Partings and Meetings

Well, September has been a month of meetings and parting of ways. Nikki, who was my oldest, a sable ferret who was 8 years old left at the beginning of September, and her longtime roomie and buddy Elliot just went last Saturday, the 23rd. Elliot had had low blood sugar problems for a year or so. I came home from work one day and he was lying in a hammock in a daze and drooling. So I got some sugar into him, and when he started coming around, some food. The next day we were down seeing Dr G. His blood sugar was at 50 something. So we started him on some pedia-pred and diazoxide and that kept his sugar regulated so that it stayed around 70 to 90 most of the time. Elliot liked it because he got special attention. He was always one of my best tempered boys. He always had a kiss for me and loved to be held. He got along with everyone he ever met and never complained. He was a big beautiful 6+ year old albino boy and I will miss him a lot.

Nikki is the other ferret friend of mine who departed this month. Nikki was 8 years old when she left. She too had low blood glucose her last few months. I was holding her one morning to give her the pedia-pred and she all of a sudden flinched and jumped out of my arms and landed crunch on the floor. She must have had a small stroke, because nothing was broken, but she was in a daze. Her blood glucose had crashed, she couldn't use her back legs. So we ran down to see Dr G and we got her going on prednisone and some stuff to help her control her bladder. She had feeling in her back end, but her brain didn't know where in space anything was. After a couple of weeks of Special duck soup and chicken and turkey baby food, she started eating on her own and was getting the use of her legs back, bit by bit.But her age caught up with her, 8 years old is pretty old for a ferret. She must have had another stroke, one day I got home from work and she was non-responsive. She passed away quietly that night. She spent that night on the bed with me sleeping in a sleep sack, safe and warm.

We also had a new arrival, Lizbeth, a 4 month old sable-mitt cutie joined the tribe. She lives with Sasha and Ozzie. Sasha wasn't too happy about it at first, but has decided that it is not too bad and they get along. Ozzie gets along with everybody so there was no problems there. I got her from the ferretwise rescue and rehabilitation center, where all my kids come from. She was a petco ferret that they couldn't sell because she bites. So now she is here and adjusting nicely. She hasn't got me good yet, but not for lack of trying. I am ready for her most times. She is getting better and the trys have slowed down. I have a fairly healthy batch of kids, the oldest being starlight, who is somewhere around 6 or so. We should be together for a while yet.