Bridge greeters please greet my little princess Sandstorm Icklebockien (little princess) AKA Stormy who left for the Rainbow Bridge Thursday, November 10th. She is a lovely petite champagne mitt point who will be searching for Draco Co. Please try to locate Draco Co (our senior boy who left for the bridge March 5th of this year) and his special friends Super Tonks and Toast, who are also at the Bridge, so that they can all be there to greet Sandstorm when she arrives. Draco loved Sandstorm with a passion and loved to cuddle with her and keep her warm. I believe Draco has been preparing for her arrival and is trying to get a special place set up for his special girl. The day before Sandstorm headed for the Bridge, I saw the most beautiful huge double rainbow and I think Draco knew she would be arriving shortly. Sandstorm was our only little girl. She and her brother Blacktail were both rescues. Sandstorm was malnourished and her teeth were in bad condition due to lack of dental care when we rescued her and her brother Blacktail. We converted her and her brother over to a higher quality food and vitamin supplements and started brushing her teeth on a regular basis a couple times a week. We noticed a huge difference in the softness of their coats once they were converted to the higher quality food and vitamin supplements our other ferrets were using. Sandstorm's personality blossomed. She was quite a little pistol, when she made up her mind to do something, she was bound and determined to do it. She was truly a little princess and the matriarch of our business. She looked after her brothers grooming them and keeping them in line. Everyone knew she ruled the roost, she was the queen bee. Sandstorm's health declined and she got to where I was having to feed her her soup every 4 hours and then she got to the point where she refused to eat her soup on her own, so for the last few days I had to force feed her, which I felt so bad having to scruff her to get her to take her food. Then she started grinding her teeth because she was in pain. I called the vet's office that afternoon and made an appt. to get her in the next day. Our vet said she had a tumor and had fluid draining in to her lymphatic system and was in a lot of pain. She said surgery would be risky due to her age which she estimated to be 6 or 7 years old due to her lack of muscle tone. She said she could give her an IV with some fluids and send her home with some pain meds and give her something to coat her stomach but she was worried I wouldn't even be able to administer her meds due to the fact that she was having a very difficult time just getting her to open her mouth so that she could take a peek inside. Her prognosis was not good and we couldn't stand for her to be in pain. We decided it would be more humane to end her suffering and have her put to sleep. I held her and we told her how special she was to all of us and how happy she made us and all about the Rainbow Bridge and that she wouldn't have any more pain and her tail fur would grow out again and she would get to see Draco again and make new friends and be in a beautiful place where they could they could have all the ferretone they wanted and run and play to their hearts content. I told her that she would even get a pair of wings so that she would be able to fly. Being our only little girl in the group, Stormy had lots of things in pink, even a little pink cheerleading dress. I hope she can get a pretty pair of pink wings with blue sparkles. The blue sparkles in memory of her brothers. I told her that we were going to miss her terribly, but that one day we would all be together again. She is truly missed by her momma and daddy, her human sister, and her 3 brothers Mario, Luigi and Blacktail. Rest in peace, Mommy's beautiful little princess and fly high with Draco and your new friends. I will always love you and will never forget you, and your sweet little mischievous face. You are truly missed, and one day we will all be reunited. Cyndi Houmard Caring for Mario, Luigi, and Blacktail In loving memory of Sandstorm and Draco [Posted in FML 7242]