From:
Richard Steele
Date: 2002-02-12 00:14:00 UTC
Subject: She died tonight
After all the supportive treatment and the horrible time the
vet had trying to keep her hydrated, and after I picked her up
to care for her during the night, and after I'd gotten to work
an hour late with her, she died once I'd had her with me for a
couple hours. She scared me so much too when I picked her up
from the vet. He had made it sound over the phone like she
was feeling a little better so I wasn't prepared for what I
got. She never moved more than just her head a little bit
after he put her in her crate, and the creepiest, scariest
thing was that she never so much as blinked. She was
breathing very shallowly and wimpering a little bit once in a
while. Around 7:15 or so her stomach seemed to come alive and
was gurgling and making it seem kind of like she had hiccups
combined with burps sort of. I feel reall awful that I wasn't
with her for her last minute or two. I got called away from
her by some students using the lab (I run the computer lab at
a college), and when I got back to her she wasn't breathing
anymore. I never get any water further than her tongue (which
she didn't move along with her mouth) tonight. And because
she was a biter and bit me recently and bit one of the techs,
she has to be sent to the state lab to be tested for rabies.
So we don't even get to bury her at all. I have her still in
the carrier in the truck (it's in the 30s tonight to help
because I couldn't bear to put her in my fridge or freezer) to
take her back in the morning which we were going to do no
matter what. And you know the real kicker? From the xrays
today it was determined that she is a he!!! But she'll always
be a little girl to me since that's how it was the whole time
we'd had her. I want to thank you all for your generous help
through all of this. Now I really only have one big problem
left with this. How in the world do I tell my husband?
Miranda
[ Moderator's note: Sympathy messages must be send privately. I am
sure that Miranda will appreciate your kind words. Simply select her
address -- rather than "reply -- at the FHL website
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Ferret-Health-list --Sukie ]