It's been a year since we lost our little boy Scrubby.  It's still hard
for me to write this.
 
Some of you may remember him...a 3 month old baby, found tied up at a car
wash, in the blazing sun, no food or water, with a BROKEN LEG.  If I ever
found the inhuman monster who did this to him.........
 
I had dragged my SO along to the shelter that day, kicking and screaming
as usual.  (He's such a softie, seeing all the sad little faces always
broke his heart- he hated to go, it made him feel so helpless and
frustrated.)  As we walked in to the shelter, he made me swear, NO MORE
FERRETS, we have to take care of those we already have.  Five minutes
later, he was holding little Scrubby, and well...
 
We took him home as soon as the metal pin was removed from his leg.  He
was an absolute joy, the sweetest thing on four legs!  He loved running
and jumping in our (ferret-proofed) yard.  When he wore himself out, he
would curl up in the flowers for a nap.
 
He went everywhere with us.  The girls at the ice cream shop adored him,
he always conned them out of a free sample!  Our walks never got far, so
many people wanted to pet him.  ("What kind of dog IS that?")
 
Suddenly, without warning, Scrubby got sick.  All the usual vague
symptoms, and anemia.  We took him to the vet about a million times.
We ran every test we could think of, and then some more.  $1254 later,
we still had no idea what was wrong with our baby.
 
In a way, I guess we were lucky.  All our friends and coworkers were VERY
sympathetic.  No one scoffed at us for treating an 'animal' better than
ourselves.  We were even allowed to bring him to work so we could be with
him 24/7.
 
But in the end, nothing helped.  He crashed one night, and enroute to the
vet's, he simply went to sleep in my arms.
 
He was far too young to go to the Bridge all alone.  I pray he is happy
now, and look forward to the day we meet again.  I learned so much from
the little guy, from his life and from his passing.  He taught me the joy
of the small things in life.  Don't waste a moment in regret.  Learn from
everything.  Love everything.  LIVE.
**************************
 
Our vet requested that we let him perform a necropsy.  It can be a hard
decision when thrust upon you suddenly.  But we realized how important it
was that our vet know as much as possible about ferrets.  Scrubby's final
gift was knowledge, and the hope that the next little guy could be saved.
 
PLEASE, help your vet to help you...give them the chance to learn as much
as possible about our little fuuzy friends.  Remember, the spirit has
gone to a place where there is no pain- only the shell remains.  But that
final gift may save another ferret's life...maybe even one of yours.
 
Thanx for listening.
 
IN MEMORY OF SCRUBBY
*Who always took the time
to stop and eat the flowers!*
 
=====
Julie & the Woozles
21stCenturyFerret.com
"Ferrety stuff for ferrety people"
Dedicated to the support of
24 Carat Ferret Rescue & Shelter, Las Vegas
[Posted in FML issue 3912]