I waited to send this message - the holidays don't need extra sadness for
some of us.  I just recieved her address.  Sandy, my nearly 6 year old
female true albino died the Monday before yesturday.  It was attibuted to
a Complication due to Diabetes.  I do not know if this is true, but let
me tell you the story and let you al decide for yourselves.
 
Sandy was a pumpkin and was loved every day of her life.  She survived my
would-be oldest weasel, Shelby, a black-sable who died on the operating
table a few years ago in the summer.  Sandy was her companion, and they
were real friends.  Her other plaything in those days was my cat Simon, a
little lion who thinks he is a ferret.
 
During Shelby and Sandy's reign I got my 3rd ferret (now just over 3
years old), a female cinnamon named Cherry.  Then, soon after Shelby died
I was devastated and insane with grief, and a wonderful ferret found me
who looked much like Shelby, named Aileah.  She is cuddling me now as I
write this letter.  The newest addition is 1-year old Lizzy, a blaze.
 
Sandy started to have problems 2 Junes ago, where Dr Weiss diagnosed her
with Insinoma and removed her problems in a surgical procedure.  While
he was at it, one lucky fine day 2 Augusts ago, he removed an Adrenal,
a Lobe of the Liver, the Partial Pancreas (the insolinoma), and a chunk
of remote control lodged in her intestinal track (where did that come
from???).
 
She survived the surgery (mostly due to the nursing I gave her before to
keep up her strength and weight - can you say, duck soup?)
 
She was pretty much fine until she startied losing some hair the next
year, and in June had her other adrenal removed, her spleen, more
pancreas, and another liver lobe (the other one grew back - it would be
nice if the pancreas did the same).  She also was found to have portal
hepatitis (fixed with meds).  In the fall she also got a short dose of
melatonin to handle a hair loss problem due to age, which worked quickly.
She began to poop green 2 weeks later, and that is when the meds were
stopped.
 
This afforded her some more time, but around the end of the summer the
doctor noticed her blood sugar began to be very high - about 400.  The
next month it was 160.  Then from month to month it stayed over 400, and
the doctor began to ramp down her daily dose of prediapred.
 
Her blood sugar the 3rd week in December was still 400 after being off
prediapred.  Dr Weiss thought she would be fine for another month, when
he would begin to try to regulate her blood sugar.
 
Apparently having a high blood sugar, as long as they are staying the
right weight and are showing they feel well, is reasonable.  Also,
apparently the insulin dosing / adjusting phase is dangerous and doctors
like to do it as a last resort.
 
The doctor left me with the instructions to feed her lots of turkey baby
food (upto 3 jars a day) because it might help drop the blood sugar (the
baby food, from heintz, is delicious to them - way better than anything
I've ever seen a ferret love - and it has NO carbohydrates, and is high
protein - it also masks the taste of meds easily, when they are needed).
 
Sunday night, the one before Xmas, Sandy took a turn for the worse.  She
was sneezing alot for a short time and after that seemed to be fine.  She
seemed to be distressed a while and seemed to come out of it.  at 12:00
a.m. Monday morning she began to get "stumbly".  First I planned to take
her in first thing in the morning.  Then I decided to take her to the
vetenary emergency room.  She was still eating and drinking, and going
to the bathroom.  I took her in and her blood sugar was over 500.  Her
temperature was just over 100 (102/104?) amd the doctor wanted to wait
until we consulted Dr Weiss.  At that time he thought she was stable (but
she was CLEARLY not in good shape, acted lethargic and I TOLD HIM THIS
WAS NOT NORMAL).  He said that she did not appear dehydrated.  He wanted
to get a keytones reading, but she wouldn't pee at the time.  He told me
to take her home and he would call.  She was alert but sleepy, and was
interested and hiding in y jacket.  I stayed way longer than he seemed
to want to wait for the keytone test, but eventually went home with her.
By then she could not walk and would only sleep.  I was very upset but
waited until about 8:30/9:00 and began to call Dr Weiss's office, and
the local vet to get them mobilized.  It was clear Sandy was not going to
eat or drink.  I KNW SHE NEEDED something like insulin.  What I didn't
realize was that she may go into shock and die.  I took her in again and
within an hour I got a call back saying her temperature went down into
the low 90s and she passed away.
 
I am terribly sad - I realize that this disease could turn this way, but
wasn't prepared for it.  The doctors, probably working from what they
know, told me things would be ok, but they wern't.
 
I also realize that Sandy may have been simply "shutting off" and dying
because her system was finished in this world.
 
I was with her every moment at the und until I had to leave so they could
hook her up to machines and try to stabalize her by flushing her system
of toxins and lowering her suger with regulated insulin.
 
I don't know everything.  I hope she knew I cared and wanted everything
for her quality of life.
 
She is missed.
 
Mark H.
[Posted in FML issue 4378]