Ms. Ferret - A Ferret Blog

Long time no post

2008-05-01T16:17:00.004-04:00

It's been a long time since I posted. Honestly, I haven't even looked at the blog since December or so. Every time I came here I thought about how when I started it, I had my original guys, and now they're all gone. It was just too hard, so I stopped.

I still miss them all so much, but I think I'm ready to let them go a little, enough to think of them without getting sad. They gave me so many wonderful memories, and I'll always have those, even if I don't have my fuzzies anymore.

With that said...

Not too much has changed since November. Ellie had to have the same surgery that Mr. Big did. She healed very quickly and with no problems. Thankfully her stone was much easier to remove than Mr. Big's because it wasn't nearly as large. We thought Frank had them as well after some weird bathroom behavior, but an x-ray showed he was clear. Abby never had any problems, and an x-ray to be sure showed she was just fine. We now know it must have been the Hills d/d diet - too much plant material and protein. I don't know if Jebabba would have had stones if he had lived, but I think he probably wouldn't have, what with his loss of digestive capability.

In further ferret news, both Frank and Ellie are adrenal. I have a suspicion that Mr. Big may be as well, but it's just a hunch at this point. There are no symptoms to prove it. Abby is completely healthy, or she's not showing any symptoms of anything anyway.

We have a second dog - Bella, Steve's family's 9 year old German Shepherd, black lab, something mix - and the ferrets love to play with her. She was raised playing with Steve's first two ferrets, so she's great with them. Nia, our 9 month old German Shepherd puppy, is still too excitable to be allowed to play with them, but she gets to sniff them when she's on her leash, laying down, and heavily supervised. Mr. Big gave her kisses on her nose this morning.

So that's that. You'd think I'd have more to report after 7 months, but surprisingly not. Sure, there have been some health scares here and there, but for the most part it's all good. I do find though that my relationship with these guys is different. I love them very much, but sometimes I feel afraid to love them as much as I loved my last guys. It just hurt so badly to lose them, and I don't know if I can go through that again. But I try to let myself just feel, and most of the time it works.

ferret, ferrets

Jebabba Remembered

2007-11-05T12:45:00.001-05:00

When we first met Jebabba, he was probably about 4 to 6 months old. A friend's ex-girlfriend's neightbor found him in the woods in October in Northeastern PA. They were keeping him in a tiny hamster cage with shredded newspaper for bedding and pieces of bread for food. The ex-girlfriend convinced them to give Jebabba to us, and we went over to meet him. He was a tiny thing, an adorable dark brown sable, and I fell in love right away.

We took him home and introduced him to our group. He was accepted fairly quickly, and he latched on to Cheeba first, then Mojo, then Sohpie. He was very playful, and loved to run and jump all the time. He was a whiz at going through the tubes, and he was incredibly fast and agile. I can't remember how many times I would watch him take off across the room like a shot. He loved to dig too, and he was always digging in the dig box, at the carpet, and anything else that entertained him.

Jebabba was kind of a scaredy-ferret. He didn't like change very much, and loud noises scared the heck out of him. Like Rascal, Jebabba absolutely hated the vaccum, so after every time I used it, I would have to go searching for him. He was usually at the highest point in the cage, and I would pull him out and cuddle him against me, soothing him and giving him treats.

He loved going outside, and he was definitely one of those ferrets who had to be on a leash. There were times that, even with the leash, I would have to dive to catch him before he escaped. But he loved rooting in the dirt and war dancing across the grass, so the grass stains and grass I ate was worth it!

As he grew older, he became very sweet. Whenever I would spend time with them in the ferret room, he would lay flat next to me and wait for me to pet him. He liked to give kisses, but only on my arms. He rarely kissed my face. He loved to have his belly tickled, and he would roll around and dook when I did it. Jebabba was definitely a very vocal little guy, and I could always tell when he was in a playful mood by all the noise he made.

Jebabba loved chicken baby food. When Cheeba first started having problems with ulcers, I had to make sure to feed him when Jebabba was asleep, or he would try to eat all of Cheeba's food. Sometimes he would smell it, wake up, and come running out of whatever hidey hole he was sleeping in in search of it.

As he grew older and the other ferrets started to pass away, Jebabba and Bonk grew very close. By the time Cheeba passed away, Jebabba and Bonk were inseparable, and they went everywhere together. After Bonk died, Jebabba seemed to slow down, but there didn't seem to be anything specifically wrong with him. Then, in July of 2007, we did an intestinal biopsy and found out that he had IBD. He had had digestive issues in the past, but his response to medicine seemed to indicate that it was ulcer related. We got him on an IBD diet and he perked up right away.

At the beginning of August, we brought home some new friends for him because it was obvious that he needed some fuzzy companionship. (He was always a ferret's ferret, and human companionship just couldn't compare.) He had a great time running around with them and curling up together for long naps. They couldn't replace Bonk, but he definitely acted less lonely. He stopped looking for his lost friends and enjoyed his new friends.

But Jebabba's time with us was short. On Thursday, September 20, we helped him over the Rainbow Bridge. An autopsy revealed hepatic lipidosis had destroyed his liver. Even with treatment, it would only have prolonged his condition rather than cured it.

I miss him so much, but I would like to think that he thoroughly enjoyed his last couple months here with his new friends. Though I have lost him, I gained four new fuzzy friends who will help me honor and cherish his memory and the memories of all of my lost fuzzies who are gone but will never be forgotten.

Jebabba, I will always remember you, and I'm so thankful that I got the chance to be your mom. You were a very special little ferret.

