It is with a heavy heart that I tell everyone that JB finally succumbed to
a fairly long battle with insulinoma yesterday evening.
 
He was special, and an attempt by me to avoid the same disease that had
killed our first ferret Rocky.  JB was born into an exclusive business of
ferrets in Maryland on November 26th, 1995.  We heard about him at the AFA
Show in December but he was still a child, too early to be separated from
his parents so we waited till the New Jersey show in March of 1996 when
Pam Troutman brought him north for lead ferret Squeekers and myself, and
we went South from Massachusetts to interview him.
 
What we found was a great big muscle bound athlete decked out with a
beautiful sable outfit complete with white ascot and a pedigree that goes
back further than anyone that we ever knew.  Holly Cyr of FARI thought so
too and almost lured him away, but Squeeks and I had first refusal.
 
Squeeks talked to him in the Sherba bag while I listened outside.  At one
point JB made an intemperate remark and Squeeks called him on it (bit him
quite hard too).  JB to his credit promptly apologized, Squeeks forgave
him, and that was that.  We named him John Bear Fertipton Ferret (Remember
the Millionaire TV program?) and he was promptly dubbed JB.
 
We soon discovered that JB was a bit of a coward and was compensating by
over reacting to the smallest of inconveniences.  He also was developing
the hormones of a teenager.  Both of us had our homes threatened when he
pushed Susie's twenty pound antique lamp off of a table and broke it.
Thank goodness for super glue.  Also there was the small matter of a scent
which announced to all that a FERRET!!!!  lived here.  JB for some reason
was also absolutely drop dead terrified of bath tubs.  A kitchen sink was
okay for a bath, but he became a raging monster in the other.
 
We gave him lots of love, he was neutered at the age of seven months and
we all soon settled into that routine which causes the days and then the
years, to pass too quickly.  Squeeks was operated on for insulinoma and
then after two years died of adrenal disease at the age of eight years.
JB settled into his new 'position' of responsibility to replace Squeeks,
mellowed a lot, and learned to stay quiet in my jacket on morning walks,
while not blowing any smells at all.  He became a special ambassador for
all ferrets and participated with Peaches and our guest ferret Buka in
several events to tell the public about them.
 
A year ago, during his annual exam, a blood test unexpectedly showed low
blood sugar.  Dr. Karen operated and we started him on prednisone.  He
was just fine again for a year, but suddenly about a month ago, started
refusing to take any more.  Sometimes we could trick him, but then he
started refusing food sometimes as well.
 
Peaches at the moment is reveling in her new found freedom as a single
ferret, newly possessed of all the attention.  We guess that she is two
years older than JB, is a Marshall Farms ferret, was diagnosed at about
the same time, and is so far still taking her medicine and enjoying life.
Life is certainly not predictable.....
 
JB had lots of spunk, and I do miss him (and his occasional ferrety smells)
just an awful lot.
[Posted in FML issue 3256]