Dusty's Passing
 
July 22, 2006
 
Dusty has been fur on bones for two weeks.  He came in together with
Fairy Buttercup Vin Diesel Weasel and Sandy about 3-4 years ago.  They
all came down with adrenal...as a side note, they are all Marshall Farms
ferrets.  The rest of the group are doing well on melatonin and herbs.
Dusty showed minor improvement before starting to go down hill, he still
ate but his body refused to retain any weight.  Last saturday I awoke
abruptly from a nap to find a puddle of blood on the floor next to the
basket where he slept.  As weak as he is, he climbed from his basket bed
so as not to soil it , not getting anything on him and climbed back into
bed with Vin Diesel Weasel at his side.  I scooped him up to hold him in
what I knew were his last hours.  Diesel had been acting strangely all
day, not playing,just moping around and pancaking on the floor when he
wasn't laying next to Dusty in the basket in the dining room.
 
When I sat down on the sofa with Dusty, Diesel followed us pancaking
under the coffee table, staring at me, silently asking if he could join
us.  I scooped him up as well and the two ferrets laid together the
bridges of their faces touching, laying in a heart shape on my lap.  A
moment so sad, yet so touching with the realization of the bond the two
ferrets shared.  Diamond the cat bid her farewell by hopping up and
perching behind us on the sofa, reaching a lone paw down to touch Dusty's
head and say goodbye.  The cats love these ferrets.  They feel it too.
 
Although I curled him up in a comfy sleep sack, he wriggles out of it
just far enough for his face to rest on my chest as if he just had to be
touching some part of me.  We talked about his life, the rainbow bridge
and that it's ok to go, that he'll feel better on the other side, yet
still he hangs on.  As hard as it is to watch them go, I'm grateful that
I'm here for them.  I feel the most important thing I can do for my
animal companions is to help them cross over.  To be here for them in
their final hours.  No one should pass alone.  It must be important to
them too as they always call to me if I'm not home to let me know I'm
needed.  They let me know when their time is coming.  An ominous piece
of the gift of the ability to communicate with animals without a doubt,
but this connection is bound by our love for each other in life......and
in passing.  It runs full circle as naturally as life itself and I have
to remind myself not to curse it sometimes,....to curse the
sadness,....not the gift.
 
My Dusty, aka Dustbuster with the most beautiful fangaroos you've ever
seen.  My Dusty who tagged along on my birthday Gettysburg trip because
he just had a tooth pulled and he needed hand feedings.  Hilites of the
day included a poo in National Cemetery (when guy has to go, a guy has
to go....and yes we cleaned it up), sleeping quietly in the sack we used
to sneak him into Friendly's where we had lunch.  He backpacked along
with us through the battlefields enjoying the fresh air and lavishing
the attention he got as he was passed from one person to the next.
 
My Dusty who taught Zach at age 7, a valuable lesson in tormenting
animals.  Zach knew the kind of reaction Dusty had to loud squeak toys,
yet he annoyed the ferret anyway .  One Saturday, when I was out of the
room I heard the squeak toy and Zach laughing hysterically at Dusty's
frantic reaction.  Dusty reacted by climbing up his leg and biting him
hard in the cheek.  The bite was not that bad and I didn't coddle him.
He cried that Dusty wasn't his friend anymore.  I explained to him why
Dusty reacted the way he did and that it wasn't his fault.  It was a
couple of weeks before Zach would accept him as his "friend" again but
he learned that it wasn't Dusty's fault.  Dusty taught him a valuable
lesson in responsibility for our actions and treatment of animals.  I
shed a tear the day he walked around the corner from the ferret room,
Dusty in his arms saying "Look Kim, Dusty's my friend again."  He hugged
Dusty close and apologized to him.  He understood.
 
As I was dealing with Dusty's passing, I found another adrenal kid,
one of the rescues, Gizmo, had passed away in his cage.  No symptoms
of going down hill, just gone.  Peaceful crossings sweet babies.
Mommy loves you.
 
Kimberly Fox
Director/Rescue Mom
Somethin Up My Sleeve Ferret Rescue
http://companiontalk.terrabox.com/SUMS-Rescue.html
[Posted in FML issue 5320]