Baby Jebabba

Gimme some Cheetos!! (don't worry, he didn't get any!)

Playing with his buddy Mojo

Chowing down on an N-bone

Chilling with the Bonkman in mom's lap - March 2007

Snuggling with his new buddies the night we brought them home - Jebabba is top left

Content on Mom's shoulder

Resting during his last few days with us

Jebabba and Mr. Big just a couple days before Jebabba's death

Are you coming, Mom?

Someday, my little angel. Shine on.

ferret, ferrets, IBD, Rainbow Bridge

Jebabba is back with me

2007-10-15T12:09:00.000-04:00

Last week, Steve picked up Jebabba's ashes for me. After he brought him home, I rearranged all of my lost babies on their shelf and lit a candle. Cheeba is in the middle, Bonk and Jebabba are on either side of him, and then Sophie and Mojo are on the outside. They're all together again. As I sat there and looked at their ashes, I thought about all of the wonderful memories they gave me and how much I missed them, and I started to cry. Frank came wandering over to see what the deal was, so I picked him up, and he licked my tears. He licked my cheeks and my eyelids very persistantly, and even in the midst of my tears, I couldn't help but laugh. That's why I love ferrets - even when you're feeling horrible, they know what to do to make it better.

An autopsy revealed that Jebabba had hepatic lipidosis caused by an inability to absorb nutrients (caused by his IBD). A normal liver is brown, but his was bright yellow. Every normal liver cell had been replaced by fat cells. A normal liver can heal itself and regenerate normal cells again, but his wasn't. The liver failure caused nausea, vomiting, clotting problems, lethargy - all of the symptoms I saw in the week leading up to his death.

It's odd that even with a better diet than he had been eating he still wasn't able to digest food properly. My guess is that even though we were controlling the inflammation, he had lost so much of the absorptive surface of the intestines that what happened was inevitable. I took comfort in the fact that the vet said there was nothing we could have done because he was too far gone and too weak to heal himself. I would have hated to let him go if there was something I could have done to make him better.

ferret, ferrets, IBD

Life moves on in this four ferret household

2007-09-25T13:08:00.001-04:00

Jebabba's ashes are back, and Steve is going to pick them up for me sometime in the next couple days. (the vet's office is near where he works, about an hour away.) I still miss him a lot, and when I did ferret laundry yesterday, I set aside the bag he slept in or on for the last couple days he was with me. It smells like him, and I just couldn't bear to lose that yet.

But overall, I'm doing well. The remaining fuzz are playing like little loonies, and Frank is giving me even more kisses than usual. It's like they understand that I'm sad, and they're doing what they can to make it better. They're handling the loss pretty well too, but then, they were only with him for a month or so. Frank seemed to take it the hardest - he stuck pretty close to me for the day or so after Jebabba died. It seemed like he slept with Jebabba more than the others did.

Mr. Big is continuing to recover well from his surgery. I put him back in with the others last Thursday evening (a week after his surgery), and he had a blast running around with them and playing. The surgical site is pretty much healed up, and he's already growing lots of hair back (unlike my little Babbies, who never grew the hair on his belly back). Abby was very glad to have Mr. Big back in the fold, since they like to curl up together for naps. Nine times out of ten I find him sleeping with her. She curls up against him so it looks like he's spooning her - totally adorable.

When I'm able to, I'm going to write the post remembering Jebabba's life. It's still a little too fresh to deal with right now, but hopefully soon.

ferret, ferrets

Jebabba is gone

2007-09-20T22:10:00.000-04:00

It happened so fast. I thought for sure on Tuesday that I was going to have to let him go last night at his follow up appointment. But Wednesday morning and afternoon, he actually seemed to be fighting it. He licked a little food off of my finger and the syringe, he got up to go to the bathroom himself, and he seemed more interested in being around Frank and the girls. Unfortunately, it seems now that the will to live he displayed that morning was the last he could muster.

On the way to the vet's on Wednesday evening, he got a bloody nose. He had some bruising, and some black in his stool (digested blood). We decided at the vet's that he probably had a clotting issue, but given his energy that day, we would try some different medications and vitamins to see if we could keep him with us.

We got home, and he refused to eat again after that. Then around midnight, he pooped, and it was half stool, half frank (red) blood. I knew that was the end of any hope that he might last longer. I spent the night with him, holding him and cuddling him. Then this morning, I called the vet and we took him in.

Jebabba passed away this morning at around 11 am. He died in my arms as I told him how special he was and how much I loved him.

He was the last of my original seven, and there's a huge hole in my heart right now. I don't know if anything can ever fill it. He was so special, as were they all. It was so hard to leave him there, but I take comfort in the fact that he is reunited with his friends. They are all whole, all healthy, all happy and playful. I know that he will be so happy to see Bonk again, and right now he's dancing and dooking up a storm. But despite that knowledge, my heart is breaking.

I miss you so much, my sweet Jebabba, my Babbers. Though you are gone, you will live on in my memories and the stories I tell of your antics. You were my sweet, crazy guy, and you brought so much to my life. I hope that you left knowing how much I love you and how much you meant to me.

Jebabba
Spring 2003 - September 2007

ferret, ferrets

Jebabba is fading

2007-09-18T14:20:00.000-04:00

Jebabba is still refusing food - he hasn't eaten voluntarily since Sunday morning, not even to lick it off my finger. The anti-emetic is continuing to work (still no vomiting), but I don't think it's helping. He's still getting nothing from the food he's keeping down.

