Hello ferret lovers,
I haven't written much but I would first like to say that reading all of
your letters have been both heartwarming and helpful to me.  I have
recently had a very trying time with my beloved fuzzies and my story is
somewhat long, and for that I apologize.  I feel it is time to let go of
my sorrows.  If you do not want to read this please feel free to scroll
down...
 
I was befriended by two beautiful sables, (which I hate to say, I bought
from pet stores).  For 3 years, Sampson and Sassafras, both gave me so much
happiness.  I moved to NYC a year ago, and had my first child, Zachary.
Both the ferrets and my son found friendships in each other over time, so
much that I trusted them to play together whenever they wanted.  My babies
were the best ferrets that anyone could ask for...never a nip, always
cuddled in bed with us and really showed their trust and respect for both
my husband and I.
 
To get on with the story, Sammy was always an escape artist.  We were
always finding him near the door waiting for his big moment.  One
terrible day this summer, he escaped as my husband was coming in from a
bike ride.(Carrying his bike through the door blocked him from seeing
Sammy).  I feel this is partly my fault.  We moved from MA, where every
corner store was ferret-friendly.  We would often take our fuzzies out for
walks, but when we moved to NY, we were strongly advised by many(including
our Vet)that we should keep them inside.  The search for Sammy ended that
same day, when we posted an ad at the nearby pet store.  The owner informed
us that one of our neighbors had retrieved Sammy right outside our door and
that he intended to keep him.  We went door to door and talked to everyone
in the neighbor hood that we could with no luck.  With no other leads, we
left our name and number at the pet store in hopes that our selfish
neighbor would feel guilty and reviel his identity to us.
 
When we didn't hear anything after 5 months, we decided it was time to
move on.  Poor Sassy was very lonely and we felt she needed a playmate.
We posted ads online, looking for another ferret and a week later a woman
contacted us.  She told us she had two girls that needed a home, because
her son was allergic to them.  I gladly adopted the two, and finally, Sassy
became her old self again.
 
Both ferrets seemed in good health when I got them, but the woman did
not have any medical information for me.  Just last week, one of my new
babies, Sydney, died in her sleep.  We had her for only 3 weeks and had no
indication that she was sick and decided not to have an autopsy done.  We
will probably never know what sickness she had.  Before I had enough time
to get over her, Sassafras got sick.  She was lethargic and wasn't eating.
We realized that after a few hours, her condition was very serious.
Frantically, I called the emergency clinic and told them the story.  I was
afraid of a virus that Sydney might have been carrying.  The vet advised me
to monitor her overnight and bring her in in the morning, which we did.  He
thought she might have a flu, since our whole family at the time was sick
with it.
 
The vet the next day told us that we would have to leave her there and
assumed it was Canine distemper, although she was up to date on her shots
and I strongly disagreed with him.  Anyway, I called later that afternoon
and the Vet said she had a complete liver failure.  He told me I would have
to take her to a specialist, because there was nothing they could do for
her.  His assumption was that she was born with this condition.  I tried to
get her into a specialist that day.  Being in NYC, the only option given to
me was the Animal Medical Center in Manhattan.  They wouldn't give me an
appointment until 2 days later.  Still very upset, I tried to reach my Vet
again to ask for a second opinion.  At this time, I learned that the clinic
was closed.  This upset me, to learn that my baby was alone and no one was
monitoring her, especially when they advertise as being a 24 hour clinic.
Sadly enough, Sassy didn't make it through the night.
 
I was relieved to discover that my baby at home, Zoe, was not in danger of
a virus.  But at the same time, I don't know if I will ever get over the
loss of my best friends.
 
I apologize again for this dragging on so much, but I feel much better just
to share my story with all of you.  Thanx for reading this.
 
Sincerely,
Veronica
[Posted in FML issue 2933]