I have been fostering Oscar the DEW ferret for about 3 weeks.  When I picked
him up, his owner was in tears and almost did not give him up.  I was
horrified to pick up 2 ferrets in the worst condition I had ever seen.
Oscar was mostly bald and had difficulty walking.  His "brother" Compton had
such a bad case of earmites that fluid was coming out of his ear, and his
head was a crusty mess of orange scabs.  Their cages were filthy, and their
nails were so long they had grown into spirals.
 
Trish Curtis (Ferrets 'R 1st shelter) took Oscar (and Compton) to the vet
ASAP, but it was too late for adrenal surgery - the tumor had spread to most
of his other organs.  So I took the boys home to make them comfortable.
 
On Friday, Oscar was a bit lethargic, and would only eat grapes.  By
Saturday, he was fairly unresponsive and had lost control over bodily
functions.  On Saturday night he grew somewhat comatose and cold, with
labored breathing.  I built him a nest of towels by my bed and stroked him
all night.  At 6 a.m., Oscar started crying and had difficulty breathing.
My husband and I got ready to take him to the 24-hour clinic to have him put
to sleep, but it became clear that he would not last for the 45 minute
drive.  I held him and petted him, and at 6:23 a.m.  on Sunday morning,
Oscar gasped his last breath.  He was not alone when he died, and he died
loved.
 
I guess I am not cut out to be a ferret-foster mom, because I cried as
bitterly over Oscar as I had for any of my own.  I also cried over the
ignorance of his previous owner that led to this needless suffering.  Bless
the FML and all the ferret organizations who work to disseminate information
so people are educated and informed about ferrets and don't make mistakes
due to ignorance.  The fact that Oscar's owner "loved" him did not help
Oscar's severe medical problems.
 
- Erika (Misty, Sasha, Lizzie, Socks, Slinky, Bear, and Compton)
[Posted in FML issue 1547]