I gave him fluids twice yesterday with no effect. He just lays in his sleep sack or on his bed. His stool looks exactly like his food, like it's going in one end and coming out the other with no changes whatsoever. I don't even know if that's possible, but that's what it looks like.

I keep wondering if I should move his appointment tomorrow night up to tonight to spare both of us another day of this, but I'm not ready to give up yet. I know I'm being irrational - when a ferret refuses food and treats completely the way he is and has the look in their eyes like he does, it's the end. But I keep hoping for a miracle. He's the last of my original seven, and it's killing me to watch him like this, but I can't let him go. I know that if nothing changes by tomorrow night, I have to. I can maintain him like this, but I don't want to. His quality of life is greatly diminished, and it's not fair. But like I've said before - I'm a selfish bitch, and I want him with me. Why is it that ferrets can so totally rip our hearts out of our chests when they leave us?

Last night I prepared him for what's coming - we spent the evening together with him in a sleep sack in my lap, and I told him all about the Rainbow Bridge. How he would be healthy and whole again, how he could have all the chicken baby food and treats that he can't have now, and how he's going to see all of his friends again, and they'll play together again - all young, all healthy, all happy. I told him that Bonk was waiting for him along with Cheeba, Mojo, and Sophie, and they would have a great reunion. I told him how brave he's been and how strong, and how if he wants to let go, it's ok.

I just hope that when tomorrow comes, I can make the decision I have to make without delaying. He deserves better than to linger in this state. I love him too much to let him do that.

ferret, ferrets, IBD, Rainbow Bridge

Jebabba's not any better, but not really worse either

2007-09-17T09:41:00.000-04:00

Well, so far today, Jebabba has kept his food down, and it's been about 35 minutes since he ate. I gave him the anti-emetic about 30 min before feeding him, and though he still didn't want any food (I had to force feed him with a syringe - he wouldn't even lick if off my finger), at least he's keeping it down for now. He immediately went to sleep in a hidey hole both after his shots and after his feeding. He let me hold him for a bit on my lap though.

He seems weaker, but I'm sure that's probably largely due to barely eating anything for 2 days and having issues keeping down what he actually did eat. I'm going to try to feed him every couple hours or so to see if I can get his strength back up. I'm not sure it's doable though. He seems to have given up - he fought me when I fed him, but not nearly as much as he has. I just hope he realizes soon that food isn't something he needs to fear anymore.

I have a little more hope today, but not much. If I could just get him eating again... I will force feed him to get him through something, but I will not force feed him for the rest of his life. That's traumatic for both of us, and it's a crappy quality of life for him.

ferret, ferrets, IBD

The hits just keep coming...

2007-09-16T22:49:00.000-04:00

So last Monday I had to take Jebabba to the vet - something is going on with him. After eating less and less food all week, he started vomiting Saturday morning. I called the vet, and thankfully she was in. It was too late to take him up (it's an hour and a half away, and they were closing soon), but we talked over the phone for a while. Decided to take him off the antibiotic, since after 5 days, he should have been getting better, not worse, if it was going to help. Took him down to 1/3 of the pred he was getting, and she told me to come in to see her Sunday night (at the Lupron clinic).

He threw up again last night after I gave him his pred in the evening, so I didn't even bother to give it to him this morning. What's the good of treating his IBD if he can't even keep food down because of the meds? This morning he started whimpering a bit if I moved him too quickly or pressed on his stomach. She did an ultrasound and couldn't find anything obvious, though she said his stomach feels funny.

Anyway, we decided to take him off all oral medications since he stresses so much about taking anything orally. He's on pred, famotidine (pepcid), and Compazine (anti-emetic), all via sub-q shots. I hope this actually works. I have a very bad feeling about this though - I've had it since last night. And every other time I've had that feeling, I've lost the ferret within a week or two. He still has lots of energy to fight meds and food, but not for anything else.

I take him back in Wednesday for a follow-up so she can see how he's doing.

=========

As I finished typing that last sentence, he started throwing up again. He cried when he was dry heaving. I tried to help him, but what can you do when a ferret is throwing up? Not much other than try to talk to them and hope they even want you there. God, I hate this so much. I feel so helpless. All I can do is give him his meds and hope they work. I don't know if I'm making him feel any better or if he even wants me around. At least with Cheeba I knew that he was happy in my lap when he cuddled with me so much in the last months of his life. But Jebabba isn't a cuddler, and he isn't a lap ferret. I feel useless, completely useless.

ferret, ferrets, IBD

Mr. Big is going into surgery today

2007-09-13T11:19:00.000-04:00

I have some sad news - Mr. Big (yes, I've finally named our new DEW) has a bladder stone. Yesterday he started having trouble peeing, and he would try every five minutes when he was awake. The last couple times he went before we left for the vet's office, it had a definite orange-red color to it, so I kind of suspected it may be a stone. I was hoping it was just a bad UTI or bladder infection though. But they did x-rays, and determined that he had a stone. Thankfully there is only one, and he seems to be in good health otherwise. They're going to go in today to remove it, and I hope to have him back here with me tomorrow.

I felt so bad leaving him there last night, but he went home with the shelter mom who fostered him out to me because she's a vet tech at that animal hospital. I know he's in the best of hands, and she'll take wonderful care of him until he's back here with me, but I miss him so much already. I've only had him a month or so, but he's such a complete sweetheart - very cuddly, loves to give kisses. I really hope he pulls through the surgery ok. Claudia just lost one after a bladder stone surgery, but he was 11, and there were 8 stones. Mr. Big is only 5, and the x-ray showed just the one stone.

