It isn't easy writing this.  It hurts so much.
 
I'd ferret-sat for my girlfriend several times this year, and a few weeks
ago she'd decided that she was no longer able to give her old guy Al the
care he deserved.  So I became Daddy to a blind, 11-year old ferret.  It
turned out that he ahd problems that she hadn't suspected, such as a
possible tummy hurt and a heart problem; there were signs of insulinoma
as well.  When he came here, he was thin and undernourished, but he was
still eating - not enough, but he was eating.
 
I wanted to help him get better, but I'm in a bad financial situation right
now so I couldn't afford much vet work.  A friend from out of town offered
to take Al to her vet to help.  Today she came in to town, and the first
thing she wanted to do was get some Duck Soup down him.  He didn't like
this one bit, and he fought her, but she got 9cc's in his tummy.  It must
have been too much for his ailing heart, because he gave out a squawk and
left.  He's now at rest in my back yard.  No more pain.
 
I've never had to deal with an ailing fuzzy before, and I'm not versed in
the ways of Duck Soup or aggressive feeding.  I don't know if it would have
helped much if I'd taken him to the best ferret vet in Wichita; he probably
only had a few more days in any case.  But it always hurts when these
little ones have to go.  And I can't help but think that I've been a poor
ferret Daddy.
 
Sandee, keep an eye out for an albino named Al.  He never was much of one
for raisins, but he lover Ferretone.  Tell him his Mommy always loved him,
and his Daddy will miss him so much.
 
Paul
[Posted in FML issue 3227]