This morning I received the following from a close friend who does not get the FML. Bo was a sweet ferret loved by all who knew him. He will be missed by his friends and family. Sandee, please watch for Bo and help him get settled. My Baby Bo Is Gone Two days before leaving on a trip I noticed a very slight, almost imperceptible change in Bo. He was eating, no bathroom problems, no weight loss, playing, but not his usual kissy face and not quite as happy as he usually is. I saw the vet the next day and we found that there was some redness around a molar, no swelling just inflammation. We put him on antibiotics and the next day I noticed some improvement already-- I was delighted that it didn't appear to be anything serious. The vet said that if he wasn't better in 5 days, he should go back for a recheck. I definitely agreed, we didn't want to lose the tooth. Overall I was so relieved because it really frightens me to go away knowing that one of these adorable little guys might be sick. As I told my ferret sitter, no one dies of a toothache. So when my ferret sitter picked me up at the airport, took my hand in hers and trembling told me that my little Bo had died, I felt my heart clench and I could hardly understand what she was saying. I remember she said that two days after I left she took him back to the vet because he wasn't doing well. I don't know yet what kinds of tests they did but he appeared well enough to come home but the next day he died. She said the vet found a blood clot in his stomach. I have no idea if the tooth problem had anything to do with this or somehow masked the initial problem or was totally unrelated. I have no idea if I could have saved him if I were home. That's the part that I will always wonder, and always regret. What I do know is that I miss him dearly and am so sad, so very sad. Bo was just 4.5 years old. Bo was known as the "mad kisser" by my vet. I remember telling a friend when he was a kit that he gave big sloppy kisses, the kind that dogs give. Bo would move his whole head up and down when he gave you those kisses. You could feel your skin move up and down. In fact, he'd lay in my arms and I'd rub his back and he's just keep giving kisses until your cheek turned red. I was Bo's favorite toy. He preferred to play with me than with the other ferrets. He was, in my friends words, a Mama's boy. Bo was sweet and he was beautiful. He had big eyes and I'm glad some beautiful photographs were taken of him. He was chosen for the cover of the 1999 ferret calendar (he's the cowboy) as well as the 2001 calendar cover (as Sherlock Holmes). But I will remember him most for his affection, his eager and cherished little face and his happy silvermitt dance of joy. [Posted in FML issue 3669]