As upset and worried as I am right now, I'm very thankful that it isn't prostate problems. I had enough of that with Mojo to know that I never want to deal with that again if I can help it.

ferret, ferrets, blader stones, adrenal disease, prostate, Mr. Big

Wonderfully busy

2007-08-23T13:52:00.000-04:00

The new fuzzies have been keeping me quite busy. We had a scare with Frank (short for Frank the Tank, formerly known as Mitts) when he stopped eating. I was concerned it was him crashing, but it turns out he just doesn't like the new food. I put him back on his old food and started supplementing him with baby food. He's going to take longer to switch over to the new diet. He's doing much better now, thankfully.

Other than that, things are going really well. Abby is coming along with her biting, and she actually gives kisses now. I'd say in another month, we should have the biting cleared up completely. Ellie and Jebabba cuddle up for naps together a lot.

I still haven't decided what to name the DEW yet. I'm thinking of Barishnikov because the ladies love to watch him dance and he's so handsome. (The girls love to wrestle with him as well.) But I don't like the nickname Barry, and Barishnikov is a pretty big name for a little ferret!

Here are some cute pictures of all of them cuddling up together for a nap.

ferret, ferrets, duck soup

New Ferrets!!!

2007-08-09T23:03:00.000-04:00

I haven't posted before now because I've been busy with my four new ferrets! That's right, four. Why? Because I'm a complete sucker. This past Sunday Jebabba and I went over to meet the two foster ferrets, and she had brought along two 2 year old girls to see how he got along with younger ferrets. Well, they were completely adorable, so needless to say I came home with all of them.

So yes, my one ferret household has swelled to a five ferret household again. Jebabba seems to be doing ok with them. He's been engaging in some aggressive grooming, but they've all played and cuddled together, and I was even able to put them all in the same carrier on the way home. That's a small miracle in itself, since the two fosters and the two 2 year olds weren't housed together at the shelter. But they're all really friendly.

So, without further ado....meet my new furkids!

This is Abby - she's a bit of a biter and seems to have some issues with people. I don't think she was ever socialized. But she is responding a little to training and attention, so I'm hoping for the best.

This is Ellie. She's a complete sweetheart and a cuddler - as you can see below, she's already curled up in my lap for a nap once. I love her to death already.

This is Foster #1 - he doesn't actually have a name yet, though we've tossed around Bob Ross (b/c of the mitts that make it look like he dipped his paws in paint), NJ (for Not Jebabba, since he looks so much like him), and Frank the Tank. He's a little standoffish, but he loves to be petted when he's sleepy.

This is Foster #2, and he doesn't have a name yet either. I'm thinking maybe Gabriel, Gabe for short, or Gandolf, but I think maybe he needs a name that's more fun than Gandolf. Anyway, he's sweet, but also a little standoffish. Sleeps a lot, and he and Jebabba have tangled more than once. I think he's tired of Jebabba trying to clean his ears so much! Oh, and he doesn't like to have his picture taken, so we don't have very many good ones of him.

So these are my new sweeties. I'll post some pictures of all of them sleeping or playing together soon!

It's so nice to have more ferrets again. It's a little overwhelming - I got used to only having one to worry about. But it's nice to have more fuzz around, especially Ellie. I'm bonding with her so quickly, and she reminds me of Cheeba with how sweet she is. Steve says that she even looks like him, and I do see some of his mannerisms in her.

ferret, ferrets, Frank the Tank, Bob Ross, foster ferrets

Fostering Ferrets

2007-07-27T11:08:00.001-04:00

Jebabba's ADV test came back negative, so now we can move forward with fostering some ferrets! I'm so excited. The shelter operator at Oxford Ferret Rescue has a couple ferrets picked out for me. Jebabba and I are going to meet them on Sunday, August 12. I hope he likes them! I hate seeing him look so lonely. He needs ferret companions. For him, nothing can take the place of his fellow ferrets.

So wish me (and him) luck!

For more information about ADV, check out FerretADV.com.

ferret, ferrets, ADV, Oxford Ferret Rescue, fostering ferrets

I feel like such a mean mommy right now

2007-07-24T00:01:00.000-04:00

My poor little Jebabba... I'm thinking of fostering some ferrets because Jebabba needs some friends, so I had to do an ADV test. It's been a while since he's had one, and I've never actually done it myself. Someone else has always done it for me.

So I just got a blood sample to send in, and oh my god, it was awful. Jebabba and I are both completely traumatized. I fully recognize the importance of ADV testing, but I will never do it again myself. Next time I'll just have the vet draw the blood for me. There was blood everywhere, Jebabba peed and pooped himself in protest, and it took forever to get the blood to clot. (took the sample from his toenail)

Steve was able to distract him somewhat with olive oil and his duck soup, but Jebabba is a windmiller (you know, when you scruff a ferret, and he swings his lower body around in a circle) when I just try to clip his toenails, let alone when I purposely cut them short and try to get a blood sample from it. It was horrible. Jebabba seems to have forgiven me, but he's obviously upset. I hope the stress doesn't have a negative effect on his recovery. His stools have looked so good recently.

ferret, ferrets, IBD, ADV, ADV testing

Jebabba has IBD

2007-07-16T17:20:00.000-04:00

(Warning: somehow this turned into a very long post...)

Well, the biopsy results came back. The biopsy of his stomach showed an overabundance of helicobacter (which, thankfully, we were already treating for. Dr. Edling put him on antibiotics and carafate following surgery). The biopsy of his intestines showed a massive inflammation in his intestines and indicated that he has IBD, or Inflammatory Bowel Disease.

