From:
Sukie Crandall
Date: 2003-01-31 20:02:49 UTC
Subject: Update on Scooter
To: ferrethealth@smartgroups.com
Message-Id: <a05210201ba6085415012@[10.0.1.15]>
Well, it looks like it was Scooter's malformed stomach that took him.
His last (fourth) stomach surgery was only 4 and 1/2 months ago and
at that point it was already taking him over 10 hours to empty his
stomach, motility was that bad. On necropsy he was again full of
fur-balls (after the one he'd passed intestinally), he was fully
blocked, and his stomach was full of blood and terribly distended.
Our vet thinks that he may have lost motility completely or at least
it worsened even more. He had what may be an insulinoma, too, but he
had not shown any insulinoma symptoms till that night. Our vet said
it really was time, that he didn't think that a fifth stomach
surgery, esp. this close to the last, would have given him much, if
any, time. That malformation just finally caught up with him.
Scooter was our little guy who came here with deformities and had to
go through 6 surgeries due to them. He's one of the little ones
whose situation caused us to sew covers over fake sheep's fleece and
over fake fur on the bedding.
Our vet went the extra mile; he came here after midnight in a snow
and ice storm which made the roads slick, a drive which takes about
an hour in good weather, arranging for the other vet to cover in the
meantime, since he was on call at the hospital, and we set up
emergency care on the dining room table, with IV hanging from the
candleabra, and us helping place the IV catheter (which was hard,
given Tootie's low blood pressure but with a cut-down it worked on
the first try), and so on. We brought out a folding cage and left
the top open for his IV and the door (large) toward us so the set-up
was perfect for him, at least. It's just that his body didn't have a
chance any longer. At the end he just wanted to be held and that is
how he passed, in my arms. He went just shy of 6 years and most of
that time was good time due to a lot of care and good surgery.
I wanted to wait before I said what happened because we needed to
know what he looked like at necropsy, but both of the times our vet
tried to tell us he was interrupted by emergency surgeries, so we
learned today, which is only right. The information for us could
wait, but the animals in need could not. Pathology is being done, of
course. Maybe both Scooter and Sevie have things to teach which will
help other ferrets, Scooter with his malformation, and Sevie, having
lasted 7 good months with her Level 3 A/V Heart Node Block.