HEY ALL!
It's been at least a year since I got the last FML digest, so it took me
awhile to get back up on all the hype and news.
 
To all the recent and not so recent losses of our furry friends...I feel
deeply sorry, and know some little boy or girl in heaven really wanted a
fuzzy, and that's why ours have gone onto them, or at least that's always
what my mother told me when my furry best friends went over the rainbow
(no matter what the species) and I still can't quite dispute that theory.
 
Onto happier thoughts, I have 2 furballs:
Teddy (originally Lamar): about 5 1/2 yrs.  old, neutered boy.  He was
found on Lamar Avenue or some such in San Jucinto, TX, thus the original
name.  I adopted through a shelter.  (Ferrets Depot, Inc.)  Had him about
4 1/2 yrs. of his life.
 
Rugsby: my little pixie girl of about 4 yrs.  I decided Teddy needed a
playmate.  I got her as a tiny kit.
 
(Just So Everyone Knows, I CAN'T SPELL!)
 
At about August Teddy started losing the hair at the base of his tail, and
thanks to this list I knew that usually meant a blockage, so I took him
right in.  They couldn't find anything without an x-ray, or ultra sound,
and nothing else seemed wrong with him, I took him up that weekend to my
aunt who's a Soundologist and had it done for free.  Results came back
that it was a right adrenal gland tumor or some such, and I hear tell
it's the worst place to get it in ferrets.  But when I came back to my vet
(which I have to say is wonderful and tells me as much as he possibly can
about what's going on with my ferret, even though I'm only 18, and the
outlook, even to repeating himself when I don't understand {better safe
than sorry}) He says I can have surgery on Teddy, get the shots that slow
the growth of the tumor, or some daily medicine.  Fortunately, he tells me
it's very slow growing, after looking at the ultra-sound print ups, and
since there no side affects but the loss of hair, no lethargy(?), he says
since he might die in surgery, and in his case he would probably die of
old age before it would start to effect him.  I had him re-check every
month or so cause I wasn't just going to accept it, and he says I should
just watch for excessive tiredness, and bloody stool / diaherra.  He said
he might lose all of his hair but still be fine, that it's just a side
effect of the tumor.  Teddy started losing tons of patches of hair all
over giving him a sparse look, but was still energetic, and he was always
on the skinny side which constantly worried me.  I'm please to say about a
week ago he started growing back his hair, even at the base of his tail!!!
So wish him luck, but I was wondering if this prognosis(?) is accurate
enough or should I get a second opinion....
 
Also, since he's just growing back his hair, is it normal for him to be
itching like crazy sometimes?  cause I can't find a flea on the kid and
he's got flea medicine besides.
 
Rugsby's never had problems but the occasional coughs and gags.  She's
constantly at her flower pot dumping high, but she's my cuddle bug, so
it's all good.  (after I'm over losing another plant)
 
Curious question:
1. How do you distinguish Marshall Ferrets from other Farm ferts? 1? 2?
black dots in the left ear?
 
Sad story:
2 days ago I had a friend that knew I owned ferrets call and wanted to see
if I could give a home to her little boy that she just got in september
as a baby, because she was moving to an apartment and couldn't take him,
cage,food, litter all free (plus Poindexter {ferret} ).  I have my limit
as my mom says, so I had to find a home outside a shelter (they're already
very full) to put it in.  A good one...and I had till today, Wed.  I found
someone who really wanted him, I tried to get it across that you can't
just leave these critters to themselves, and they take a lot of care, he
assured me yeah, yeah.  I spend all of yesterday picking up the snoogums,
getting together a kit to send with my friend to help him get started,
drive 30 min.  away and have to come back in Houston rush hour, after
showing how to do all the care things (nails, ears, Ferretone, etc), get
nothing done but feel good I gave the furball a home, and started to
gather more supplies to get him (the last owner was disgracefull to this
cutems).  Well, he tells me today at school that after bathing him,
cleaning his cage and other, he was too much work, and he didn't want him
anymore.  I was so mad!  Moving a ferret around this much is like throwing
around a baby.  Well, at least he admitted it to me early and talked to
me first so I can do something.  Poindexter's staying with me right now
courtesy of my mom being a big loving softy, til I can find him a GOOD
home. <g>
 
P.S.  Teddy has a black, scab-like bump on his face about where his
whiskers are, and the vet wasn't worried, but it's been there for months
now, and if it's torn at all it bleeds then comes right back, what is
that?  any suggestions?
 
-Kirsten, slave to the Pot Flipping, Flower Stomping, Heal Nipping, Rugs
Rats...Teddy and Rugsby, and presently Poindexter
[Posted in FML issue 3743]