First, I want to send a big thank you to all of you sending condolences on
the loss of my friend Niko.  It is 24 hours later and I can't seem to shake
it off.  I was reviewing a tapeto send to animal planet for their review
and there was my boy Niko, giving everyone the biggest kisses.  He was the
most kissy ferret I ever knew.  Put in another tape after I stopped crying,
and it was when I was in Vegas at CJ's shelter, and there he was again,
giving CJ more of those wonderful kisses I'll never forget.  I have seen
so many hundreds of ferrets go to the bridge in my life and yet still...it
never gets any easier.
 
Today, I drove to Colorado Springs to help with a ferret that originally
came from us.  Arnold of Willis and Arnold fame was being mistreated by one
of my old vets.  It wasn't a case of not knowing, it was a case of laziness
and lack of money that brought a treatment plan about that put Arnold in
the condition he is in.  Last time I saw him, he was almost 4 lbs and full
of life.  Today, 3 years later, he was weighing in under 1lb and catatonic,
severely dehydrated.  Diagnosed with a swollen prostate, and UTI, he was
given a shot of Lupron, some amoxicillin and sent home with a person who
works 12 hours aday plus a long commute.  What, no fluids???  He has wasted
away in 2 weeks and I am sickened by his treatment.  A 3 day stay at the
vet would have brought him through the worst part of this and now he is
faced with dying !  It is no wonder I've had 6 heart attacks in two years.
My heart is literally breaking up over the last two days here.  Arnold
survived the trip from the Springs and I now have him on a IV , oxy mask
and incubator,( plus his meds) he has been here 6 hours now and when I just
went in there, he lifted his head out of his Oxy mask, wiggled his ears and
looked at me.  It made me cry again.  He is nothing but bones and he still
has no swallowing reflex, and I can't put a feeding tube in him here.  I
hope he isn't missing his brother Willis too much and wanting to join him
at the Bridge.
 
And then....there is the 50 or so harassing e-mails from some idiot in NV
threatening death, violence, property destruction, sex, lies and so much
other crap, just because of our protest in NV.  The cops , CBI and AOL are
already on it and he doesn't bother me as much as the pain from seeing my
fuzzies like this.  The prayers and emotional support from my friends on
the FML are what is carrying me through the day to endure this.  Again,
thank you and to Cathy Garcia, we are wishing you well through your
surgery.  Get well and we'll talk to you soon.  I am trying desperately
to keep from saying bah humbug to the holiday season, but seeing all the
little fuzzies faces as I walk throught the shelter make me realize that I
still do this for one reason.....Them.  Tommorrow, I hope they will be the
ones who put a smile back on my face, boy I sure do need it!
 
Hugs to all the fuzzies out there tonite and to those who make their lives
safe and loving.
Ferretguy
[Posted in FML issue 3273]