Dearest Harley,
 
I am glad you and your mommy had such a good time celebrating her birthday.
Mama's birthday is Wednesday, and we will be celebrating for DAYS!  Mama is
planning on taking that beast, Tegan, to a sidewalk sale on Wednesday and
then the ferret club is having a party for her and 2 others whose birthdays
are that week.  We won't all be able to go, and rumor has it that Tegan
will be going to that, too!  Mama has promised us all some yogurt though,
and we love that stuff...so we'll forgive her.
 
There is very sad news from our house.  Mama's little long time patient
left Friday evening, a year after having her adrenal/blockage surgery.
Eponine died in Mama's arms just 10 minutes after she got home from walking
Tegan after work.  She was very sad and called aunties Barb, Chris, and
Dr. Ruth to let them know.  When mama had seen Dr. Ruth at the Planned
Ferrethood show she'd asked if Dr. Ruth wanted to do a necropsy, and the
answer was yes.
 
So mama took the sad little bundle to the clinic Saturday morning and
stood in on the necropsy.  There was so much wrong w/ Eponine.  She had
cataracts, bad teeth, a very diseased kidney that was many times its normal
size, and insulinomas on both lobes of her pancreas.  Her remaining adrenal
was fine as was her heart, intestines, and lungs.  Her liver looked good at
first until Dr. Ruth flipped it over and saw what was on the other side.
Mama can't remember what Dr. Ruth said was the other disease Eponine had,
and is feeling bad that she had been spending so much time w/ Tegan because
she thought she could have gotten more care for 'neenee if she'd not been
so wrapped up with that danged pup.  She did notice our little buddy was
losing weight and had put her on a/d and pred and for awhile she seemed to
do so much better....but then bang, all of a sudden Eponine stopped eating
and drinking.  She weighed maybe half a pound by the time of the necropsy.
 
Mama misses her little sweetie but knows she's in a better place and will
never, ever suffer anymore.  Now Eponine is hanging out w/ Sonny and
Tess...some of the best companions to tour the Rainbow Bridge with.
 
You tell that Woozlet that she's best get better soon, there's been too
many great ferrets leaving for the bridge these days and to many human
hearts are breaking.
 
With all my love,
Shiloh
[Posted in FML issue 3494]