Opps!  Ruffie has been so very good and obedient that one almost forgets
(or DOES forget) to mention her.  I guess that is the reward for sticking
with consistent training with a retarded (literally not figuratively)
ferret for 3 years or so.  The first 2 or more years were spent teaching
her to not bite us with her canines and we spent it well bruised.  Just
about 6 months ago she finally figured out that there are at least
several more words with meanings and made startling progress. Now we
are up against a Catch-22; we need to teach her to accept multiple
people, but have to have folks willing to get canine bites to do it.  She
rolls over, comes on command, obeys "No" and "Yucko", does 2 tricks for
golden raisins (one of which involves the oven's pan storage drawer so
now she shakes that whenever she wants a raisin), etc. She's like a
less-than-intelligent German Shepard in behavior -- i.e. completely
devoted but unlike most G.S.s with little upstairs.  Like any ferrets
a retarded one need consistency, clear verbal and body language, security,
and tons and tons of praise.  It just takes years to do the basic training
most ferrets learn in a few months when the training is done well.
(Among animal trainers there's a saying: "Don't blame the critter --
blame the trainer.")  Steve is now trying to train her to "heel".  (We
have not had much sleep lately, so re read my bad wording to understand
that I consider most G.S.s very intelligent.
 
Now to the little guy who has cost us our sleep... HE MADE IT!!!!!!!
Today he's still in the hospital on I.V. and has an incision that
runs most of his length but unless he has a problem like hemmoraging
again he's doing well and will be home on Monday.  Last week our
vets consulted with specialists all over the U.S. and one at the AMC
noticed on a faxed ultra-sound something the others had missed -- that
with all the regular inflammation and hemmorages of the spleen and
liver that he had developed scar tissue surrounding the inferior vena
cava, one of the body's main veins.  At this point, many said, "Yes,
he'll only have an extremely short life without the op, but the chances
of getting that off without killing him are extremely low."  Fortunately,
this vet's strongest point is that he's an extremely talented scalpel
person.  So with best odds of survival being 50/50, and with our blessings
since Hjalmar (unlike Fritter and Helix who were happy to make the most
of rough times) is very much someone who cares more for quality of life
than quantity and he does become depressed if ill -- Hanan Caine cut into
him.  Talk about freak-out -- we were total wrecks for a week before and
are still shakey even though he's make it through almost 24 hours now.
 
There WAS scar tissue around the vein and it HAD to come off because it
posed such dangers, his liver turned out to still be bleeding from the
last Addison's Crisis, the tumor in the Right adrenal was the size of a
good sized marble.  Although the plan had been to remove the tumor on
the left and part of that adrenal gland when he got there no tumor was
to be seen.  We don't know if it was an artifact or is just extremely
small but looks larger in tests as some tumors will.  There were also
enlarged lymph node surrounding the vena cava.  Normally they would
have been removed for biopsy but their location was dangerous for
removal and they did not pose a danger to the vein. The spleen was
good enough to save.  A lot of fat had to come out to check the organs
and to get his Cushings weakened skin to stay together and not tear once
the right side was done and liver stablized as well as possible.  So
it IS possible for a 7+ year old male convenience ferret after 11 months
(confused with some of his other medical problems for first few months)
of Cushings, 2 hemmorages, 3 severe Addison's crises, and colitis to
get through major surgery.
 
Now we have to see if the left adrenal works, if he'll have to be on
Pred either long term or just temporarily (as often happens after
surgery), watch to hope that the big nodes were a responce to the
problems at hand instead of something new and horrid such as lympho
can be in an elderly ferret, etc.  Actually, since we may have removed
contraindications, if he does have that we could now possibly go to
the Jeglum protocol which has put Katy's Bandit into remission.  It
is even possible that his health will return to NORMAL.
 
Nutrical was an essential for his survival.  The Cushings medicine,
Lysodren, can not be exposed to saliva or it is destroyed but Hjalmar
could not take capsules because they were too large.  We ground the stuff,
measured out .01 ml on a graduated flask, then mixed it with Nutrical
since fat sheilds from saliva. Talked with Connie Ericksen of Bristol
Myers (the person anyone with a Cushingoid ferret who wants to know
about Lysodren should speak with) and they are now recommending this
delivery system to vets because of Hjalmar's success.  He also had to
have Pred at times, esp. this last week, and that tastes so terrible
that mixing it in Nutrical is very important to get it in.  (Just get a
little Pred on a finger tip by accident and your own mouth will taste
miserable.)  Post surgically, Hjamlar can ONLY have Nutrical and his
I.V.  So here's another thank you to Nutrical (which helped us keep
Frit alive through about 8 months of lympho AND insulinoma, and maintained
her weight) and which has now helped save Hjalmar.  The stuff can be
bought from vets or from J-B Wholesale at 1-800-526-0388.
 
Ferrets are great aren't they?  A person has to be able to respond fast
to a medical problem, some aren't so good about using their pots,
etc., but they are loving, kissy, cuddly, have widely varied personalities,
understand MANY words and even sentences (which we suspect traces to
their having to "read" the sounds of several species in dark burrows,
and are the funniest mischief makers of any animals I've worked with, and
that's a large variety in a number of orders.  Those of us with ferrets
are truly blessed.
 
                   Thanks and our best to all, Sukie,
                   Steve, RUFFLE, HJALMAR, MELTDOWN,
                   and 'CHOPPER (Helicopter -- who was
                   just found on the top of a 5 1/2'
                   bookcase)
 
[Posted in FML issue 0346]