FML:
 
I have never written to this newsletter before.  We have only had access to
it for about six monthes.  I have been wanting to write for the past two
weeks...
 
We have three ferrets.  Romeo and Farrah are about 5 years 8 monthes old.
Then Maggie is about 4 yrs. old.  I inherited them because my daughter and
her boyfriend bought them and I deeply resented it!  I am terrified of mice
and I knew nothing about ferrets and to be honest I was afraid of these
rodent looking babies.  (This was Romeo and actually Jules, a different
ferret.) After about a month Jules met a horrible death when my daughter,
Bree and her boyfriend Shane moved the sofa, not realizing Jules was asleep
under it!
 
Well I cried and cried and thought Romeo was so lonesome, My husband and
myself and the kids went to Bartlesville another town and bought Farrah.  As
you can see I was becoming "A Ferret Person".  The reason I knew nothing
about ferrets was they were illegal in Tulsa, Oklahoma where we live.
 
A year later the kids mentioned buying another one and I said no... When I
came home from work one day there was a knock on the door and it was my
daughter and she said close your eyes, reluctantly I did and Shane appeared
with a box with Maggie in it.  Since feeding them was falling on my
shoulders I thought this is terrible!  Then I held little Maggie who barely
filled the palm of my hand.
 
Now Maggie's care really relied on me, sure the kids played with her but
mother took care of her.
 
Bree and Shane broke up a year later, still are friends and Shane still
comes by to visit the little guys.
 
But the ferrets are mine.  Maggie comes to me when I call her name and
sleeps with me if I fall asleep on the sofa.
 
I look forward to coming home from work and watching them play.  I enjoy
buying them toys and see who takes possession of the latest toy.  They all
have their own little stash.  Romeo tends to take the stuffed cat toys.
Maggie likes the little rubber figures, her favorite is a tiny mouse man
about an inch and a half high dressed in a blue suit, she is constantly
moving him around the house.  Farrah likes baby pacifiers.  It use to be
quite common to be sitting in the living room and see Farrah running through
with a baby pacifier in her mouth!
 
One thing I should explain is we started with a small cage then bought a
bigger cage then a realllly big cage, then I just did not have the heart to
keep them in the cage.  So I left the door open.  Anyone that comes over
knows to be careful where they step or to make sure a ferret does not leave
with them.  You could say my house is one big ferret cage.
 
I am rambling on, my problem is Farrah is dying.  The latter part of January
She had a bump on her head.  My daughter took her to our home vet and he
thought possibly could have had a blow to the head and the bump would go
down with time.  On the weekend we noticed that she wasn't able to use her
right leg.  My husband thought it might be broken, so we called my home vet
and the answering machine referred us to an after hours clinic.  I called
and they do not see ferrets but recommended two in Tulsa that see ferrets.
We took her to the 1st Vet that returned our beep.  But in the mean time the
2nd said he saw alot of ferrets.  That night the 1st vet felt of her and by
then @ 10pm Farrah seemed to using her leg better.  So we went home without
any answers.  A few days later the bump was worse so I called the 2nd Vet
and took her in.
 
He decided that it would be best to remove the tumor the next day Feb.  6th.
That was a Thursday and the next week he called and said the biopsy came
back from the OSU lab malignant, that it was lymphosarcoma.  The picture he
painted from chemotherapy was bleak so we decided to go with prednisone.
When I finally switched from the syrup which I could not get her to take, it
was strawberry flavored and she has always hated fruit, to a quarter of a
pill.  She got better and mingled with the others and played sometimes.  It
was wonderful.  But then the past 3 weeks the bump has grown back.  The past
two weeks have been very hard on her.  I took her to my home vet about 2-1/2
wks ago, because I thought the tumor might be obstructing her nasal passage
her breathing was becoming labored.  He x-rayed her and found the cancer had
spread and was in her lungs.
 
My problem is when do you know if having your baby euthanized is humane or
cowardly on your part?  People have told me that I would know.  I do not
know what to do.  My husband and I feel like it would be better for her to
die at home amongst familiar surroundings.  But she is suffering so, I
think, She is only eating duck soup now.  I fixed the 1st for her last
Monday.  She loves it.  But it is so sad because it is like either she eats
or she breathes.  We called the 2nd vet that is familiar with ferrets and
plan to take her in tomorrow, I am afraid he will tell us to put her to
sleep.
 
We know the end is near for her.  I am surprised to find her alive in the
mornings.  If any one has gone thru this I would appreciate any opinions or
experiences you might have had...
 
The Rainbow Bridge Concept is quite comforting to me at this point.  Sorry
this is so long, I wish we could all see the responses to questions on the
FML.  Thank you in advance
 
Cherrie and John
[Posted in FML issue 1879]