I want to thank everyone who wrote to me, and to all of you who kept Bailey
in your thoughts and prayers.
 
Bailey lost her fight today.  Even with all night IV fluids her readings
were off the charts, she got worse instead of better.  Her blood urea
nitrogen was 255-the ref.  range is 1-45; creatinine was 10.4-ref.  range
0.1-1.2; phosphorous was 34.5-ref.  range 3.4-9.8); total protein was
6-ref.  range 2.5-5.7).  Drs.  Thompson & Martin consulted with Dr. Adams
at the vet school, and all three had to agree that she wasn t going to make
it.  I got to see her at noon and she was almost comatose, so I told Dr.
Thompson it was time.  He had me come back at 5pm tonight, that I d be able
to spend time with her, that it wouldn t be a rush thing to get me in and
out.  The student brought Bailey in and she was alert, almost perky.  Dr.
Thompson told me she d been doing this somewhat all day-spurts of energy
and then crash.  She d had no output whatsoever, even with all the fluids
she d had.
 
So they left me with my Bailey, to hold her, cuddle her.  I told her all
about the Bridge, how she could find Nibbles there, maybe they d make peace
and could play together and stay with each other.  Helga Clark told me that
Bailey s ferret momma was there, so I told her to find her momma, too.
Told my Bop that her hair would be full, thick, like it hadn t been for
along time, her kidneys would be fine.  Begged her to forgive me for
putting her through this, hoped she d wait for me, told her how sorry I was
for all this that had happened to her.  Dr. Thompson and the student came
back, and I told them it was time.  She was wearing down, shivering a lot.
So I held her, talked to her, and Dr. Thompson very gently helped her get
well again.  I am so heartbroken right now.  All I can see in my mind is
my Bailey Bop rearranging her pill bottle collection.  Running across the
upstairs, carrying her bottles by the lids, one bottle so big that all you
could see was Bailey s ears sticking out from the sides.  The time she had
the bottle, looked up and saw me, froze in her tracks, then turned and ran
back to where she d had it.  Bailey isn t there for me to sing Bop bop a do
bop, tooty fruity, oh rooty, Bailey Bopus, oh topus to any more, to dance
with while I sang that song to her.
 
I brought her poor body home tonight and took it upstairs for all the Crew
to say good by to her.  They all smelled her, Calvin moved her arm to get
her to play with him.  I got Alix and Misty up to where she was.  Misty
sniffed her, but they hadn t been that great of friends (Misty only likes
Alix and Socks the most).  Alix, who d been Bailey s cage buddy, walked to
her, smelled her, and then came to me.  She broke my heart, she bumped my
hands, crawled under my hands, then into my shirt, as though she were
saying she forgave me, and that she was still there for me.  I held and
hugged her, told her how sorry I was about Bailey, that I d promised her
and Bailey I d have them here, they wouldn t have to leave again.  Now
Bailey s gone from us.  I m having her cremated tomorrow, and will have her
ashes with Nibbles in the jar here at home.
 
Sandee, please watch for Bailey.  She should have a full sable coat when
she gets there, but she loves pill bottles-they re her favorite toys.  I
know you don t need pills at the bridge, but maybe you and the Boss could
find some for her to play with.  She and Nibbles didn t get along, because
Nibbles had been an only ferret and didn t adjust, but maybe you could find
Nibbles and see if they could be together now.
 
Again, thank all of you for your thoughts and prayers during this time.  I
just wish Bailey could have made it, and I know, even though so many of you
tell me that I did the right thing, that exploratory surgery was the right
thing because I didn t know what was wrong, I ll blame myself for this.  My
vet, Dr. Kubisz, called this morning to check on her, and I asked him if he
d checked her kidneys during the exploratory, he said they were fine.  Dr.
Thompson said they could have looked fine, but there was something wrong
that the stress surgery, the antesthetic, something triggered into this and
just wasn t seen.  I also discovered Dr. K doesn t have the facilities for
blood work, which I didn t know before.  Don t get me wrong-I still like
the man, and think he s a good vet.  But I may slowly wean my crew over to
Purdue, especially if they use my boys to help other fuzzies.
 
Before I sign off I have to tell you what Dr. Thompson and I talked about
today.  He said that they are discovering that ferrets do not need annual
distemper shots, that every other year once they have their baby shots,
and their 2nd round, they don t need annual distemper.  Rabies yes, but
distemper shots can be given every other year (I think that s what he said,
no more than every other) check with your veterinarians on this.  And, I
told him that since they do ferret surgery, that my Calvin, Mookie and
Conan would volunteer to be blood donors if needs be.  Bailey was also
anemic, and if she d needed it one of my boys would have helped.
 
Again, thank you all, you are awesome.
 
Rebecca & the sad Crew of Merry Mayhem
In honor of my Bailey  bop bop a shoo bop
Do not meddle in the affairs of dragons, for thou art crunchy and taste
good with ketchup
[Posted in FML issue 3055]