Hi--
 
Katie's recent death has hit me pretty hard.  I'm having a great deal of
trouble not crying over her.  We took Katie with us on our out of town
trip.  She was so wonderfull.  She ate a 3 oz can of kitten food on Fri,
Sat and Sun.  I gave her some playtime and took her around with me in the
carrysack.  Then Sun night after we return home we observed her having
seizures.She had never had seizures before and she was to go to the vet
on Mon after we got home to be checked for insulinoma.  We did the usual,
called another breeder for advice and gave her Willie's pediapred.  Katie
appeared to recover.  We decided against going to OSU's emergency vet
clinic.  I left her in the playpen that night.  She was busy running
through the tubes.  Her seizures returned that night.
 
I spent tonight with Willie, an old ferret suffering from insulinoma and
cancer.  His days are numbered.  He came to me half dead, I had fully
expected his vet visit to be a one way trip.  He was so thin, and could
barely walk.  He was so alert and interested in the world around him.  The
family hand fed him around the clock for weeks to get his weight up.  He
finally started eating on his own.  I sucessfully weaned him off his cheap
kitten chow onto a decent brand with chix & rice.  He's even gained some
weight.  He is terrified of other ferrets.  Mace got in the playpen with
him today and terrified him.  I finally got Willie out of his tube and he
spent the evening in a carrysack with me, until he was finally ready to go
poddy and I returned him to his cage.  It's kind of sad only the old sick
ferrets make good lap ferrets.
 
I let Phoebe, my first rescue, 6 almost 7 now and Tinker,4 yrs old going
on 5 in Feb.  out of the thier cage to play.  Phoebe has adrenal and has
had one surgery and the adrenal is returning.  Tinker is waiting for her
first adrenal surgery.  The two still run, play and sleep together.
Romper, Tinker's brother, hasn't been so fortunate.  ECE left him very thin
and ill 2 yrs ago, and adrenal has taken it's toll.  He survived his first
surgery, but the adrenal has returned.  He still can eat on his own, but I
assume his time is near.  These three have been together all of their lives
with me.  Now the girls no longer sleep and play with Romper.  Given a
chance to be let out and play, Romper still takes.  He tires easily and
goes to sleep.  None of the 3 are interested in being lap ferrets..
 
Lucky was an old guy who came to me from a closed shelter about Xmas time..
He's estimated to be 9 yrs old, 10 on New Year's Day.  He came to me a big
healthy boy.  He's had a few problems and lost a great deal of weight due
to a dental infection.  He got dental surgery.  Only ate Duck Soup for
weeks, then refused to eat and went back to the kibble.  His best friend
and cagemate in the sick cage, Simon, ate as much as he could and still
pigs out every chance he can get near a bowl of Duck Soup.  Lucky hasn't
put on his old weight yet.  He's solid muscle and playing with his
cagemates ranging in age from 1.5 yrs old to 4 yrs old.  Lucky doesn't
make a good lap ferret either.  He's entirely too busy taking care of
ferret business.
 
All of these guys will probably be leaving me in the next year.  4 are
terminally ill, and all are sick.  Lucky is healthy and doing better than
the rest of them.  At 9 yrs old, the odds are against him.
 
Almost 5 yrs ago, I lost my first ferret only weeks after adopting him.
Three years ago, we lost our first rescue.  Two years ago we last 2 ferrets
to adrenal, and 1 to insulinoma.  and last year we lost my son's ferret to
cancer.  Good bye Bandit, Rhianon, Loki, Jaspar, Buckshot and now Katie.
 
KG
[Posted in FML issue 3253]