Well, I don't really know how to start or what to say so I guess I will
just say it simply.  Our ferret Gizmo died on Monday morning at 6:30am.  It
has taken me this long to get up the courage to give him a memorial here on
the FML.  We have 4 others, 2 of which have cancer.  We never expected to
lose Gizmo first.  We didn't realize anything was wrong.  I guess we were
bad parents.  He had been slowing down gradually...but we blamed it on him
getting older.  He was losing weight...but we blamed it on the time of
year.  Then suddenly on Friday he started to breathe funny (faster).  It
was after hours at our vet hospital so we called the emergency service.
They said "Oh it sounds like, since he is playing,eating, and drinking,
that it must just be bronchitis or something.  Bring him in Monday and we
will take care of it."  So we trusted.  By Sunday his breathing was more
labored and he wasn't playing.  So we took him in to the University
Veterinary Hospital.  Their "Small Animal" vet claimed no knowledge of
ferrets but said he would 'look at him'.  He agreed that his breathing was
labored and wanted to take a chest xray.  He did and discovered a greatly
enlarged spleen and lungs that were 80% full of fluid.  He said there was
nothing he could do and we would have to wait until Monday for an "Exotic"
specialist.  To placate us he offered to put him in an oxygen tank.  We
felt that he would be better cared for and less upset at home so we took
him home.  We stayed up all night with him.  It was one of the hardest
nights of my life.  Watching his little framed wracked as he tried to draw
breath.  At 5:30am we couldn't take it anymore.  We called the vet and said
we were coming in and we wanted him to attempt the Chest Tap (to draw out
the fluid) that he had refused to try earlier.  When we got there.  He
looked at him and said again that all he would do was put him in an oxygen
tank and wait for until 8am for the Exotics people.  He flatly refused to
attempt the chest tap althought he said if it had been a cat or dog he
would have done it in a second.  So we walked Gizmo wrapped in a towl over
to the Oxygen tank, I kissed him and told him "mamma loved him" and then
laid him in the tank.  HIs tail puffed as I stepped back.  The vet stepped
up and closed the door.  As he moved away we saw Gizmo take one big breath
and that was it.  We took him back out and My husband and I held him and
cried.
 
We took him home and let the others say goodbye.  Then we took him to the
tallest spot we could find (an ancient volcano that raises straight up out
of the Palouse hills where you can see for hundreds of miles) and buried
him there.  Because Gizmo was always our climber.  If he could climb it, he
would!
 
Gizmo was our first, he was my baby, he loved to kiss, he loved to ride on
my lap in the car.  He was our Alpha ferret.  What will we ever do with out
him?
 
We thought we were doing the best by our kids by spending 'big bucks' to be
clients at the local university's vet school hospital.  We thought that we
had ourselves covered if anybody got sick on the weekend or holiday or at
night.  How can a vet who claims to be a small animal doctor get away with
knowing nothing about the 3rd most popular small animal pet in the
country????  Something has to change!  We all spend our time focused on the
rabies issues and the legalization issues (and those are just as important)
BUT EVERYDAY there are ferrets dying out there because the Vets and the
Vets schools who are suppose to take care of these animals still see them
as exotic and don't train to take care of them!  I can understand fighting
and educating politicians and government agencies but why should we have to
fight and educate the experts??
 
I know that I am simply lashing out in pain, but I do feel that it is true.
We will miss Gizmo's sweet spirit in our life.  He was our first, our baby,
and he will always be first in our heart.  I know he is at the rainbow
bridge (probably climbing up the railings) and he will be there to take
care of our others when their times come.  But for now...how do we stop
this terrible hurt?  Remembering good times only seems to make it hurt
worse.  He will always be my sweet guy.  We love you Gizmo.
 
Kimberly and Darin Graber,
Bentley, Abu, April, & Klondike
[Posted in FML issue 2669]