On Saturday night and Sunday, Bandit was lapping out of the saucer on his
own.  Monday he was having more difficulty, his belly was swelling and his
back feet were cool to the touch.  I was very concerned about what was
going on so I scheduled a vet appt for the next day.  I started Bandit on
Lasix.  He was already on Dexamethasone and Baytril (for upper respiratory
infection that was clearing well), and pediapred (for his insulinoma).
Tuesday Bandit was wobbly.  At our vet appt Bandit was very cooperative
and very lethargic.  His glucose was 108.  Xrays showed an enlarged heart
pushing on the trachea and a broken glass like appearance in his abdomen.
The lasix wasn't pulling fluids out of the abdomen yet Bandit was slightly
dehydrated so we knew it was working elsewhere.  His urine was concentrated
(he was kind enough to give Larry a sample while his belly was being
examined).  Possible kidney failure.  His heart beat was erratic.  We added
more lasix and enalapril to his meds list.  Bandit had some sort of head
congestion, possible sinus infection.  I added nose drops and childrens
sudafed as well as Ferret Rx.  He was already getting steam.
 
Wednesday Bandit would move no further than a few inches when he had to go
to the bathroom.  His eyes were fixed and unseeing.  His stools were normal
and his appetite was good although to me it seemed like his eating was a
mechanical response.  I'd put the syringe to his mouth and he'd curve his
little tongue and lap up the drops from the syringe.  He'd eat between 30
and 45 cc's per feeding.  I placed Bandit in a cage for the day to make
sure no one would bother him.  When I came home he was at the far end of
the cage with his head held back and his body arched.  I straightened him
out and each time his head would again curve back.  I placed in a warm
blanket on a pillow while I prepared his meal and meds.  He ate well and
after the meds I gave him a pain shot.  For the first time in days Bandit
was able to curl around in a normal sleeping position.  Four hours later
the meds had worn off and he was again arched but not as much as before.
I spent a very restless nice waking every so often to check on him as he
slept beside me.
 
Thursday morning Bandit took his meds and ate well for me.  I called our
vet and scheduled an appointment, perhaps our last.  When Larry examined
Bandit, it was quite a struggle to get his mouth open.  While Nancy was
holding Bandit he started having mini-seizures.  I agonized over what was
best to do for Bandit.  Do we continue trying or do we release him from
his immobile world?  Bandit responded to touch but his eyes didn't see and
his body didn't move.  The arching was certainly a symptom of pain (in my
opinion anyway).  Larry was patient.  He answered all my questions as best
he could and allowed me the time I needed.  Stacey and Frank were at the
clinic to have their little ones vaccinated.  They were able to meet Bandit
and I was able to meet their precious babies.
 
I decided to let Bandit go.  If his mind was still active, being in an
immobile body must be torture.  There was obviously pain in his abdomen.
Nancy and I have seen mini-seizures before and our experience has been
that it has gotten worse.  Petey's escalated to screaming seizures and I
didn't want Bandit to go through that.
 
Oh how I agonized over this decision.  I thought what if we just hadn't
tried the right combo of meds?  And what if he just needs a bit more time?
Bandit was normally active on Sunday and here it was Thursday and he'd
gone so far down but he was still eating for me.
 
I wish I could be strong and positive when making these decisions.  I'd
do anything I possibly can to bring them through a crisis but when is it
enough?  I wish I knew the answer.
 
After all was said and done, I asked Larry if he believed in life after
death.  Larry said he had a friend who died 3 times during a heart attack
before they were able to stabilize him.  Larry asked him what he saw, if
anything, when he died.  His friend said he saw a river and on the other
side was a big tree with his mom and his dog standing by it.  He could see
lots of other people milling around behind but they were out of focus.  He
spoke to his mother and she said that it wasn't his time and he would have
to go back.
 
Larry said that was the first time he'd known someone who had died and
come back and also the first time he'd heard someone say they saw their
pet there.  Something to think about.
 
Warm hugs to all. tle
Troy Lynn Eckart
Ferret Family Services
http://www-personal.ksu.edu/~sprite/ffs.html
http://www.geocities.com/Petsburgh/Haven/5481/
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[Posted in FML issue 3127]