Since I am 10 fml's behind, my heartfelt prayers go out to those who
are caring for sick ferrets, and especially to those who have lost
babies to the never-ending list of the 'reasons' that they must leave
us! They are called home, sometimes "gently" by the grace of God,....
and too many times, with a fight, but with too much time to settle who
wins.
To the "Bridgegreeters",....a big, lovable DEW, given the name of
"Bear" by me, as he looked like a happy Polar Bear when he'd 'sit' on
his haunches to beg for treats, most of the time gently rolling onto
his back from shear gravity & his big bottom, will be crossing to meet
his buddies, old & new, since he left me late night on Sunday, 7/8. He
will be carrying his favorite 'egg', some cooked chicken for the trip,
my "Dog's" favorite stuffed "bear" that he'd always hide from her, and
a good bit of my heart & soul, that he'll never know!
'Bear' came to me from my local spca with his cage/cell mate, "Katie",
about the time of Hurricane Katrina's blast into the Gulf States,...the
year eludes me right now, as "abandoned" in an apartment left empty
by sub-humans, to die. They were both in the same cage, but were
"separated" down the middle of the cage by chicken wire, leaving them
to "see", but not "be with" each other. Hence, "Katie" hated him when
I tried to put them together. She is a small sable, who loves people.
When I arrived home on Sunday night about 10:15, Bear was draped across
his litter box, probably a half an hour from death, if not found when I
returned. Panic,....He was picked up & held by me, massaging his whole
body to at least bring him back to a state where what was wrong could
be diagnosed. He began seizures, almost immediately, 'Glutose45' was
syringed between his clenched teeth, no swallowing even with a dip of
the syringe into water before the next "trys" to get a swallowing
motion attained, careful as to not invade his airway. No stopping now,
I was panicking, but determined. The Glutose was then spread around his
gums, which were still pink, but did not help. More panic. This could
not be happening to my youngest,(about 3yrs. old),.......and happiest
of my four reasons for living. Found my Prednisalone, but needed an
immediate reaction to the Glutose before adminstering it. Then, the
most heart wrenching events began,...something I had only read about in
my 19 years of fert involvement.....the first I had dealt with before
with those who had gone before him,....the "pulling" of his head toward
his hind end, muscle contractions I presumed. But He began to literally
"scream",.....ear piercing yells,...like an Eagle's screech every 6
minutes or so. With one arm cuddling & massaging his whole body, gently
coaxing his head forward from the top of his back, I began to call
fert-knowledgeable friends, asking for help! Three friends from the
fml responded by phone, they themselves calling "their" friends in the
know, and by speakerphone, we tried everything we knew.....but to no
avail. After 1 and 1/2 hours of my Boy's spasms & screaming, my big
"Buddy Bear" went limp. Still on the phone, I tried everything to
revive, by massaging full body length, and all the right helpful advice
offered by phone while this was happening. Checked for any signs of
life's hope,...even mouth to snout respiration........Nothing. He was
called home.
Holding back my emotions while I thanked the wonderful friends 300
miles away on the phone, who helped for close to two hours, I was
flattened. No other word could describe my emotions, after "Bear" went
through such a prolonged, life siphoning, slow & obviously painful
slide into the next world.
My heart goes out to those who have gone thru this kind of 'vocal',
animated heartbreak! Bear's 'bottlebrushed' tail even spun like a
propeller during this, his last minutes on this Earth. I wish I could
write a poem that describes how I feel, like so many have on this list
in their time of sorrow, but I can't......I just can't.
To my friends who went waay beyond the call for help, I THANK YOU FROM
THE BOTTOM OF MY HEART AND SOUL!! I'll never forget that, and can never
make this up to you in a million years!! God bless the animals, and the
people who "really" care for them!! My 'gang' of 4, has been reduced
once again, by one.......and life still goes on.
Peace, Dooks, & thanks for listening!! You ALL deserve the best for
'giving' your best to our Furrbutts!!!!.......
Missing Pooky, Scooter, Jocko, Jason, Misty, Lukey, and of course,
"Bear"! .....
John Rich & the n.j. gang of '3', USA.
john rich <[log in to unmask]>
[Posted in FML 5664]
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