Hi all,
 
Sandi and Sara, please look out for Teddy.  He was helped to the Bridge
yesterday.  *sigh*  He went quickly.  Teddy was a silver-mitt, panda.
 
Teddy came to us as "Pooter".  They said he "smelled bad".  **SIGH**  He
was so FAT that he could hardly walk.  He either waddled or rolled to
get to someplace else.  He had been kept in a cage for ALL of his six
months!!!  Fed junk: human cereal, cheap kibble, potato chips, sodas,
candy.  You get the idea.
 
I don't usually change the ferrets names but somehow Pooter didn't seem
very respectful.  We changed his name to Teddy because he was so big,
squishy, and cuddly.  He gave kisses.  He was so fat that he could not
fit into the ferret freeway that we had.  As time past, with proper food
and exercise, he began loosing weight.  I remember the day he was able to
go INTO the tunnel!  He took coils with him but he was IN!!  He lost down
to were he was a normal size ferret.  Always a sweet ferret and popular
with children.  He wasn't much on being held, though.  Too much to see
and do! :o)  We called him: Teddy, Ted-O, Ted-Man, Teddy-Weddy, and in
his early days with us, Tubby-Teddy.
 
Our ferrets are let out of their condo in the morning and free roam in
most of our house for the day.  As they come out in the evening, they are
put to bed.  We left very early Thursday morning and got home late.  I
had a migraine and went to bed.  My husband must have put them to bed.
 
I got up Friday and as usual, let the fur kids out.  Tanker and Daphne
were ready to play.  Teddy didn't get up but did poke his head out of the
hammie and yawned.  I didn't think anything of it..figuring he was waking
up slowly.  I went about my day and later Rachel (8 yo dd) told me that
she had not noticed Teddy out playing.  Come to think of it, neither had
I.  (OK folks, read: MAJOR guilt!!!)
 
I went to the condo to see if he was still in there.  OH MY GOODNESS!!!!!
He was slumped over on his back with what looked like dark brown paint on
his nose, canines, tail, and bottom, and all over the bedding.  He was
trying to lick it off.  I picked him up and he felt "light" or "thin".
He was floppy and limp.  His gums and ears had a very yellow color to
them.  I called the vet and said I was coming in with an emergency and to
be ready!  Rachel and I dashed to the car with Teddy wrapped in a towel.
It as BAD!  Very BAD!  They got us in right away and called Doc in from
another patient.  It was obvious that Teddy was not going to make it.
 
We don't know what happened.  Doc asked if he had been around any stray
dogs.  He wondered about parvo.  I've never heard of parvo in ferrets!?
Besides, he has only been around our dog.  The other question was rat
poison.  Nope.  Don't use such stuff.  In fact, I only clean with
vinegar and a bit of soap and water to avoid toxins.
 
I figure something ruptured.  Doc agreed that it was certainly a
possibility.  Teddy was a good boy.  He will be missed.
 
With sad hearts,
Tequita and Rachel
[Posted in FML issue 4535]