Depressed Mom wrote on 4/23/2004, 4:00 AM: >As it says in Leese's Story on the ferretadv.com website, "he doesn't >know he's sick." They don't know they're sick, and I'm not going to be >the one to tell them. But when the time comes, I will know not to battle the illness, and just to have my poor ferrets put down. I wanted to write and let you know that when they first start to show symptoms, if they do, there are ways to help them. I do not oppose euthanasia. Many of my own kids have been helped to the Bridge. But, I also want to let you know you don't have to give up right away. If you haven't done so already, I would suggest you read Hershey's Memorial Page. We had to struggle for a while to get things right, but as a result, Hershey had a least a year and a half of quality time added to his life. In the end, he told me when it was time to say good-bye, and I didn't argue, but helped him leave. But, I was glad that earlier, I had worked to find ways to help him live longer. His memorial is at: http://help4adv.terrabox.com/mem-Hershey.html Also, ferrets with ADV can still get other ailments. Please don't let your vet ever assume that because the ferret is ADV+ the problem is the ADV. It might be, because ADV can mimic the symptoms of many other illnesses. But, it is always worth checking out the other possibilities to see if the problem is something treatable. A good example is hind end weakness, which is considered a classic ADV symptom, but can also be caused by insulinoma. Loss of weight could be ADV wasting, or could be a symptom of a GI disorder like IBD. If you have joined the ADVList, try to find time to go through the archives of messages. There are a lot of good discussions there about what people have tried, and what has worked in helping ADV+ ferrets remain healthy as long as possible. And, if you are on the BB at FerretADV.com, there are good messages there also. Plus, you can ask questions anonymously and learn about the experiences that some of us with ADV+ kids have had. Again, I invite you to write to me privately, any time. I always respect people's right to remain anonymous, if that is what they prefer, and so I would never tell others who you were. But, I can share a lot of my experiences with you. I can also tell you that even after 5 years, the ADV+ kids that are still with me, with one exception, are still healthy and ADV symptom free. My oldest ADV+ girl is failing, but she is also 7 years old, so age may be playing the biggest part of her decline. Mostly, I just want you to know that there are people out here who understand, and will help you in any way we can. -- Danee International Ferret Congress Health Issues Coordinator http://ferretcongress.org ADV - If your ferret hasn't been tested, you don't know! For more information visit: http://www.ferretadv.com [Posted in FML issue 4492]