Hello FML, Sadly, I'll have to be counted among those that don't think they will be owned by ferrets in the future. Seven years ago, I was a first time ferret owner, and came to the FML to become as educated as I could. I learned all about what to feed them, how to keep them, what toys to get them, and how to ferret-proof. I met some local friends through the FML that helped me to nurse my ferrets back to health when we were stricken with ECE. I also learned about "The Big Four": Adrenal Disease, Insulinoma, Lymphoma and Cardiomyopathy. Back then, my ferrets were all kits, except for the one I got second-hand from my younger sister, who didn't have time for 2-year-old Gidget anymore. Then I took Molly home from a pet store, then 3 more (Teddy, Fozzie and Angel) from the Garden State Pet Expo (that's when the ECE came into play). Then I rescued Kelsey from a pet store. She was 7 months old and had been returned because she was a biter. She was so afraid to be held. She had been a gift for a young child, and had obviously been harmed by his hands, hence the biting. I happily reformed her. My first group wasn't very eager to accept Kelsey though, so I took home BJ, one of my friend's kits from her first litter, as a playmate for her. Only a year later, I lost Kelsey suddenly to Juvenile Lymphosarcoma. It tore my heart out. My time with her was way too short, but I was glad that she knew love and a happy home in her brief life. Things were great for several years. Everybody was healthy and happy. Then Gidget suddenly showed signs of adrenal in the summer of 2000 She was already seven years old. We decided to forego surgery. About 9 months later. She stopped eating and was grinding her teeth non-stop. After a month and a half of nursing by my wonderful vet, we decided to help her cross to the bridge and end her suffering. Another piece of my heart was lost on 3-25-02. BJ developed IBD, had surgery, round the clock nursing care and daily sub-Q fluids. Teddy developed a heart murmur and was placed on Enacard. Also started Lupron shots for Adrenal. In October, Teddy became severely anemic and was diagnosed with kidney failure. Now he was getting sub-Q fluids, too. Then he developed stomach ulcers. His final night with me, he must have suffered a clot to the brain from the kidney disease. My lovable little Teddy turned into a rabid-like, wild animal before my eyes. He even bit me as I reached out to help him. I couldn't go near him without Ferretone to distract him. The next morning he lost the use of his hind legs and became incontinent. I had to change his towels every hour. The worst part of all was that he didn't even know me. He was hyper-reactive to noise and movement. It was difficult to provide him with nursing care because he kept biting me. We made the decision to end his suffering on 10-2-02. He was only 5.5 years old.Two months later, BJ's IBD finally wore out his little body and he began having hemorrhagic bowel movements, and not in the litter box. His pink nose, gums and pads, were all ghost-white. We tried shots of Vit. K and even a blood transfusion. He bled it all out. He was tired of fighting, and tired of all the injections. I decided that I could do no more. The only help he wanted at that point was peace. He was sent to the Bridge on 12-20-01. He was only 4.5 years old. Now Molly has IBD and Insulinoma. Fozzie has Adrenal, IBD and a possible mass growing near his heart. Angel has Adrenal, but is otherwise fine. They are all 6 years old. I am a nervous wreck. I worry constantly. Like Nancy, who posted yesterday, I watch closely every day for the ticking time bomb to detonate. I look at the three that I have left, knowing that our time is growing shorter. I wonder who will be first? Who will be last? What will I do when I have only one? What will I do when I have none? Even now, I sit here sobbing, with tear drops soaking my keyboard. I suffer emotionally right along with them. My heart has been ripped out four times and I know I'll have to endure it three more times. Their deaths are never easy. They always seem to suffer at the end. I've read about so many other ferrets coming down with these diseases much earlier on in their lives. I feel fortunate that I've had as much time as I have. I just don't think I could take the risk of losing ferrets at 3 or 4, or sooner. It just hurts too much. There are other animals that I can give my love to for 12 years or more, that don't have the predispositions to so many diseases. I love and have loved my ferrets with all of my heart. That is why there is so little of it left. The deathwatch and the grief are just too much for me to bear. I sincerely doubt that I will be owned by more ferrets when my final three have crossed to the bridge. Sadly, Dodie in NJ [Posted in FML issue 3773]