I don't have the words... Yesterday I lost Conner... a ferret who was
"dumped" on me too late for me to help him like I had hoped I could....
And now... I had to help BamBam cross over.  When I got home from that,
I had an adoption to do... two ferrets that have been here for a year
left for a new home this evening...
 
Let me try to explain the last couple of days...
 
Tuesday - My niece takes a call from a guy that has a ferret that needs
help.  They were going to put him to sleep instead of doing surgery.
Easier on their pocket book.  He comes over after I get off work.  The
ferret is pretty bald, malnourished and starved for love.  He had a
prolapsed rectum and wasn't wanting to eat.  His nails were so long he
was walking on them.  His toes were all red and looked so painful.  They
were clipped as soon as I got the ** out of my house.  He didn't even
have a name.  They had him for 4 years but they couldn't even name him!
 
Wednesday - I took him to work with me and made a vet appointment.  Fed
him soup through a syringe and kept him close to me.  I had put up an
eBay auction for people to name him.  Is story was touching lives..  At
the vets she told me what I feared..  his chances weren't good.  Swollen
spleen, enlarged left adrenal and dehydrated... severally.  She took him
to the back to try to get an IV in.  She came rushing back, they had
just barely poked him and his heart stopped.... I sat there with him for
awhile and cried... I couldn't help... he was such a good boy... even
the previous owners told me that... he didn't deserve this.  He didn't
deserve what they did to him.  He will have a private cremation and
returned to me... the one who loved him... I named him Conner.
 
Thursday - I talked to Shawn on the phone and he said BamBam wasn't doing
too good.  He gave him his meds and some soup.  BamBam had come to us
from the Tucson Shelter that closed January 9, 2005.  In February 05 he
had surgery for adrenal cancer, only to find out that he had a huge tumor
in his belly.  He was made comfortable and totally spoiled.  In August
we thought we were going to lose him... he had insulinoma.  We kept that
under control with pred.  and he continued to eat and get spoiled.  The
past two weeks we knew it wasn't long... we knew he was starting to slow
down, but kept hoping for the best.  When I came home tonight I was on
my cell talking to my dad.  I was in my room when I suddenly heard
screaming... I came flying out to find BamBam having a screaming seizure
(if you have never experienced one...like I hadn't... trust me, you never
want to).  I dropped my phone and got him out of the cage... he had
pottied all over (though it didn't stop me).  He was still screaming as I
ran to get the vets phone number - it's right on my fridge but I couldn't
find it - but it was in my cell phone which I picked up and turned back
on.  The vet was closing in 5 minutes... but they would see me.  I called
my dad as I headed out the door and told him I was on my way over to his
house and he had to take me to the vets office... he lives 1/2 a mile
from me and on the way there.  I couldn't drive and hold him.  The vet
was there waiting... With the help of a loving vet... we helped him
cross over to be with a cage-mate from long ago named Pebbles.
 
I come home to a ringing phone..... the lady from NM that wanted to adopt
is here.  She is only here in this area for a day... I tell her she can
come over... I clean myself up and prepare the two boys she was
interested in.  She is here for about 2 hours.  The boys leave with her.
Goose and Newton came here the same time and from the same place that
BamBam did.  Now the whole Quality Pet Cage sits empty.... More tears.
 
Then... my friend Mary Hogan calls me because her baby boy Walter had
surgery today and she's worried.  We talk for some time and it seemed
like he was improving... then she calls me back 20 minutes later to tell
me that he passed away.  More tears stream down my face....
 
Please welcome 3 wonderful angels to the Rainbow Bridge gates tonight...
three wonderful boys...
 
Joanne Ruffner
Ferret Corner Shelter
[Posted in FML issue 5128]