FMLer's Hmmm.... Well this goes out to all those individuals who responded rudely and out of context to Lisa's request for a little assistance and/or advise. Come on ppl seeing her response to the FML today EXTREMELY DISAPPOINTS ME IN YOU. And it also reflects poorly on those of us in the FML that are not self righteous A$$es and wanted to show genuine concern. Sure it may not have been the best choice to not have her fert taken in for surgery, but she stated in her posting that she had her reason(s). I accepted that and in my private response to her, and I did not even address that. Think about how you wish to be treated before you treat others with condescending tones. And to top it all off, she ended up having to put her 10 yr old baby to sleep today. I put my 9yr 10 month "old doll baby" (Podo) to sleep Sat. 5/30, and 2 of my boys (Louie & Frosty) to sleep within less than of Podo . So I lost 3 in one month. I havent bothered to post my requests for bridge crossers to greet my babies, as I had in the past received HATE mails from some FMLers regarding my losses. Below is my response to Lisa and our brief email regarding her request for advise... For those "HATERS"... keep your comments to yourself. HI Lisa: I'm sorry to hear that you had to let your "sweet old lady" Oprah cross the bridge, and I am also sorry that the responses you received from the some of the FMLers were "judgemental." I hope that I did not come across that way, as I had no intention. I know from reading past "issues" that some individuals on that mailing do not think or put themselves in other's shoes before they speak/write. They are just preachy hate mongers. ----- Original Message ---- Subject: 10 yr old ferret HI Lisa: Well the teeth grinding is a sign that they are in pain, and from my past experience with the squeeking from being picked up, that also means pain. I had a 6 yr old boy that i had to put down due to complications from adrenal disease & GI tract cancer, and he began squeeking when his cage mates would bump him or move him. So I knew then it was getting very close for him, and not wanting him to continue to suffer, I made the choice to put him to sleep. You also need to watch the food bowl to see if they are still eating as well as drinking, as well as the litter pan. If the poo turns into (what i call) black pitchy tar, that means internal organs are fighting something, and/or have shut down. either kidney or liver...I honestly dont remember. Last week I put to sleep my oldest ferret 9yrs, 10 months. It's a tough choice, but if you watch your kids close enough, they will tell you in their own way, when it is their time. I'm not sure if this helped any, but in the past 2 yrs I've gone from 14 fur-kids to 4, so I know what signs to watch for and all, but it still is sad. Best Neil [Moderator's note: To put things a bit in perspective, we're hearing all of this second-hand -- the nasty posts didn't appear on the FML. I have no doubt there were inappropriate responses, but let's also remember Lisa was going through very stressful times and I'm guessing notes expressing even mild disapproval were not what she wanted to deal with at the time! (I can't speak for her, so it's a presumption only.) I also heard, by the way, some notes were quite supportive. But Lisa, please accept my apologies on behalf of the FML. BIG] [Posted in FML 5994]