I just found out from Dr. Williams today that the follow-up pathology report he did on Lucky Charm's necropsied tissues showed that when she died last October, she was suffering from an insulinoma that had spread. It took a long time transferring material to D.C. from the pathologist in Albuquerque because of the mail slowdowns to Washington, D.C. after 9/11/01. I sent an e-mail to Dr. Williams this past weekend inquiring if he had learned anything more about her condition, and he responded: "Yes, this was the first metastatic insulinoma that I have been able to document. The tumor stained very nicely with the insulin stain. There was evidence of cardiomyopathy, and to date, we know of no other diseases that cause CMP. While hyperthyroidism can result in CMP in cats, and lack of taurine in dogs, this has yet to be discovered in ferrets." So it turns out we have a good ferret pathologist in Albuquerque, Dr. LaRock, who provided an accurate report and also did a good job of preserving the necessary tissues for further use. He was also very nice about sending everything to Dr. Williams. It brings tears to my eyes to know that even in her final days, Lucky Charm was able to make her own contribution to medical science. She would have liked that, I think, because she was such a caring and smart little ferret. She had been through two adrenalectomies, three partial pancreatectomies, and an exploratory surgery. She died peacefully and in no pain -- I will always remember her trusting eyes looking up at me as she went to sleep for the last time. Someday I hope to have another little girl just like her. In fact, I kind of hope she comes back to me in another life. Linda, Chocolate Moose, & Zipper [Posted in FML issue 3810]