I have 2 ferrets, Popcorn (7 year old female) and Graham (~6 year old male).
In March Graham had 1 1/2 adrenals removed, 1/2 his pancreas, and his tail
(large tumor near the base). Popcorn had 1 1/2 adrenals removed.
On Thanksgiving day, Graham couldn't urinate. We rushed him to the vet, in
much pain, and he spent 2 days in the hospital. We came very close to
having him euthanized. :( He is still fighting with the Insulinoma, and
he's losing fur again, so the adrenal is probably re-occurring, which is
also probably why he got blocked up. (We have an appointment on Thursday
with Dr. Weiss to pursue surgical solutions) The vets who saw him locally
also suspect that he has a mass in his abdomen. :(
Now, for my question... While Graham was in the hospital, Popcorn started
some very strange behaviors. She's never been one to stockpile goodies,
with the exception of the rare small toy, but with Graham gone she started
grabbing everything that she could get her mouth on and dragging it into
the closet. She's practically emptied a laundry basket full of socks and
underwear. She will even gently grab my fingers or toes to try and drag me
into the hidey hole. Also, we couldn't leave her alone in the ferret room,
she would scratch at the gate continuously. So, we ended up having to let
her run around the house for most of the time Graham was gone. We tried to
wait for her to settle down the first night, but after over an hour she
still hadn't stopped.
She has also never been a "kissy" ferret. You couldn't bribe her to kiss
you in her youth. Now in the past year she has become very kissy. And in
the past few days she is nearly fanatical about it.
I am very concerned about this. First off, I suspect that some sort of
chemical change has occurred to cause her to change so drastically from
being a completely un-kissy ferret to being a fanatically kissy ferret.
Can someone give me an idea of what is causing this? Is it related to the
adrenals? If so, would the new medications help?
Secondly, I'm also very concerned about her reaction to Graham's absence.
She was VERY upset. Given her failing health (she is becoming insulinomic)
and her age (7) I have to make a decision before going down on Thursday. I
think there is a very good chance that Graham won't survive surgery and/or
I'll have to have him euthanized if that mass turns out to be a big tumor
in his abdomen. I really, really, really hate to say this - but I'm
wondering if I should just euthanize Popcorn if Graham doesn't make it.
(If we can't fix the hormonal problem, that is) She's so obsessed with
everything, I don't think that she's psychologically happy right now,
although her physical health isn't all that bad. If Graham goes, I can't
see that she'll make it very long if she persists in her current attitude.
Basically, she'll die of a broken heart. That's a cruel, lonely way to go,
in my opinion.
There's no way she'll accept another ferret. It took her over 2 years to
make friends with Graham.
My other option is to not put them through surgery at all. I'm not willing
to risk Graham going through the pain of being blocked again. So, this
option would basically mean that I have them both euthanized in the very
near future. I hate even thinking about that, but with their ages, and
everything that's wrong with them, am I being selfish putting them through
this? Not that money is as important as their lives, but we're also
talking a considerable amount of money here. I will gladly spend it to
save their lives -- but am I really saving their lives? Or, just gaining
a selfish month or two where their quality of life isn't worth it?
Don't think I'm terrible. I'm really not anthropomorphizing the situation.
Popcorn is showing very extreme behavior. I am very concerned, and would
appreciate some advice. Please respond - quickly.
Thank you!
- Nancy
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Nancy Stephens
[log in to unmask]
Newark, DE
[Posted in FML issue 2509]
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