wezl
Sprinting down the street
I currently have Alice, a DEW sprite. She's about 2.5 yo. She is everything ferret! It's the first time in about 15 years that I brought home a baby, and longer than that since I've only had one, except when Epoch died, we had Bouncy for almost a year before he passed. Everyone I had, except my original three, were ferrets with insulinoma. I did hospice care and had the opportunity to know and love several older ferrets who came to me late in their lives. I miss them all so much. After Bouncy crossed the Rainbow Bridge, it took me about a year to decide to bring home a baby, but Alice picked me! She's such a nut! I'm using the holistic practices I used for my older guys in hopes that we have several years with her. Some of the ferrets that came to me, you'd swear wouldn't make it through the night, but went on to live 2 and 3 years longer. I had one that was 12 when she passed away! She was blind, hairless (adrenal cancer) and would not give up on living a full out life! She was one that I really didn't think would make it. She was so skinny and just a limp little thing when I picked her up from the crate. She came from another state, so also had to travel that day. I stayed up all night with her and finally got her eating and some fluids in her. Her name was Toto. Lui Kang, Berlioz, and Inola were my original three. Then we had Theo and Drake. They were my step-mom's and had been classroom pets as well as her companions. They were retired when the class environment had gotten to be too much for them. Drake was diagnosed with insulinoma about that time. Since I was living with my folks then (while getting a divorce) they joined our little group, with extra snuggle time with their mommy. A while after this, my step-mom and I were volunteering at the county shelter. I fell in love with a huge red and white Malamute/Siberian husky mix. As much as I loved him, bringing him home was a mistake. I had him short tethered to my waist, but when he saw the ferrets one day, he pulled me down and broke the gate that was attached to the door frame of the ferret room. We lost Theo and Ibn. He went to a Malamute rescue.
We had Gadget, Dale, and Switch. Silver was a young ferret that I paid $20 for. He obviously had adrenal cancer with hair loss, but he was not going to get the help he needed. We had the surgery done to remove the cancer, and he was adopted by one of my step-mom's students. He stayed in touch with my step-mom and would give her updates on how Silver and his other ferret were doing.
Bouncy went to school for awhile. He was deaf and that led him to not knowing how hard he was biting. Working with deaf ferrets is challenging, but only because they can go for a long time without being diagnosed. Being deaf made him the perfect pet for a class of rowdy 10 yo's! After a couple years, he retired as well. Her kids still contact her and ask about the ferrets. During that time, Bouncy also had insulinoma, but we maintained him on diet and minimal meds. He had no problems, until his last couple of months. He was eight when he passed away.
These were some of the ferrets that I've been blessed to know. I still miss them, I remember them all and will see them again one day.
Two other ferrets are the ones who changed my life. Rikki, my first ferret. Before him, I had no idea of the bond that exists between us and our ferrets. I had dogs that were a part of me, guardian and friend, and I had my horse who was my mother and best friend in so many ways. But even those bonds pale in comparison to how connected I've been with my ferrets. Stoney is my soul. He passed away from insulinoma in 1999. we were always on the same wavelength. we didn't need words or proximity to know exactly what was going on with the other. My ex-husband became a believer in the psychic connection we had after witnessing it so many times. Stoney, and all of his little two pounds, would take on monsters for me! When I was in a bad situation, he'd be there, tail bottle-brushed and fluffed up, teeth ready. Suddenly, he'd be twenty foot tall and spitting lightening! I was an over the road truck driver with my ex-husband during this time. I experienced many bizarre, scary, and heart-breaking moments while out there. Stoney was with me through it all! We always called him "my number one son". He passed away on my chest while we were sleeping on Easter Sunday 1999. Everything I do is in dedication to his love, strength, humor, determination. He made me a better person and a better parent. He taught me compassion. And he touched other lives, as well. Our journey with his insulinoma is what led me to do what I've done for the other ferrets I've known.
I know Stoney is with me always. Sometimes, I see a sign of him, an extra bright and warm ray of sunlight, a breeze touching my skin, my son's smile, the twinkle in Alice's eye as she grabs my slipper. In the love that I can share with those dearest to me.
We had Gadget, Dale, and Switch. Silver was a young ferret that I paid $20 for. He obviously had adrenal cancer with hair loss, but he was not going to get the help he needed. We had the surgery done to remove the cancer, and he was adopted by one of my step-mom's students. He stayed in touch with my step-mom and would give her updates on how Silver and his other ferret were doing.
Bouncy went to school for awhile. He was deaf and that led him to not knowing how hard he was biting. Working with deaf ferrets is challenging, but only because they can go for a long time without being diagnosed. Being deaf made him the perfect pet for a class of rowdy 10 yo's! After a couple years, he retired as well. Her kids still contact her and ask about the ferrets. During that time, Bouncy also had insulinoma, but we maintained him on diet and minimal meds. He had no problems, until his last couple of months. He was eight when he passed away.
These were some of the ferrets that I've been blessed to know. I still miss them, I remember them all and will see them again one day.
Two other ferrets are the ones who changed my life. Rikki, my first ferret. Before him, I had no idea of the bond that exists between us and our ferrets. I had dogs that were a part of me, guardian and friend, and I had my horse who was my mother and best friend in so many ways. But even those bonds pale in comparison to how connected I've been with my ferrets. Stoney is my soul. He passed away from insulinoma in 1999. we were always on the same wavelength. we didn't need words or proximity to know exactly what was going on with the other. My ex-husband became a believer in the psychic connection we had after witnessing it so many times. Stoney, and all of his little two pounds, would take on monsters for me! When I was in a bad situation, he'd be there, tail bottle-brushed and fluffed up, teeth ready. Suddenly, he'd be twenty foot tall and spitting lightening! I was an over the road truck driver with my ex-husband during this time. I experienced many bizarre, scary, and heart-breaking moments while out there. Stoney was with me through it all! We always called him "my number one son". He passed away on my chest while we were sleeping on Easter Sunday 1999. Everything I do is in dedication to his love, strength, humor, determination. He made me a better person and a better parent. He taught me compassion. And he touched other lives, as well. Our journey with his insulinoma is what led me to do what I've done for the other ferrets I've known.
I know Stoney is with me always. Sometimes, I see a sign of him, an extra bright and warm ray of sunlight, a breeze touching my skin, my son's smile, the twinkle in Alice's eye as she grabs my slipper. In the love that I can share with those dearest to me.