Hi all. Less than happy news on the homefront. Our 4-year-old, Claudia, went in for her third bladder stone surgery yesterday. Some of you may remember me by my maiden name (Thewes) and by the snail mail I undoubtedly sent your shelter/rescue three years ago desperately searching for help in a cure or treatment. Claudia developed bladder stones at just a little over a year. Two were taken out. Six months later she was having problems again and four came out. Dr. Tom Kawasaki and I spent much time poring over his medical directories looking for help in how to treat her. The reason? Her stones were cystine (only seen in dogs) as compared to struvite (more common in ferrets and cats), leaving us the problem of how to treat her. Dave and I seriously considered having her put to sleep, as we couldn't bear the thought of putting her through surgery every six months for the rest of her life, especially since she was only a year old. Eventually we seemed to find the right combination of medicines to stop them (or so we thought). I noticed a couple of months ago that Claudia looked to be having problems, but it would come and go. Friday night I knew for sure. The Xray showed at least *six* stones (that I could see) this time. Claudia's home from surgery and recovering pretty well, but I have a request for you all. I know for sure of one other person whose ferret had the same type (cystine) of stones, because Dr. K's office called me about it like six months ago. If you know of or have had these same stone problems yourself, PLEASE EMAIL ME directly with the details of your case. My ultimate fear is that Claudia's developing a tolerance to the medicine, and in that case we start back at square one. And especially if you know of that person in the Metro D.C. area that went to Kawasaki's for help, have them get in touch with me. I'm sorry for the long post guys, but I can't begin to tell you how my heart sank when I saw the Xray. Amy & Dave (and their gaggle of giggling ferrets) [Posted in FML issue 1254]