Hello all.
 
Yes, our Buddy snores.  At least I think it is snoring.  It is actually
more like groaning.  Every breath ends with a groan.  Mookie does this too
but not to the degree that Buddy does.  Misty sometimes barks in her sleep
and Jasper and one or two of the others sometime whine.  Like people, they
are all different.
 
Josie is still hanging in.  She is still dragging her but around and the
lymph nodes on her shoulders are swelled up considerably.  She now has
Lymphosarcoma to add to her list of ailments.  We are giving her some
natural products along with her perscribed meds and I honestly think that
this is what is keeping her so alert and has slowed down her degenerative
process.  On the one hand you wonder if you are doing her any favours by
keeping her alive but she is in no apparent pain and still scoots around
and acts like this is all part of life.  I know she will let us know when
it is time, or she will decide that for herself and go on her own.  I cry
when I think of it though.
 
Buddy has now also dropped his winter weight, almost overnight but along
with this came a tiredness that I have never seen in the 17 ferrets that
we have had.  He is also loosing his fur on his back.  He is almost 8 yr.
old, if not 8 already.  He is the oldest one we have had to this point but
it looks like his days are numbered.  Buddy is my husband's favorite and I
know Buddy's death will be very difficult for my husband to handle.  I
would appreciate you keeping him in your prayers.
 
We had a scare with Jasper this weekend and it ain't over yet but I think
it will be ok.  About a year ago, Jasper was diagnosed with an enlarged
spleen (then 3 1/2 yr.  old) and we were to keep an eye on him and bring
him in if there was a change.  Well, slowly over the last year Jasper's
tummy ever so gradually grew.  It was difficult to tell at what point to
take him in again because he was so large to start with and at what point
is it too large and what point is it just Jasper.  Last year he weighed 5
lbs.  We took him in last Thurs.  aft.  and the doctor said that his spleen
hadn't grown but his belly seemed filled with fluid.  He now weighed over 5
1/2 lbs.  He took some blood to be tested and while he was out, stuck a
needle in his tummy to aspirate some fluid.  The blood work seemed quite
good, with a few minor exceptions and the fluid was old fluid, from who
knows where.  The doctor highly suspects Lymphosarcoma.  We opted to not go
through with the biopsy (some lympth nodes were swollen) because no matter
what the outcome, he was going to be on Prednisone so why make him go
through the stress (both for him and us) and perhaps loose him in surgery -
not to mention the cost, although that would be the last concern.  Yes we
would know more about what was going on but again, it would not change our
course of action so let's not create more problems.  Anyways, Friday came
and Jasper seemed ok, with only a small bruise on his tummy.  Sat.  was
another story.  I looked at him and freaked.  The bruise was the size of a
grapefruit.  He seemed fine but it looked awfull.  It didn't even look like
a bruise but some kind of internal bleeding.  No car to go to the vet and
even if I did have one, there was no vet on duty.  I called her at home and
caught her.  We talked about the possibilities and we have him on
Prednisone and Chlor Palm and she will see him on Monday.  I could call if
there was a problem before that.  This is of course a synopses of what
happend (believe it or not) but it sure is scary.
 
Like I said before, we have a bunch of oldies and it is difficult to see
them change from vibrant healthy, beautiful creatures to a frail, pitiful
site but we love them and do what we can to make them comfortable and feel
loved.  Hug your babies a lot - you never know how long they are going to
be with you.
 
Take care,
Tryntje Miller.
[Posted in FML issue 2601]