My deepest sympathies go to Barb on the loss of Wiggles, and to all who
have lost beloved fuzzies.  In her post she said "I wish everyone better
luck with Dr. Weiss than I had.  I truly don't believe he could have done
anymore than he did.  It just wasn't in the cards for Wiggles." I have,
fortunately, had good luck and wanted to relate it, not to mock her
misfortune, but to express my opinion that I think he is a skilled
surgeon and she's right that he did all he could for her ferret.  He has
performed two surgeries on my little girl in the past 6 weeks, one for
adrenal/insulinoma/spleen and the other, five weeks later, for a blockage.
She, thankfully, has recovered well from both - not just due to luck, but
largely because of his skill.  Even though I have great confidence in him,
both times I waited with "my heart in my throat" while the surgery was
performed, afraid to leave the hospital in case something went wrong and
I was too far away to get back and say goodbye.  I lost one ferret due to
negligent vet care, which made choosing surgery for Selena even harder,
especially since she's nearly 8 years old.  Being selfish and wanting her
with me as long as possible, I was torn between choosing a surgery that
would give her the best chance of living a long, healthy and happy life but
could take her from me in an instant if anything went wrong or choosing a
combination of medications that may or may not fully alleviate her symptoms
and would likely not give her as much time as surgery could.  Dr. Weiss
understood my hesitation regarding surgery and said he would never fault
me for not choosing it for Selena.  I think it's important for a vet to
present the options, explain the potential benefits and disadvantages, and
be supportive in helping you choose what's best for your beloved ferret.
That's just what he did, and I'm very happy to say Selena is as much her
old self as can be expected considering she's almost 8 years and not 8
weeks old.  I know it could have turned out very differently and that I'm
lucky to have more time with her.  And I will cherish every moment.
 
Things can always go wrong in surgery, even with the best vets (or human
doctors, for that matter), and that makes it even harder to choose what's
best for our ferrets.  We must always weigh the benefits of surgery against
it's potential risks, as well as the consequences and benefits of choosing
other treatment options.  Lacking a crystal ball or some other way to
predict the future, we can only hope to have vets who are knowledgeable,
skilled, and compassionate to help us make these often very difficult
decisions.  It is my sincerest wish for all ferrets and their people, that
when these tough choices must be made, a caring, supportive and
accomplished vet is nearby to help.
 
Tammy
Selena - "I get my stiches out tomorrow."
Bellona & Rowan - RIP my little angels
[Posted in FML issue 3071]