Bumble is doing very well after his emergency surgery, and we got the great news yesterday that there's no cancer involved. Finally, a decent night's sleep, except for Bumble's 1 a.m. play-ruckus with an empty Pringles can that somehow got under my bed. As for adrenal disease, the surgeon actually saw and felt the glands during the operation, and they were normal. The cause of all this was a virulent bladder infection of unknown origin. He'll have those scary-looking big blue stitches taken out in a week and his blood and urine tested again. I have a question regarding shots: when Bumble had his shots on September 14, the needle went in wrong during the first attempt and he yelped. The vet withdrew the needle and inserted it correctly, with no further trouble or protest from Bumble. Could the needle possibly have broken through somehow to the bladder and set off the infection? It doesn't really seem possible, since the needle would be sterile and it would have taken 6 weeks for the infection to reach the stage where Bumble complained. (The surgeon did say, however, that the infection was a long-standing one with a lot of the pus having curdled in the bladder and abdominal wall.) I'll ask the surgeon my shot question, but would any vets/experts out there also please express an opinion? I hate the thought of approaching my regular vet about it and having her think I was accusing her of something...I've just met her, she's really nice, and is considered the top ferret vet in the city. (She will be getting a copy of the Case Report, so maybe she'll say something herself.) Also, Bumble just loves his antibiotic and takes it with no mess or hassle. He tries to get the whole bottle away from me. I think it's because of its strong orange aroma. I've never tried him with any kind of orange treat. Would it be OK to offer him orange juice or Tang after he's through with the antibiotic? If so, how much? How long should it take for him to get his fur back? I know there have been prior posts about this, but I didn't pay much attention as I never had a shaved ferret before. Bumble has started using his stiff plastic megaphone-collar as a scoop, running with his head down and sending toys and stuff scattering in front of him. Last night he ran it right between my bare toes. Uncle Greg calls him "Granny Clampett" as he looks like she did in her poke bonnet. Sometimes I pick Bumble up under his armpits and talk into the collar, pretending he's an old-fashioned candlestick telephone. He gives me his cocked-eyebrow "you're so goofy" look. I take the collar off now and then and gently rub his neck to give him a break, but he soon starts fooling around with his stitches so it has to go back on. The difference between the way things are now with Bumble from the way they were a week ago seems miraculous. Between Bumble and John Glenn, I'm amazed at what "Geriatric" folk are capable of! Hope you all have a fun Halloween weekend! We're just staying home, although Bumble wanted to go as Frankenfert. [Posted in FML issue 2479]