To all of you who have written asking for an update--
 
As of right now, Fitch is almost completely behaving as he was before being
hit by a car a mere two weeks ago.  He is eating his normal food (although
he is being supplemented with extra ferretone, bananas and raisins since,
hey--he's been through a lot!).  He has been playing vigorously with
Abercrombie, but sometimes has to hide when Abie gets a little rough with
him.  I have been trying to play more with Abie so that he gets his daily
dose of roughousing.  Fitch is able to walk normally, and you would think
that nothing happened, except for all the shaved parts where they had his
IV.  (We jokingly have thought about investments into Rogaine!!)
 
We went to the vet last Tuesday, and were surprised when they brought us
back to the exam room *filled* with people (vet students and
residents--about ten in all) wanting to see Fitch and how he was doing.  I
think Fitch made lots of friends when he was in ICU.  Fitch entertained
them by knocking over an entire box of toys and using it for a bed, and
then trying to climb up their pants legs.  During his exam, they found that
his left eye, which is still swollen, shows no other signs of injury, and
his reflexes and coordination are good.  The vet even walked with him to
check his ability to orient correctly.  Their primary concern was that he
dropped from 2.5 to 2 pounds due to his accident, so we are now trying to
beef him up (that way he can be a contender with Abercrombie, who weighs
about 3 pounds).
 
I would really like to thank Dr. Williams, to whom I sent an initial call
for help after Fitch's accident, and was one of those who suggested not
giving up on Fitch, but trusting his ability to heal himself.  Also, thank
you to Carla Almarez who sent a great recipe for some high-protein soft
food (Fitch liked it!).  Finally, Fitch kisses to all of you on the FML who
wrote and were thinking about us the entire time--positive vibes really do
work!!
 
One last note to the person who wrote about having ferrets outdoors without
leashes--KEEP THEM LEASHED!  Fitch was only off his leash when I was
putting him into the car, but ran out of the car too quickly for me to stop
him.  Although things turned out well for us in the end, the heartache and
uncertainty of wondering whether he would make it, and the uphill climb we
have had since is not something I would wish on anyone.  Although having
them outside can be great fun for both you and them, vigilant use of
leashes can keep your fuzzies out of the street and out of danger.
 
All our best to you and yours,
 
Marcy  (now, what was I doing before this happened?  Oh yeah--grad school...)
 
Abercrombie (why don't I get extra Ferretone?  Never mind--peanut butter is
better.)
 
and Fitch (next time, I'll just stay in the car)
[Posted in FML issue 1146]