Hi all.  I can now talk about this and not cry and I have been bothered
for months about it so now is the time to post this.
 
In April of this year I had the sad experience of having to put down my
ferret Ripley.  It was my first ferret to loose.  Ripley was 4 years old
and had always been in excellent health.  One day I noticed he had a
'hollow' look to his hind quarters so I kept an eye on his food intake
and poop and so forth.  A few months after this I noticed one day he was
starting to drag his hind quarters around and this is when I took him to
the vet.  Ripley was given a complete exam and the doctor took 2 X-Rays.
He showed me the X-Rays and pointed out the density of his hind bones.
They were black in the middle where they should have been a healthy solid
white.  His bones where brittle and one fall could do him in.  The doctor
really did not know what to tell me.
 
Ripley continued to get worse and I now had to put him in a cage to
isolate him from his fellow-ferret colleagues.  Again I took him to the
vet when it got to the point of him pooping on himself because his hind
legs were so weak all he could do was to drag them.  He was eating fine,
drinking fine, pooping fine and in good spirits.  What in the world was
wrong with him.  I wanted to know.  Again, the doctor did an exam and
could find nothing wrong.  Finally the day came when Ripley could not
even get his head out of the water bowl when he drank and I knew I could
not let him go through anymore.  I put his cage on my bed that night and
petted and loved on him all through the night knowing this was our last
night together.
 
The next day I took him to the vet and stood in the room while the shot
was administered.  Ripley died in my arms.  God was I ever devastated.
Was there more I could have done?  Did I do something wrong?  I requested
the vet do an autopsy on him because maybe this would shed some much
needed light on what was going on.  Two weeks later I went to pick up his
ashes and was told that the autopsy revealed nothing.  So I have never
known what in the world was killing my Rippy-Boy.
 
Has anyone out there had a similar experience?  Does anyone have any idea
what it could have been?  I know you are not vets but your opinion and
experience would be greatly appreciated.  To this day I wonder what it
could have been.  Insulinoma was ruled out from the blood workup the vet
did.  I miss my little Ripley and I feel I did the right thing by him.
Still..............
 
Diane
[Posted in FML issue 3619]