Well, I will try this again.  I began a letter on Friday, when my system
hiccuped and sent a half-finished letter.  I immediately wrote a new one,
and I have no idea where it was sent.
    On Friday, I reported that my little girl, Frettchen, was quite sick.
Well, she didn't make it through the night.  I have had a lot of pets, but
losing one never quite affected me as this.  At this point, I don't quite
feel like getting another, as I have lost two in 8 months due to my own
carelessness, and I am not sure I quite trust myself.  Coco died in Oct.
from ingesting rubber, and then being misdiagnosed by a vet as having the
flu.  And now this.  Both died at the age of 3.  I had had Frettchen since
she was 8 weeks old, and she was my first one.
    Frettchen ingested the rubber on Sunday.   I took her to a vet as she was
showing the classic symptoms-listlessness, loss of appetite, and tarry
stools.  I had been giving her hairball lax since Sunday.  She was given
Amoxicillin, 50mg, 2x daily, and I was instructed to feed her baby food.  By
Wed., she had ceased having bowel movements, and refused to eat, so I began
syringe feeding her Science Diet AD.  On
Thurs., her abdomen became very extended, and she was hospitalized.  The vet
gave her an emetic, injected water under her skin near the shoulders to
hydrate her, and a Dexamethasone (anti-inflammatory) injection.  On Fri.,
she appeared to be doing much better,   so I took her home.  When I picked
her up, the vet pointed out red "bruising" or welps at the hydration
injection points.  She said that she did not think that this was anything to
worry about.  Two hours after I got Frettchen home, she began to suppurate
and hemorrhage from each of the injection sights, and one whole side of her
body was blood red.  She also appeared slightly paralyzed on one side of her
body, and her nose, gums and tongue had turned white.  I was able to contact
the vet at home, who was quite mystified.  She instructed me to get some
fluids and food (Karo syrup and AD) in her,  clean the wounds with hydrogen
peroxide,  and keep her warm.  As the night progressed, she became weaker
and weaker, and eventually she passed away.
    What happened?  She did appear to be recovering from the ingestion of the
rubber.  It appears as though this mysterious skin reation is what killed
her.  I am aware that ultimately, it was my carelessness with rubber that
killed her ( I haven't quite forgiven myself for that, since it was the
second baby I have lost this way), but I feel that something helped it
along.  I at first wanted to blame the vet, but I think that was just a
grief reaction, as I feel  that Dr. Kayne is an excellent vet, and would
know more harm Frettchen than I would.  Any ideas, suggestions, or similar
experiences would be greatly appreciated in helping me to cope with my loss
without as much self-blame, and possibly, for future reference.
[Posted in FML issue 1200]