So what does that mean? It means that he can no longer have any food or treats that contain chicken, corn or wheat, so everything he has ever had and liked before is out. Guess what every single ferret food but one has in it? Chicken. Guess what the one non-chicken ferret diet has in it? Wheat and corn. So Jebabba will never eat ferret food again. I had to throw away all his favorite treats - N-Bones, Chicken Bandits, Chicken baby food. (Well, I didn't throw them away, I donated them to Oxford Ferret Rescue.)

It also means that he's on prednisolone twice a day. Imuran is another option to treat IBD in ferrets, but it can take up to 2 months to start working fully, and given how horribly inflamed his intestines are, we didn't think we had enough time to wait for that to work.

So Friday - I get his new food, grind it up, and mix it with some water and some Beechnut baby food (can't use Gerber's anymore, it has corn starch in it). He hates it. I end up wearing most of it and most of the medicine I have to give him (at this point, Biaxin and Pred). We're both miserable by the time we're done, and I literally have to wash off my arms up to my shoulders. Following this, I am completely and totally depressed. Poor Jebabba hasn't eaten a decent meal in almost 4 weeks, he's down to 1 lb 6 oz, and I can't remember the last time he's had a solid, normal poop. I picture having to force feed him every meal for the rest of his life.

So the next day, I go out to pick up some Innova Evo wet food and the Innova Evo Red Meat Small Bites dry food that has been recommended to me (Evo diets have very low carbs, no corn or grains, alternate high protein meat sources). I mix up the following recipe:

(1) can of Evo Rabbit
(1) jar of Beechnut Beef baby food
(2.5) tsps of Evo Red Meat Small Bites
(1) baby food jar of water
(1) huge squirt of olive oil

So I blend this all together, pour it into containers, heat up one of the containers and bring it in to Jebabba. He licks a little off my finger and keeps coming back for more. So I pour a little in the lid of the container, and he starts chowing down! He probably ate about 15 - 20 cc's in one sitting! He absolutely loves this food! Of course, I'm grinning like an idiot by this point, and I'm so excited, I actually call Steve in to see.

Jebabba is now back to eating regular 30 cc's meals, with a couple additional feedings. He had his first completely normal poop (fully formed, regular color) on Saturday night, and has had all normal poop since.

I made him a duck version of the same soup last night, using Evo Duck and Hills d/d Duck & Green Pea dry food, and he liked that too. Not as much as the rabbit one, but enough that he chowed down on 30 cc's this morning.

I really like the Evo wet foods because they not only use the meat of the animal, but they use bones, fat, cartilage and connective tissue as well. It's about as close to a raw diet as I can get without actually feeding raw. I wish I had known about this diet before - I would have been feeding it all along! The only downside is that because it is dog food, it's lower in taurine, so I will have to supplement that. But honestly, all I care about at this point is that he's eating better, looking better, and he actually played for a couple minutes this morning!

ferret, ferrets, IBD, Inflammatory Bowel Disease, helicobacter, Marshall Bandits, Oxford Ferret Rescue, Hills d/d, Innova Evo, Innova Evo Red Meat, prednisolone, Imuran, Beechnut baby food

Pictures of Jebabba's stitches

2007-07-11T20:00:00.000-04:00

Here are some pictures of Jebabba's stitches. They seem to be coming along well, and I allowed him some time out of the playpen for the first time yesterday evening. The pictures were taken Saturday and Sunday, and he has healed up even more since then. This little ferret is a real trooper, let me tell you! Within just a couple days, he was fighting me like a wildcat when it came time to give him his meds.

ferret, ferrets

Jebabba is a little Frankenferret

2007-07-03T22:51:00.000-04:00

Poor Jebabba had to go in for emergency exploratory surgery yesterday, and now he has a bellyful of stitches. On Friday I had to rush him down to Chadwell Animal Hospital (Dr. Edling, my usual vet, was out) because he was throwing up white foam. He couldn't even keep down water. X-rays seemed to indicate a partial blockage because of a hairball in his stomach. We treated him with medication over the weekend until my appointment yesterday.

So yesterday morning, he refused food and his poop was really small. I was concerned that if there was a partial blockage, it had either become a full blockage or a piece had broken off and lodged in his intestines. When I got him to Dr. Edling, she said she didn't think it was a hairball because she couldn't feel anything. I asked her to open him anyway so we could be sure.

Well, she was right - no hairball. In fact, there was nothing visibly wrong with anything. All of his organs look really good - liver, stomach, etc. The intestines are nice and pink, and his adrenals look good. So she took a biopsy of his instestines so we can see if he has IBD (Inflammatory Bowel Disease), which was my initial guess before the hairball symptoms (based on his sometimes picky eating, random loose stools, and randomly changing taste in food).

Anyway, now my poor little Frankenferret is in his playpen recovering. He's on Biaxin and Amoxi for 2 weeks and Carafate for 10 days. She gave me some pain meds to give him if it seems like he's in discomfort. So far he's doing pretty well. He's already eaten a whole jar of baby food today.

I'm relieved that he made it through ok and everything looks ok. But I kind of wish it had been a hairball. That would have been easier to deal with than IBD. Remove the hairball, get him recovered from surgery, and he's done. If it's IBD, there will be dietary changes and medication, and we'll have to figure out exactly what medication (pred or Imuran) and how much, what his diet should be, etc etc etc. But a diagnosis of IBD wouldn't be as bad as the biopsy coming back normal. If that happens, then I'll have absolutely no idea what's wrong with him.

ferret, ferrets, blockage, hairball, IBD

Fuzzy Withdrawal!

