Gary,
 
So saddened was I to read of your journey with Mr. Bear.  You truly were a
hero for him.  We cannot know what we do in the course of our care for our
fur children, that might become a misguided choice in the end.  Mr. Bear
does not blame you for the substances which in retrospect caused his early
demise.  He loves you dearly.  A great lesson is here to be learned by all
of us.  The food and care are not enough.  We must take responsibility -- in
effect we must learn what is in the food, what affect it will have on
our"kids" before we provide it for them.
 
Carnivores are not capable of processing artificial color, preservatives
etc.  They cannot adapt as humans have in developing immune systems which
fight off the effects of many substances.  You have learned this and your
sharing may well help others to see this.
 
PLease accept my sincere condolences on your loss of Mr. Bear.  He treasured
his time with you as well you did his time.  His passing coincides with that
of several fur kids close to the shelter and my bet is they have a great
playgroup as they wait for all of us left behind.  Until the journeys' end.
 
With kind thoughts,
 
Alicia at Ferret Wise
[Posted in FML issue 1758]