Hi.
 
Well, I never know when serenity will turn to panic with the birth of a new
health problem.  We were taking our fuzzies out for a warm afternoon frolic
in the backyard, which is semi-ferret proofed, meaning they can't rush
through the laurel hedge because a low fence blocks it, but each ferret is
watched by one person.
 
My partner, Janos, picked up Gadzook to bring him out and discovered THE
raging ear infection.  It looked like he'd had a brawl and his ear was
completely bloody and encrusted, but upon cleaning and inspection by us and
a vet, no puncture wound was found.  Everybody, all eight, get checked
daily, so we're quite sure the ear infection became noticeably bad the day
before last (the 13th).  Gadzee went to the vet the next day.
 
He's on Tresaderm, 2-3 drops every 24 hours.  He's lethargic (but will sit
up for a raison, especially after the Tresaderm which the vet says has an
anti-inflammatory for pain), and we're babying him with hand feeding and
water from a dropper, though he does drink and eat on his own, too.  He
sleeps a lot and sleeps in a stiffish pose, looking uncomfortable.  The ear
is really draining fluid; in a 24-hour period, which we let it drain prior
to taking him to the vet, so the vet could see the symptoms (and we got him
in to the best vet we could as soon as we could, which was not as soon as I
would have liked!) it looked like he'd been in a really bad fight,
encrustration from tip to bottom of ear, with some skin showing, and fluid
within the ear).  Fluid and encrustation is a reddish brown.
 
We have great vets on the West Coast, but they don't see nearly as many
ferrets on a day to day basis on the East Coast; if there is any
info/experience that could help Gadzee please e-mail it.  I don't have
children so maybe I've missed seeing how nasty an ear infection can be...
But I don't like the looks of this infection, and I am worried terribly
about Gadzook, our first fuzzy who made me fall in love with ferrets soon
after Janos sprung him on me, and he ran out from underneath the fridgerator
that long-ago day (before we learned about ferret proofing), and I screamed
"what's that; is that a ferret"... though I didn't know I knew what a ferret
was!... and Gadzook, then nameless, began leaping around on the couch, back
arched, throwing his head back with teeth barred (making me scream he was
vicious, til I was reasured he was trying to play), and pushed a ping-pong
ball around for 10 minutes (which he did every evening for days, right at
the conclusion of movies (emphasizing the worthlessness of TV next to
nature), then curled up in my enraptured arms... at which time Janos said,
"Oh, Darling.  Don't worry.  I made sure we could take him back if you don't
want him." ... "Are you kidding?!," I gasped, staring at the little white
paws rested on my wrist... "I'm in love."
 
"Well, as long as he gets along with the cat..."
 
The cat, Mr. Sir Duke Winthorp Waverly Wellington the Third (3rd for
emphasis) is 16 years old, 17 pounds, and gets his only exercise now because
eight ferrets think his paws, big tummy, and tail are something wonderful...
to the point of getting Welly to gallop up and down the hardwood floors
sometimes.
 
Eight ferrets later, I wouldn't give up a moment of memory.
 
Hugs to all fuzzies, and big prayers for Kodo (though this may not get in
the FML until Saturday)...
 
Lynn and the Gang of 8 (and always, Schroedee and Squeek in spirit)
[Posted in FML issue 1936]