I am still receiving soooo many messages about Patches: words of comfort, sympathy, understanding, advice, experience....I can't possibly respond to all of you personally, so I hope that this will serve as a big thank you to you all. Here's the latest. Since Saturday night, he hadn't been doing so well. Dehydration concerned me, he seemed to be drinking at first but less and less, and the dehydration got worse. He also kept getting paler and paler, I mean I could just tell; the gums were white, and his nose, tongue, paw pads, everything were this very light pink, almost white. He had a fever and I didn't need a thermometer to tell me, just by touching him I could feel how warm he was, especially the ears. I've been getting enough messages from people saying that I should just put him to sleep, that he's been through enough. We did bloodwork on Tuesday, I was supposed to get the results back yesterday, telling me what the best course of action would be in my vet's eyes, but she didn't call yesterday. I began to lose hope, I began to see that as much as I love him, there's nothing I could do. Well, last night it was so bad that I was pretty sure that today I was going to put him to sleep. So I even put Patches back in his old cage, with Slinky, his cage-mate (they had been separated so I could monitor eating/pooping), so that if it was indeed going to be his last night, he could spend it with his buddy. I said goodnight and told him I loved him. This morning the vet called. She said that the results of the CBC were in, and that they weren't as bad as she had feared. He would not need a blood transfusion, as she had thought, and that although surgery (to remove the huge spleen and to take a peek around) is a risk, she thought it was one worth risking. YEA! So, tomorrow morning, first thing, he goes in for surgery. So, I went upstairs to check on him, I wanted to tell him that I could do something, after all, to try to help him. He was much better! By no means was he healthy, but he ate a lot of Ensure, more than normal, I gave him PediaPred (which he still hated) and then Ferrevite. He looked more alert than he has, and his gums, tongue, and paw pads aren't nearly as pale as they have been, meaning that I think the anemia is getting better. I tented his skin--he was really dehydrated last night but today it's much better. Then, when I moved the board away from the doorway (board is a barrier to keep fuzzies in the ferret room) he tried to escape the ferret room! That was his favorite passtime before he got sick, trying to find a way out of that room. So I let him escape, and he even explored a bit! He's walking a bit gingerly, I assume because the spleen is pressing into various internal organs and making his belly uncomfy. But still, he looked so much better. I hope I'm not getting my hopes up falsely. The surgery tomorrow will tell us more. There is still the chance he won't survive the surgery, but I won't think about that. I'm just glad that I can finally do something to try to help! Before I just felt so helpless. So that's where we are. Tomorrow at 8:30 a.m. I take him in...all I can do is pray that he comes back home with me when it's all over. In any case, after tomorrow his pain should be gone, whether it's because the spleen is gone or because he's at the Rainbow Bridge. I'm hoping for the first option, but either way, whatever the outcome it's got to be better than how he feels now. Thank you all again for your kind words. Keep up the good warm & fuzzy feelings coming our way, I really believe that it will help to guide him through this delicate surgery. Paws and fingers crossed for my precious Patches! :-) Kymberlie Becker Director, Pennsylvania Ferret Rescue Association "Forget Puppy Love...There's nothing Greater than Ferret Love!" TM http://home.sprynet.com/sprynet/ferretlady [Posted in FML issue 1999]