2007-06-18T23:55:00.000-04:00

I am definitely feeling the side effects of not enough ferret contact! If you're wondering what said side effects would be, I find the main one is saying "aw, look at the cute little (fill in the blank)" because I'm so used to pointing out Jebabba's antics... The most common comment is about lizards. Not that lizards aren't cute in their own right, but I'm a sucker for a furry face. Also I have this strange urge to sniff grapes and corn chips (what Jebabba's tail and neck smell like, respectively). Thankfully I haven't started happy weasel war dancing around the living room yet. Maybe tonight...

Anyway, I'm visiting my mom down in FL, and I haven't seen Jebabba since last Tuesday morning. Steve is probably getting really tired of all the phone calls to find out how Jebabba is doing. In fact, I think I'm probably asking him about the ferret more than I'm telling Steve that I miss him, which is just wrong! But he's taking great care of my little carpet shark for me, and I'll get to see both of them in a couple days. In the meantime I'll just have to look at pictures of ferrets on the internet and live vicariously through Steve's accounts of Jebabba's fuzzy insanity.

ferret, ferrets, happy weasel war dance

A year ago today

2007-05-24T13:15:00.000-04:00

A year ago today, my little Mojo crossed over the bridge. He was the first of my "little ones" group to go. And now, today, I just have one ferret left - my little Jebabba. It's still a shock to the system, and poor Jebabba is probably wondering why mommy keeps cuddling him and sniffling.

Ferrets have brought me so much joy in the 8 years that I've owned them, but along with the joy comes so much pain and loss. I wouldn't have given up a minute I had with them, and now I have so many wonderful memories. I just wish the sad ones would fade. Rascal, Smoke, Cheeba, Mojo, Sophie, Bonk - they're all so close to my heart. Does it ever get easier thinking about the lost ones? God, I hope so.

So here are my favorite pictures of my little lost babies. I miss you all so much.

Rascal
1997 to April 2005

Smoke
1999 to March 2006

Cheeba
2001 to January 2007

Mojo
2001 to May 2006

Sophie
2001 to November 2006

Bonk
October 2003 to May 2007

ferret, ferrets

Bonk is gone

2007-05-11T17:31:00.000-04:00

It actually happened on Monday, May 7, but I've been so torn up about that I haven't been able to post it. I had to take him to the vet last Thursday because of ulcer like signs. For some reason, I had also recently starting thinking that he had tumors. I had her do an ultrasound, and his abdomen was full of them, including a big one off of his liver. We decided to try to get him through the ulcers to see how long he could make it. The answer to that was not very long.

He went downhill over the weekend - the meds were extremely stressful for him, and he was refusing to eat. I had to forcefeed him. He just laid there, not messing himself, but only going to the bathroom when I put him in the litter box. He couldn't really walk, and it was obvious that his quality of life was, well, gone. Sunday morning he developed a very noticeable head tilt, and he kept trying to tuck his head under. I decided that if he hadn't improved by Monday morning, I would help him cross.

Monday rolled around, and there was no improvement. I called out of work, and spent the morning with him in my lap. I don't even know if he knew I was there at that point, he was so out of it. I talked to him constantly, even though I knew he couldn't hear me (he was deaf), telling him how much I loved him. Pointless, I know, but I couldn't just sit there in silence.

We got to the vet's office at about 1:15. After a consultation, she agreed with me that the biggest act of love would be to let him go, so I did. My sweet little baby boy passed out of this world around 2:00 pm. As he went, I tucked his head under my chin and told him one last time how much I loved him. I knew he couldn't hear the words, but I hope he felt the vibrations and knew I was there as he went.

I'm just shattered. I thought that after losing Cheeba, nothing could be as bad as that. But this is bad in a different way - he was the baby of the group, and it happened so damn fast. I think his Waardenburg syndrome probably had something to do with it, but whatever the reason it's so unfair. He should still be here. He was only 3 1/2.

I miss you, Bonkman, my crazy little wardancer. Dance on, sweetheart.

ferret, ferrets, ulcers, Waardenburg Syndrome

Hooray for adorable ferret pictures!

2007-04-07T00:52:00.000-04:00

It's been a while since I've posted ferret pics, so here are a few recent shots of my fuzzy babies!

Jebabba Chows Down

Bonk Eats Dinner

Tickle Fight!

Jebabba is helpless against the tickle monster!

Bonk cuddles with mommy

YAWWWWWWN!

ferret, ferrets, ferret pictures

Jebabba Has Blown His Coat

2007-03-22T20:27:00.000-04:00

I'll have to see if I can get a picture that illustrates how much lighter he is right now. He got a big beautiful winter coat last December - thick, soft, fluffy, almost black. So of course, now that the days are getting longer, he's shedding like crazy. Hooray for spring shed! Ugh.

I pet him, and my hand is covered with fur. So I've been giving him Ferret Lax pretty much daily. Tuesday evening he coughed and scared the heck out of me (hairballs = very bad!). So I bathed him and then spent about 20 minutes plucking him. Poor little guy was NOT happy! He's not going to go all the way to the undercoat like Cheeba did the one year, but he's definitely much less fluffier than he was before. At least he already had a new coat coming in - his undercoat is peppered with dark hairs already, so he isn't going to have any weird "where is his hair" days in there. And since the bath there's been no more coughing, which is a relief.

ferret, ferrets, hairballs, Ferret Lax, spring shed

Ferret Life Moves On

2007-03-09T22:31:00.000-05:00

Things are moving along as always here. I haven't posted recently because I just wasn't sure to say. After having so many ferret health issues to deal with the past year, I feel kind of at a loss. Bonk does have insulinoma and adrenal disease, but it's fairly easy to maintain. It's so weird not to have any seriously ill ferrets, and I'm not sure what to do with myself. Of course, I've probably jinxed myself by saying that. But for the moment, Bonk and Jebabba are just fine.

