Hello, I haven't posted here for a long time, but I was in contact with many
of you when Fester first got sick.  We had Fester euthanized in
mid-September.  My school schedule changed and I was unable to come home
during the day to feed him and do his exercises.  I could tell that he had
given up.  It was the most difficult decision I have ever made.
 
For those of you that do not know, Fester became very ill in early February--
lethargy, anorexia, tarry stools, and fever.  He was hospitalized for a week
and could not walk when he got home.  He made A LOT of progress, but his
fever and tarry stools continued until about the end of May.  We are not sure
what happened at that time, but his appetite finally came back then too.  He
was slowly gaining weight and his leg movements were improving--first he was
able to "walk" with his front legs in water, then his hind legs started
moving.  Then he started "walking" on dry ground, with me supporting his
body weight.  When he gave up in September, his entire attitude changed.
He no longer walked, not even in water.  His eyes changed somehow.  It was
difficult to see.
 
Histopathology of Fester's GI tract showed no significant lesions in the
stomach body and mild eosinophilic enteritis with adjacent mesenteritis in
the small intestine (interpretation of the mesenteric infiltrate was
difficult due to artifact in the sample).
 
Has anyone else ever seen anything like this?
 
Fester was a very special ferret, my first.  He only lived for 14 short
months, but he will never be forgotten.  He was a lap ferret who seemed to
believe he was more human than ferret.  Before he got sick he slept with me
at night (with his head on the edge of the pillow and his body on the bed),
jumped in the shower with me almost every morning, backed into a corner in
the bathroom everytime I went to the bathroom (I have no idea how he knew
what I was doing :-), and seemed to keep all of the new ferrets in line when
we got them.  Speaking of the bathroom, after Fester got sick he learned to
go to the bathroom while I held him over the toilet.
 
If anyone has a sick ferret or loses a ferret, please feel free to email me.
I know that it is very difficult and would be willing to help in any way
that I can.
 
Thanks again to everyone who gave me advice while Fester was sick!
 
Terri and Gussey, Rippey, Kirby, Oliver, Maggie, and Otis
 
Terri Beier
University of MN Medical School
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[Posted in FML issue 2114]