De-Lurk in progress..... Hi, I have been very quiet for a long time. I just wanted to tell you all of an article in Reader's Digest which mentions a ferret. The article is in the March 1997 issue and is titled "My Four-Legged Partner in Healing". It is about a golden retriever who helped a vet with various animals at his clinic. The article mentions a ferret that came into the clinic suffering from liver disease caused by the owner keeping the ferret in mothballs to control the odor. The article (I have yet to read it in its entirity, I was too excited to get it to the FML) seem to be a very good one and the author does say, "Ferrets can make wonderful pets...." He then goes on to say they can be nippy and do have an odor. But, all-in-all, it looks like an interesting article. On a sadder note, one of my rescue ferrets, Blackjack, has had a tumor removed and the tumor has been diagnosed as sweat gland adenocarcinoma. The pathology lab said that it is locally agressive and gave Blackjack a guarded prognosis (one step above poor). I have been told the tumor will likely grow back and once it does he will likely not live too much longer. If anyone out there has any advice on what I can do to help prolong his life or at least keep his remaining days as pain-free as possible, I would appriciate the help. Blackjack is 6 years old and just had adrenal surgery last November. His fur has all grown back and he is so healthy looking that the vet swears that if she didn't know better, she would suspect I had switched ferrets on her! ;-) Blackjack doesn't get around much. He is slow and likes to sleep alot. He is very sweet and will ocassionally come to me for treats. When I first got him, he not only had the adrenal disease, but the transition caused him so much stress that he stopped eating asnd drinking. My vet at the time (I now go to his original vet) basically told me there was nothing I could do and that he was too far gone. Well, thanks to Kelleen's invaluable assistance and support, both he and his brother, Noodle, survived. I hate to think that after all this he is doomed to succumb to a tumor. He is a real trooper and will even let me sub-Q him without help (but he does require a ferretone bribe<g>). Well, thanks for letting me ramble here. I just would like any info/advice/support I can get for the little guy. He is such a fighter. Dooks to all, **************************************************** * David Caudill ---- [log in to unmask] * *F.A.N.G. - Ferret Association of Neverending Glee * * Ste 778 3929 Overland * * Boise, Idaho 83705 * **************************************************** Famous Last Words in Role Playing Games's: #158 "Hey, where'd all the big spiders come from?" [Posted in FML issue 1842]