-V) and increased potassium
have helped a dramatic degree in keeping her comfortable since Friday and
increasing her appetite.  How she is alive no one knows, though Roxanne,
Jim, and several others say she is just too happy to die.  Most of her
muscle mass is gone, and half her weight is ascites so when she does walk
her belly drags, but so far she has had only one small scrape.  We are not
trying a wheelchair because being retarded and soon to pass on we don't
think the stress of learning it would be fair.  Her heart is bigger than it
should be to be able to function.  She still gets a kick from walking around
a bit (three steps, rest, three steps, rest), to the point of wagging her
tail both yesterday and today --and Ruffie is one who only does that when
very happy.  So far in a few months she has had four times when she was
expected to die within hours on her own and one time when she was so bad
that we almost had her given a mercy shot.  Right now we don't expect her to
make it through the week, but it's pretty much impossible that she made it
this far so we are taking each day as it comes and are grateful for each
that she is comfy and happy and still here.  The kisses are a bonus even
though they smell awful now.  Aren't ferrets wonderful?
 
There recently seem to be a lot of overlaps between the fml and body
building.  It's not just that Ruffle's medicines (but not Meltie's yet)
include diuretics and testosterone, or that a number of the same people are
on both lists.  Nor does it stop at a professional body builder being one
of the Modern Ferret - Totally Ferret joint (Oh, a pun, Bobo!) funny food
ferret contest winners.  No!  Now one of the Muscular Development, Fitness,
and Health writers (pg 44 of the October issue which we just got) is
suggesting that body builders who cycle steroids are prone to kidney cancer
as a development from adrenal hyperestrogenism at the end of cycles!  What
now?  Body builders on Lysodren? (At least they can swallow capsules so
won't have to worry about water and saliva undermining the effectiveness,
and won't have to measure powder volumes into Nutrical to give it
effectively.)  What I think SHOULD happen (if Colgan's hypothesis has any
merit, and face it, he is not a nephrologist) is that the ferret program at
the University of Tennessee's VETERINARY school should work with their med
school to see if the profile works on humans and make piles of money from
it if it does to pour back into FERRET HEALTH research which is so badly
underfunded.  Wouldn't that be almost miraculous?  Any VETS talking with
them soon?
 
        Sukie
[Posted in FML issue 1641]