Hi.
 
I have a 1yr 2 month old ferret Madeleine who was just diagnosed with
advanced lymphatic cancer.  She had been losing weight progressively over a
6-8 month period and she finally stopped eating entirely, seemingly unable
to swallow anything but oil.  The vet said that she'd have about a month
before she would be in too much pain to live and would have to be put to
sleep.  What we are trying to determine is at what point we should put her
out of her misery.  She still seems interested in ferret things (insoles,
especially), but has very little energy and goes to sleep soon upon being
let out of her cage.  Today she began to refuse even linatone ( we had been
force-feeding her nutri-cal for a week but she began throwing it up) and
doesn't seem to be drinking water.  To what extent should we force her to
live?  We do not want to put our desire for her to be alive above her best
interests.  I know that much of these decisions are judgment calls, but we
were hoping that someone with experience with this problem could help us
understand the situation better.
 
Also, how badly will her sister react to her absence?  Is there any way to
help the companion ferret deal with the loss?
 
Thank you in advance for any suggestions.
 
Alexis & Ian
[Posted in FML issue 2073]