I had experienced the most heart wrenching ferret episode this weekend.
I received an email Friday about a ferret that was found in a yard.
They described him as weak, drinking water from a bowl, but not eating.
I encouraged them to bring the ferret to me as soon as I was off work.
After several phone calls and change of plans that evening, they brought
the ferret to me around 7:30 pm.
 
This poor little guy was bald, skin and bones, dehydrated, and was
clenching his jaws shut.  I immediately tried to give him Pedialyte thru
a small syringe behind his teeth and got some swallowing from him.  I
feared he was not going to make it thru the night.  I buried him under
very warm blankets, continually talked to him, and every ten minutes
tried to get him to drink.
 
Somewhere around 9 he began to having seizures, first jerking his head to
the left and snapping, then foaming at the mouth.  I grabbed a carrier,
tossed him in, and headed to the emergency vet.  On the way he began
screaming with the seizures.  I pulled him out of the carrier, held him
close to my heart, and told him that if he needed to cross over, he had
permission to go.  He was still with me when I got the emergency vet.
 
The emergency vet put him on fluids, gave him valium, and he had no more
seizures.  His blood sugar was extremely low.  They gave me the option of
helping him pass, or trying to stabilize him.  He had made it this far, I
figured he wanted a fighting chance.  I headed home around 11 pm to try
to get some rest to face the next day of critical care for this little
guy.  While home I found a potato chip on the floor and decided this
little no name ferret would now be called Chip.
 
The vet called me at 2 am to let me know he was still with us.  I
called again at 7:30am Saturday morning, and they suggested I take him
immediately to a ferret specialist, that he was still alive and moving.
I picked him up and off to my regular vet I went.
 
I trusted this vets judgement, she has taken many a rescue on deaths door
and brought it back toa full happy life.  I told her what had happened
and had her review the emergency vets paperwork.  She could definitely
feel an andrenal tumor so we knew surgery would need to be done.  She ran
a full bloodwork, and had her assistant show me how to give fluids thru
the IV that was still in the lil guys paw.
 
I again went face to face with Chip and told him that if he wanted to go,
he had permission to go.  I held him close to me and he relaxed and gave
me a big ferret "sigh".  I knew at this point he was comfortable and
content.
 
The vet came back and said the bloodwork showed that Chip's kidneys were
failing, and comparing them to the numbers from last night, it was only
getting worse.  We made the decision to help Chip pass on.  As the doctor
went to get the needle I told Chip that his will to live was much
stronger that his body, and we were going to let him pass on free from
pain.  He was very relaxed in my arms and seemed to have no complaints.
He was held in my arms close to my heart as he passed on.  Chip was
buried alongside the other ferret family members we have lost in the
past.
 
We suspect that Chip was probably placed in someones yard to find.  His
health could not have gotten so bad in so short a time and he could not
have travelled far on his own in such a weak condition.
 
Please honor Chip by helping those shelters around you. Time can be a
wonderful gift.  Even a Thank You can be so helpful.  Please help to
insure that everyone in California knows how to contact me about Lost
and Found ferrets (contact info below)
 
Ferrets Anonymous does have an Angel Fund to help pay for rescue vet
expenses.  You can send a check to Ferrets Anonymous, P.O. Box 6497,
Torrance, CA 90504, marked for the Angel Fund.
 
Hugs to those who go thru this daily and those that have a shared a loss
this weekend.
 
Chris Kibler
Ferrets Anonymous Lost/Found Coordinator
[log in to unmask]
619-440-8823
[Posted in FML issue 4194]