Today, I lost another tiny piece of my heart. The piece I lost today, was named Gabriella, or Gabby for short. Gabby came to us over two years ago, with her brother Seth (who's with you) and her sister Maggie. Gabby was always the perfect little lady, and never had a bad "word" to say to anyone, either ferret or human. She would always share toys, and treats, and would never even think of ganging up on another ferret at play time. She would always be there to comfort the sick ferrets, or to give them a grooming when she felt they needed it, and she was very fussy about clean ears. Gabby loved the little "jingle balls", and would scoot backwards all over the house with them, until interrupted by someone that wanted it more than she did. She would always let them have it, and move on to something else. I'll send her with a couple to share. Gabby developed a difficulty in urinating, and I never noticed it until I heard her straining last night, while working on the computer. I watched her for a few minutes, and she kept trying, with no results. I took her out of the cage, and checked her over, from stem to stern, and noticed a large lump in her abdomen. I told her that I would take her to see Dr. Katie in the morning, and put her back in bed. The next morning (Thurs) I took her to drop her off at Dr. Katies office, but they said that she was off today, so off we went to our other vet, over an hour away. Dr. Steve checked Gabby over, and said he didn't like the feel of it. We opted for an exploritory surgery, to see if it was a blockage or something worse. Shortly after lunch time, I got the call from Dr. Steve. Gabby was still on the table, but he wanted to update me before he did anything else. I had a feeling what was coming next... Gabby had developed a "very progressive" tumor of some type inside her bladder The tumor was so large, that the entire bladder was overwelmed, and could not function. He also noticed other small nodules around the bladder area, so even more bad news. Knowing that there was no way she would have any quality of life if we woke her up, I asked Dr. Steve to just let her sleep, and he did. Please help my little girl find her brothers Seth, Oliver, sister Fiona and other assorted friends. She always loved to curl up with Seth, especially when he had his surgery, before we lost him. Also, please show her to the raisins, as they were the only snack that she would eat. Tell my babies that I still love them dearly, and miss them always, and I can't wait until we are together again. Thanks Sandee. ps; When does it stop hurting when you lose these babies? How long before you become hardened to it all, as just another part of life? Ferret Rescue of Maine A State licensed, 501c3 Non-profit ferret shelter. Donate to shelter ferrets by clicking igive.com or use Paypal [Posted in FML issue 4184]