Hi all!  Ben and I have been lurking for some time now and finally decided
to introduce ourselves and our fuzzies.  We have two sable males, both 4
1/2.  Phinneas Phogg, our digger, has the life goal of systematically
dismantling a couch we have given up on and declared 'his.' Paddington Bear,
our climber, just likes to be up as high as possible, looking down on us
lowly humans.  I think he's auditioning to be a scout for a the FLO.
 
We all enjoyed perfect health for the first three years, but the past year
has been one disaster after another.  Last summer Pad was diagnosed with a
pancreatic tumor.  He had surgery but still needs Pred daily.  Also last
summer, both battled the dreaded green slime, and we still see occasional
after-effects of that.  Then, last month we found out Phinn has an adrenal
tumor, and now he gets his meds weekly.
 
I know you all don't pretend to function as a substitute for veterinary
care, but perhaps you could relate similar experiences, if you have any.
See, our vet said that Pad should have access to sugar water so that he
could monitor his own blood sugar as needed.  Only he didn't like it.  Quite
by accident (!) we discovered that he LOVES cherry Kool-aid.  I asked my vet
if the coloring would hurt him and she said that it wouldn't.  But his
litter box is now a frightening color of red!  Which bothers me as I've
grown just a bit hypochondriacal about my ferrets health over the past
year--I imagine that he has internal bleeding or something.  When I change
the Kool-aid to lime flavor, then I see green and imagine the slime is back.
Orange flavor leaves no color in the litterbox and I believe the dye is
being absorbed instead of ejected.  You see???  I know I have a problem, and
I'm driving Ben crazy, too.  I suppose I'd like a second opinion, or even
just a collective feeling, that the coloring in Kool-aid isn't doing my
ferret any harm.
 
Sorry this is so long.  The list has been great and I've already learned a
lot (I didn't know ferrets could have reactions to vaccinations!--something
else for me to obsess about).
 
Tamara (and Ben)
[Posted in FML issue 1600]