I've been reading this list for quite some time and have considered myself very fortunate that I had not had to post that any of my babies had passed. I consider myself especially lucky because I tend to take in the old and the sick. I took Storm and his pal Fury in about 11 months ago. They had been found wandering around the city. We have a lot of colleges here and a great many pets are dumped at the end of the semester. I have never had 2 better behaved ferrets. The vet suspected they were on the older side, about 5. Fury was diagnosed with insulinoma (and he continues to do wll with treatment) but Storm was always healthy. His BGs were always normal and he was always a robust and flirtacious man!! He had a minor coughing fit last night, nothing that startled me but I had planned to take him into work (I work at an animal hospital) if he continued to cough. This morning at "medicine time" he was curled up in his hammock already gone. The doctor and I are suspecting (and hoping) that it was his heart (and that it was quick). I know a necropsy would be the best thing for me to do but it's just not in the cards for me financially and the doctor truly doesn't think it was anything contagious. Dawn [Posted in FML issue 4179]