Bonk has some hind leg weakness, and a few BG tests has shown that it's probably adrenal related, not due to his insulinoma. His BG is right where it should be. He's not as playful as he used to be, but he's eating well, both baby food and dry food.

My favorite ferret thing right now is cuddling them after they've woken up. At 5 when I finish up work, I bring them into the family room with me in a big ferret bed. Then for about 10 minutes, they just lay there cuddling with each other, stretching and pushing against my hand to make me scritch them. It's adorable.

Jebabba has gotten more kissy. He used to just give kisses occasionally, but now he loves to give kisses, especially after he gets his baby food. He'll walk, crawl and stretch his way over to me, and I'll pick him up. As I cuddle and stroke him, he'll lick my neck and the side of my face and snuggle into me. I think maybe he's decided that he's going to take over the cuddly ferret role now that Cheeba is gone.

I still think about Cheeba a lot, but fondly, not sadly. I still miss him a lot of course, but now I can remember him and the things he used to do with a smile rather than tears. Don't get me wrong, there are still tears sometimes when something really reminds me of him. But for the most part I'm doing better with the loss.

ferret, ferrets, insulinoma, adrenal disease

Cheeba Remembered

2007-02-14T21:42:00.000-05:00

Well, it's settled - I'm never going to be able to write this post without getting all weepy and choked up. So I'm just going to bite the bullet and give my little Cheeba the remembrance he deserves.

I brought Cheeba home when he was just 8 weeks old. He had been at Petco for only 3 days when I wandered in to fill out an application and wandered out with Cheeba instead. I went to the ferret "tank" to check out the babies, and here was this adorable little puffball of a sable staring at me. I walked around the cage, he followed me. I stopped, he stopped. I went to find an associate to take Cheeba out, and when I got back he was in the same spot waiting for me. When I held him in my arms, he immediately snuggled into my neck and sighed. I was smitten, and from that moment on, I was his.

I spent all my time with him. He went to work with me and sat on my lap for 8 hours a day. He loved to meet the people who came into the shop, and for that period of time, I was known as "the ferret lady" on main street in Newark, DE.

I used to take him on walks around the neighborhood. I got some really strange looks from my neighbors, let me tell you. Cheeba would take his time, sniffing everything, and when I got too far ahead of him, he would chase me. Of all of my ferrets, he's the only one who ever actually liked having his harness and lead on. Here's a picture of us taking a walk in the woods near our house that first summer.

I also used to take him on car rides. He was content to lay in my lap and listen to Sublime (his favorite song seemed to be Scarlet Begonias.) We went on a road trip down to Florida once, and he spent the entire trip (17 hours) lying in my lap or Steve's lap, sleeping contentedly.

Cheeba was a loving, playful ferret. His favorite toy was a small green plush frog on a string. He was funny about playing with the frog though - he liked to chase it, but he didn't actually want anything to do with it when he caught up with it. He was a very passive aggressive player too, attacking sideways with his head turned rather than full on, both with his toys and with the other ferrets.

Cheeba wasn't a kissy ferret. Never in all the years I had him did he lick me (without ferretone bribery, anyway), but he did have a way to show me his love. When I picked him up and told him I loved him, he would push his nose into my ear and sniff. He also liked to stick his head in my mouth and sniff around.

About 8 months after I brought him home, I decided that it was time for Cheeba to have a friend. We adopted Mojo from Oxford Ferret Rescue, and he and Cheeba bonded instantly. They were playing and sleeping together within the first 2 hours they were introduced. But even with as much as Cheeba loved Mojo, he still loved his special one on one mommy time more. He was a ferret's ferret when it suited him, but first and foremost he was my mama's boy.

Oh, but he was a stinker too! When I first brought him home, I used to bring him in the shower with me for his baths. The first time I just held him over the edge of the tub to bathe him, he waited until I was washing his butt and then he pooped right in my hand! He also peed on my head once when I was kneeling down cleaning the lower level of his cage. And he constantly tested my limits, staring challengingly at me while pooping directly next to the litter box. (yes, there is a common theme here - Cheeba loved to use defecation and urination to make a point! thank god he wasn't a monkey or he probably would have thrown it at me.) So yes, he was a sweetheart, but he was a total spoiled brat too! I loved both sides of him.

As he got older and we added more ferrets, Cheeba welcomed each and every new addition. He was always cleaning the new arrivals' ears, curling up with them for a nap, giving them whatfor if they pissed him off. But his absolute favorite thing to do was still spend time with me. I think he felt even more special during those times because he realized it was something the other ferrets didn't get. Maybe that's ascribing too much human emotion to him, but I swear that he had a sweetness and a glow about him when he got to go somewhere with me.

And as he got older, he also started having health problems. He had his first ulcer outbreak in spring of 2005. I thought I was going to lose him that time, but with some serious nursing and his amazing will, he pulled through. In March of 2006 he had to be hospitalized, again for ulcers. About a month later he was diagnosed with insulinoma. We stabilized his BG levels only to have him suffer another ulcer outbreak. In July of 2006 he was diagnosed with adrenal disease and we started him on Lupron. During this time, he discovered his love for Gerber's Chicken & Chicken Gravy baby food. Before this point, his absolute favorite treat was Ferretone, but after he had plain baby food, he would eat an entire jar - 60 cc's - in one sitting if I let him. I had to watch to make sure he didn't finish his and move on to Jebabba's.

