First, let me just tell you that it all worked out okay for now.
 
A while ago (half hour?  forty five minutes?), Meltdown had a small stroke.
Went in to check on her and she was very pale, and falling to the right
side, with both legs weak but the rear weaker, and her back bowing to the
right before she'd fall.  Tried her several times, thinking that maybe she
was just sleepy and groggy but that was not it.  She was fully awake, in no
pain, and a bit frustrated.  A dear neighbor drove us the vets' while Meltie
curled up in my sweater, and Hanan examined her.  If she has another one
within twenty four hours then it's likely she may have a series of them so
then she will need meds (though it turns out that medicating for this sort
of thing with them is still more art than anything else because each thing
tried works sometimes but no pattern is found to help know when whichever
med may or may not help).  Right now it's safer to not put anything else on
board.  It may be that she will never have another one.  It wore her out,
but that's it -- nothing lasting, fortunately.  So right now we get to have
a long night watching her, splitting the duty, and we just all need to hope
that she does not have anymore within a short amount of time.
 
She's sleeping with her new unhappy-CA-F&G-warden doll.  Heck, she's an
understanding soul, and not about to hold it's identity against the doll
(probably would never hold the identity against an actual agent, either,
just nuzzle the person, show off some tricks, give sweet nose bumps, and
wash eyebrows).
 
I feel like saying a bit about Meltdown if you'll bear with me.  She came
into our lives when she was only 5 weeks old as a neutered Path Valley
silver and silver mitt girl.  From go she was very understanding about
life's hardships -- always let us cut her claws for no treats at all (Have
not had another like that as a kit till Jumpstart who does so if he's
sleepy.) She never wanted to be alpha from the way she acted but fell into
the post when Fritter died.  One of her favorite gentle corrections was to
run full tilt at whichever ferret was being bad, put her head under the
offender's belly and lift it rapidly, sending the miscreant tumbling.
Usually she could just throw a steely look (which is what we get if she's
annoyed with us).  When Hjalmar had his lympho and went through the numerous
secondary infections a ferret with lympho has, or otherwise was unwell we
got to split the monitoring chores with her.  On his reasonable nights she
would stay awake in a travel cage placed near his sick cage and she would
bang and bark for us when he had a downturn.  Then she'd crash the next day.
She was extra gentle with Meeteetse (who had been battered) when she joined
the family, and even more so with Warp who had two nasty families before us.
In fact, she litter trained Warp.  If her health does not fold again or she
does not need a mercy shot she will 8 and 1/2 on April 4th.  Like the others
she was perfect in her behavior for me during the standard six weeks of
getting past abdominal surgery.  She's bossy in the fashion of a hard as
nails school marm who has your own interests at heart, and she's spoiled,
and she is completely gentle.  When a neighbor was passing away of cancer
Meltdown and Spot used to comfort her little children who were a preschooler
and a toddler then (Both ferrets put up with being suspended by their necks
during their hugs and did nothing -- just waited for an adult to rectify the
situation.) When we were at the vet's (in the Fall?) she saw a little girl
whose cat was being put down crying and she INSISTED on comforting the
child, and actually did make her smile.  She ADORES kids -- the one thing we
never were able to give her.  You can see why she's so special to us, to
'Chopper, to Meeteetse, to Spot, to Warp, and why she intrigues Jumpstart.
Meltie is a darling.  (Oh, and like the vast majority of ferrets her health
was wonderful until she had to cope with old age which is more than I can
say for humans since for us it starts being all maintenance after 35.) She
likes to wear perfume (Hawaiian White Ginger right now) and to wear lipstick
on her nose.  Silly critter.
 
Sukie
[Posted in FML issue 1884]