Pooh rescue update. About a week ago I rescued a very sweet little guy from a ferret-loving but not very ferret-knowledgable home. I mentioned he was up for grabs and recieved 3 replies, which I haven't acted upon because his condition was so poor. We spent quite a bit of time at the vets yesterday and today, and the bad news is in. Pooh is terminal, suffering from some sort of invasive cancer that has infiltrated his liver, and spleen. His skeleton is extremely osteoporotic, probably resulting from the cancer. His liver is so large that it squeezes his stomach against his diaphram, making it very difficult for him to eat more than a few cc's at a time (I am feeding him about 4-5cc's of a heavily fortified duck soup every hour). Seriously, his liver is about the size of a large hen's egg. Both his stool and urine are filled with bile, indicating massive liver damage (the cause of the green pee). We estimate he has lost half his body weight in the last few months. It is obvious he is in great pain. He grits his teeth in pain just swallowing duck soup. He can hardly walk (just drags his hind quarters), can no longer control his bowels (thick syrupy dark green), and is too uncomfortable to be held. I let him lay inside a cushy bag, and he rests his head on my hand. Surgery is out of the question; he would not survive. The delemia is that both the ultrasound and xray show a massive liver, and the spleen is also involved. There is a tiny chance that removal of the spleen and the worst portion of the liver might give him some more time. Cure? No. The only other two alternatives are euthanasia or a natural death. If we operate on the slim hope, but find it hopeless, he could drift off under anesthesia. I have to decide by morning. In other news, I am getting a lot of people asking if I'll be passing through on my way to Seattle. I was desperately trying to go to Georgia first to settle some business, but between a task-master committee, Jet's illness and death, and now Pooh, the time has evaporated. So I will have to rely on Uncle Sam finish my business for me. But here is my tenative route and stops for the next 5-6 weeks. I leave this Sunday, March 22, and will go west on I-70 to near or about Colorado Springs (I-25). Then south to I-40 at Albuquerque, west past Flagstaff to California, then LA. From there, I-5 to Seattle. This allows me to see a few family members and miss crappy weather. I will be in Seattle from March 25-29 attending the archaeological meetings. After that, my time will be spent in museums, but I cannot say when I will finish, so I don't know the return dates of my trip, but I will be visiting the following cities/museums on my way home: Greater Canadian/Seattle/Puget Sound area: Simon Frazier, Museum of the Puget Sound, Royal Museum, Berke Museum. Oregon: Corvallis, Pullman, John Day. Calgary: University of. Nevada: Reno, Lovelock Cave. (If time permits. If not, I will stop back in May to visit a very special friend) Montana: Museum of the Rockies. Colorado: Denver Some stops will be for a day or two, some for several days; depends on the collection. I expect the entire trip to take about 4-5 weeks. After I return to Missouri, I will rest a week or so, then off to Gainsville, up to Cornell, over to Philly and home. And thank the heavens, I'll be finally done collecting PhD data. Then all I'll have to do is finish looking at 87 boxes of splintered bone. Because this is a trip to collect data and not a vacation, I can't promise I will be able to stop even if I indicate I will try. I learned my lesson in DC, measuring bones for 18 hrs a day, then trying to visit people as well. More than one person met met very late at night, sometimes until 3 am, then off I was at 7. I ended up exhausted and ill and hurting a few feelings when I simply couldn't fit some people in (Hey, I saw 23 out of 31 people, ok? Darn good if you ask me...). So I will try, but no promises. If you want me to stop for a few minutes, and you are near or on the route, email me by Saturday with a phone number, address, and simple directions from the freeway. If I can make it, I will call you. If I can't make it, I'll still call you. One more thing; the trip to Seattle leaves me very little time, but after that, it will be easier to fit people in. If a club or group wants me to talk to them, and doesn't mind fitting around my schedule, I'll be happy to talk or tell jokes. But it has to be flexible because I can't predict when or where I will be at any given time (at the moment). Please think of Pooh if you can, and let me know about the other. Bob C and 20 MO Tired Furbutts. [Posted in FML issue 2251]