Question;
Does anyone know the origin of the word "packrat"?  Any ideas on how I
could track it down?  You have to wonder if it was a ferret owner who
coined it.
 
Comment;
Euthanasia; At my request, my vet administers a small amount of isoflourine
(just enough to settle them down, not put them under) prior to giving the
shot.  The reasoning behind my request was that I didn't want my ferrets to
be afraid or to feel the pain of the needle.  The injection wasn't given
directly into the heart or stomach, but in the vein (artery?) that runs up
the rear leg.
 
It's a very emotionally traumatic procedure, not just for the owner but for
the vet as well.  It's my opinion that vets will advise against owners
being present for this reason.
 
It's also my opinion that pet owners should be present, if at all possible,
but I also realize that some people would feel they couldn't handle being
there.  I've gone both routes.  Gypsy, my first ferret, died at home, at
the age of ten, from what we believe to have been a stroke.
 
Coco-Puff, I had put to sleep, lymphosarcoma, 9 years old.  I was
distraught when I took her in, knowing what had to be done.  When the vet
advised that I shouldn't be present, I didn't argue, just nodded, and have
regretted it to this day.  I owed it to her to be there and I wasn't.
 
Ouija, I had put to sleep, lymphosarcoma, just shy of 8 years old.  This
time I insisted on staying.  My vet argued that I wouldn't be comfortable
because she might struggle against getting the shot.  This is when I
requested the iso to calm her.
 
Based on these two experiences, I will always choose to be with them if
it's time to help them pass.  With both ferrets, I felt guilt, thinking
there should have been something more I could have done.  Add to that the
guilt I felt for not staying with Coco and you can only imagine the beating
I gave myself.
 
SP
[Posted in FML issue 2574]