Dear Sandee,
 
I have tried several times to write this letter since my fiancee and I
helped our dear sweet Ziggy to the bridge last Saturday.  As much as I
want to know how he is doing there, it feels like sending this off is our
final good-bye and I can't bare the thought... Maybe this time I'll hit
the send button.
 
Ziggy was diagnosed with heart disease, insulinoma and adrenal disease in
October.  A few weeks ago we decided to forego adrenal surgery and keep
Zig as comfortable as possible.  A week ago I found him lying in his own
excrement in the midst of an insulinomic seizure.  When he came out of it,
he still lacked the strength to make it to the corner.  We stayed up with
him while he wimpered throughout the night.  In the morning we knew it was
time.
 
I held him during the hour and a half drive to the vet's.  He seemed
content in my arms as I told him about the Rainbow Bridge and all the good
things that awaited him.  At times he pushed his nose against my neck,
hiding his head under my chin.  As we pulled into the vet's, he wimpered
once, then returned to his calm state.  The vet's office usually elicited
some response from him, but not this time.  It was the most relaxed we had
ever seen him.  As he slipped away from us, I held his little head and
paws and told him how great he was and how much we'd miss him.
 
It will be a week tomorrow since he left this world, and my heart aches
more than I ever imagined it could.  Ziggy was our first ferret and my
best friend.  It takes great effort to remind myself that he is in a
better place, where he can have all the craisins his little heart desires
and has the energy to zip through tubes all afternoon.  I worry that he
is lonely there, as he was a momma's boy and always clung to me when he
was somewhere new.  He left behind a cage mate that he tolerated... he
was never fond of other fuzzbutts.  Sandee, please help him find his way
around and make new friends.
 
Also, please tell him that we love him and that we did the best we could
for him.  I will miss our naps together, belly tickles and playing "foot
monster."  Daddy misses his "moose."  Goodbye, my sweet baby.  You will
be forever in my heart.
 
Love,
A grieving ferret Mom & Dad (Crystal & Mark)
  & the fuzzies left behind (Baby, Bilbo & Frodo)
[Posted in FML issue 3702]