Today, April 15th is Teddy's ninth birthday (as near as I can figure it since she's an early alter pet store ferret and was only six weeks old when I got her). And yes, Teddy is a wimp, but she's doing pretty good for an old girl, and I love her like crazy. I just wanted to make the point that it can be a crap shoot with ferrets and how long they live. Teddy had her first left side adrenal surgery at age 4.5 yrs. At age 7+ the symptoms returned and the blood test from Tennessee confirmed a second adrenal tumor. I was afraid to have surgery done on her, especially since it could be dangerous on the right side, and she was put on Lysodren. Her coat grew back so thick she looked like a chia pet! It was long and luxurious for over a year but in the last six months I've keep the Lysodren dosage down because I want to make sure she eats well. In any case, I congratulate my little Teddy on her ninth birthday, and I also congratulate myself for taking good care of her-- in the final analysis, that's the measure of love I have for my pet, giving them the best chance at a long life. HAPPY BIRTHDAY TEDDY! [FE] [Posted in FML issue 2278]