To all who have lost their beloved fur kids, my sincere condolences.
 
Mugwart came to us in late February, early March.  We'd just lost Muggles
to cardiomyopathy, and he got caught in a sheet, which caused him to have
a heart attack.  I was blaming myself, could hardly stand it, and my
husband told me, go to the pet store, see if there's a deaf baby.  No
deaf one, but Mugwart, the spitting image of Muggles, and there too long.
So Larry told me, save the boy, and he came home with us.  Full of life,
dark sable.  He started growing, and he was huge.  Loved to chase the
cats up their tree, and go right after them.  He was a favorite at the
vet clinic, and when Dee Gage and I did the pet fair at Huntington,
Mugwart was one of the 'ferret ambassadors'.  He loved it, the kids loved
him.  The middle of August I found a bump on his right side, and we
thought Arwen, one of our Minnesota rescues, had bitten him.  She has
the habit of stalking around the cages, climbing up and attacking other
ferrets.  Talk about little Miss Alpha!  So we took him to the vet who
thought the same way.  We took him in to have it lanced, and when I
picked him up that night I was stunned to find an inch to an inch and a
half incision with stitches!  I talked to the vet and he said it was a
cyst, at least a quarter of an inch, almost into the muscle, but nothing
more.  Mugwart healed beautifully, and two weeks ago I took him out to
have the stitches removed.  He was racing around the room, playing with
Bilbo, who was having a bump checked on his tail.  The vet came in,
Mugwart danced towards him and the vet cracked up.
 
A week ago Monday Mugwart was fine, Tuesday he was limping on the right
leg, where the incision had been.  I picked him up and there was a bump
under the incision.  Unfortunately my vet was out of town, but the vet
who was handling the clinic agreed to see him.  He was barely ferret
knowledgeable, didn't even know about insulinoma!  No blood test, but we
put him on Karo Syrup.  By Thursday no improvement, so the vet put him
on pedia pred and increased syrup.  Mugwart would sometimes improve, but
normally down.  By Sunday I knew he was leaving.  He couldn't walk at
all, had a bit of fluid coming out of his nose.  My vet had just gotten
home from vacation and I got hold of him.  He had me take him off all
meds, give him 1/4 of a baby aspirin, as his respirations were so fast we
were both afraid his heart would burst.  My husband got him out to the
vet Monday morning, and he put him on IV fluids, gave him Lasix.  I got
out there after work to good news/bad news.  Color up, hydrated, no
neurological responses.  All during this time Mugwart's tail had curled
over his back, and was still doing it.  The vet said if he pressed a
certain spot on the spine his head would come up, but the minute he quit,
his head dropped again.  He brought my baby out and I could see it in his
face, he was leaving.  Last year we'd gone through Kit losing all motor
ability, and her's turned out to be massive lymphosarcoma.  I told the
vet there was no way I could allow him to be in pain, and so we helped
him to the Bridge.  His necropsy has shown absolutely nothing.  Some
fluid in the lungs and spleen, but nothing else.  Dr. Williams will be
receiving Mugwart's tissues, and my vet is calling the pathology alb in
Chicago to see if they have discovered anything.  If there is anyone on
the list who has experienced this, please, please let me know.  I've
never had this happen.  I've had other things, but nothing to where there
was no obvious sign of anything.  Mugwart was not quite 9 months old.
 
Sandee, please, I know he's there already.  I haven't been able to write
this till now.  I just lost Storm back in July, and now my baby boy.  I
lost Gandalf last year just before Christmas to JLS at the age of 8
months, now Mugwart to something.  You'll have seen him-dark sable,
beautiful, loves to dance and play.  Please let him know we all miss him
so much, and I'm so sorry there was nothing I could do for him.  I tried,
I truly did.  He spent over 2 hours on my chest Sunday, his little head
in the crook of my neck, it was the only way he was comfortable.  I told
him of the Bridge, of Socks, Kit, Suzie, and all the other members of
the Crew that are there.  Let him know I love him, and can still see him
chasing the cats, who miss him, along with his group Please ask him to
wait for me, along with the others of the Crew.  I knew he hurt, and I
couldn't let him go on with that.  I told him, run to the Bridge, and the
horizon, and he did, and now he's free of pain.  Mugwart, I miss you.
 
Please keep Bilbo in your thoughts.  The bump on his tail is cancer, and
we may have to have his tail amputated.  If it takes this to save him,
then that's what it will take.  Someone wrote, asking about folks with
Minnesota rescue kids.  I took in 3 girls-Storm, Arwen, Eowyn, and Bilbo.
I've lost Storm to adrenal carcinoma, and now Bilbo has this, but
otherwise healthy.  Arwen and Eowyn are fine.
 
Rebecca & the Crew of Merry Mayhem
 
"Do not meddle in the affairs of dragons, for thou art crunchy, and
 taste good with ketchup"
"Support bacteria, it's the only culture some people have"
[Posted in FML issue 4274]