So insulinoma & adrenal - a common combo of illness that I thought wouldn't take him from me for a while. Then October came, and he started acting sick again. We treated him for another ulcer outbreak, but something was different...wrong. At the end of October, we found out that he was no longer insulinomic - he was diabetic. If you've read any of my other posts, you know how much we struggled, both Cheeba and I. That little ferret was so brave, so strong, so determined to stay here as long as he could. We spent almost every minute together, much like we did when he was a kit, but for a much sadder reason. If I was working, he was in my lap or nearby sleeping somewhere. During the evening, he was usually in my lap. At night, he was in the bedroom. He wanted it that way too - whimpering when the other ferrets came near him. He wanted me and only me. My entire life revolved around him, and as sad as I was about the possibility that I could lose him any day, I enjoyed that time with him. I was able to show him how much I loved him.

So January 15 - it was time to let him go. Lymphoma had caused his liver and spleen to become grossly enlarged. Diabetes had damaged his heart. He was having respiratory difficulties, and nothing we could do would truly improve his situation. I held him as I paced around the exam room, trying not to break down. I told him how much I loved him, how I was going to do this one last thing for him, how it wasn't going to hurt anymore. Then I sang him Scarlet Begonias one last time and called the vet in. She gave him the shot, and as he drifted away, I talked to him more, telling him again how much I loved him, how special he was, how there would never be another ferret like him, how I would remember him always. There was one last little breath, and he was gone.

See, here I am crying again. What can I say? I'm a selfish bitch, I want him here with me.

I feel so lucky to have been able to share his life. I even feel lucky that I was able to be there with him when he passed on, to help him cross over the bridge. And I know that when I die, he will be waiting there for me, in the same spot I last saw him, just like that first day in the pet store. And I'll pick him up, and he'll snuggle into my neck and sigh, and I'll know that I'm home.

I love you, Cheeba. Wait for me.

During his last couple months

Cheeba loved to dig in the snow

In the bathtub

Rudely awoken from a nap

The look that makes me melt

ferret, ferrets, Lupron, adrenal disease, insulinoma, diabetes in ferrets, Rainbow Bridge

Missing him

2007-01-23T20:20:00.000-05:00

Every day I come here, and I try to come up with a post about all the wonderful things I remember about Cheeba, everything I don't want to forget. But just thinking about it tears me up inside. I miss him so much, and while I cherish every memory, each one breaks my heart a little more. How tiny he was when I brought him home, how close we were, how we did everything together for the first 8 months of his life, and how he was always such a mama's boy - it's all painful. I try to remind myself that he's not in pain anymore, and he'll never really leave me as long as I remember him, but it's just not helping. I'm selfish, I want him here with me. One of these days I guess I'll be able to remember him and honor him in the way he deserves, but I just can't bring myself to do it yet.

And on to the living...Bonk had a low blood sugar episode over the weekend. His head was bobbing, he was staring off into space, and he had hind leg weakness. A home blood test gave me a result of 43, which is probably more like 65 - 75, so I started him on pred. He's already doing better - increased appetite, more energy, no low BG behavior. So it looks like he has insulinoma.

He and Jebabba are handling Cheeba's death well. They didn't really spend too much time with him at the end though, so I'm not really surprised. As much as I miss Cheeba, it is kind of nice to only have two ferrets again. I can devote so much more time to them, and I'm sure they like that.

ferret, ferrets, insulinoma

My Sweet Cheeba

2007-01-16T19:35:00.000-05:00

My sweet fuzzy, my little mama's boy is gone. I took him to the vet yesterday to see if there was anything we could do. The vet and I spoke at length about our options, and we determined that there was nothing we could do to improve the quality of his life. Any treatment we chose would simply extend his life in his current condition, and I didn't want that. He was obviously uncomfortable on Sunday and from Sunday night into Monday morning - trouble breathing, in pain, having trouble finding a good position to lay in. It just about broke my heart to see him like that.

So I made one of the hardest decisions I've ever had to make and told the vet to help him cross. She left the room and gave me time to say goodbye to him. I told him how much I loved him, how he was always my favorite, how he would soon be free. I told him all the things I thought I would have more time to say. And I told him that he would soon be with Mojo and Sophie, and how he would be young, strong and healthy again. When she came back, she gave him a shot and left again, and I talked to him as he crossed, again telling him how much I loved him and how no ferret would ever be to me what he was. It was quick and peaceful and dignified. He slowly drifted away and then he was gone. My special little guy was gone, his body limp in my arms. I kissed him, cried, held him to me, smelled his familiar scent for the last time. And then I let him go. I didn't think I would be able to. It took all my strength to give him to them and leave the room. I always hated to leave him behind.

God, it hurts so much. I didn't know it could be this bad. Cheeba was my first ferret, and my life for the past few months has completely revolved around him (more than it usually did). We were together almost every moment I was home. There's such a huge hole in my life, in my home, in my heart. I look at the other ferrets, and my heart breaks all over again. I love them both very much, but Cheeba, he was everything to me. I've had him since he was a tiny 8 week old kit, since summer of 2001. I knew he wasn't immortal, but I wasn't prepared.

Goodbye Cheeba, my angel, my sweet cuddly fuzzy, my first. You are so missed and so loved. Things will never be the same again without you here to share them.

Shine on, Cheeba.
April 2001 - January 15, 2007

ferret, ferrets