FMLer's Hmmm.... Well this goes out to all those individuals who
responded rudely and out of context to Lisa's request for a little
assistance and/or advise. Come on ppl seeing her response to the FML
today EXTREMELY DISAPPOINTS ME IN YOU. And it also reflects poorly on
those of us in the FML that are not self righteous A$$es and wanted to
show genuine concern. Sure it may not have been the best choice to not
have her fert taken in for surgery, but she stated in her posting that
she had her reason(s). I accepted that and in my private response to
her, and I did not even address that. Think about how you wish to be
treated before you treat others with condescending tones. And to top it
all off, she ended up having to put her 10 yr old baby to sleep today.
I put my 9yr 10 month "old doll baby" (Podo) to sleep Sat. 5/30, and 2
of my boys (Louie & Frosty) to sleep within less than of Podo . So I
lost 3 in one month. I havent bothered to post my requests for bridge
crossers to greet my babies, as I had in the past received HATE mails
from some FMLers regarding my losses. Below is my response to Lisa
and our brief email regarding her request for advise...

For those "HATERS"... keep your comments to yourself.

HI Lisa: I'm sorry to hear that you had to let your "sweet old lady"
Oprah cross the bridge, and I am also sorry that the responses you
received from the some of the FMLers were "judgemental." I hope that
I did not come across that way, as I had no intention. I know from
reading past "issues" that some individuals on that mailing do not
think or put themselves in other's shoes before they speak/write.
They are just preachy hate mongers.

----- Original Message ----
 Subject: 10 yr old ferret

HI Lisa: Well the teeth grinding is a sign that they are in pain, and
from my past experience with the squeeking from being picked up, that
also means pain. I had a 6 yr old boy that i had to put down due to
complications from adrenal disease & GI tract cancer, and he began
squeeking when his cage mates would bump him or move him. So I knew
then it was getting very close for him, and not wanting him to continue
to suffer, I made the choice to put him to sleep. You also need to
watch the food bowl to see if they are still eating as well as
drinking, as well as the litter pan. If the poo turns into (what i
call) black pitchy tar, that means internal organs are fighting
something, and/or have shut down. either kidney or liver...I honestly
dont remember. Last week I put to sleep my oldest ferret 9yrs, 10
months. It's a tough choice, but if you watch your kids close enough,
they will tell you in their own way, when it is their time.

I'm not sure if this helped any, but in the past 2 yrs I've gone from
14 fur-kids to 4, so I know what signs to watch for and all, but it
still is sad.

Best Neil

[Moderator's note: To put things a bit in perspective, we're hearing
all of this second-hand -- the nasty posts didn't appear on the FML.
I have no doubt there were inappropriate responses, but let's also
remember Lisa was going through very stressful times and I'm guessing
notes expressing even mild disapproval were not what she wanted to
deal with at the time! (I can't speak for her, so it's a presumption
only.) I also heard, by the way, some notes were quite supportive.
But Lisa, please accept my apologies on behalf of the FML. BIG]

[Posted in FML 5994]