Message Number: SG15399 | New FHL Archives Search
From: glenn_kelli@yahoo.com
Date: 2005-09-19 02:16:24 UTC
Subject: When is enough enough?
To: ferrethealth@smartgroups.com
Message-ID: <22279806.1127102702484.JavaMail.nobody@vanadium.smartgroups.com>

I wrote about a week ago about bringing Ashton home from the vet and wondering
why he was worse off than before I took him and if his meds could be the culprit.

He has come out of his whimpyness and is eating (soft food not kibble) on his own.
I am finishing his meds tomorrow. I am noticing that he still isn't quite as active as
he was and he puts himself back into his cage after running around for about 20
minutes. He still have his cough which concerns me. Basically, he is right where he
was before I took him to the vet but now I'm out $1,000.

The vet wants me to bring him back down to have a follow-up xray to see if he still
has the fluid in his chest and if the inflammation has gone down. I worry about the
stress that Ashton undergoes to make this trip and the poking and prodding and
xrays...only to tell me either, "yes he is doing good!", or "no he still has the mass so
here is more medicine, or we can put in a shunt or there isn't much we can do."

I guess my question is, when do you say enough is enough and just let our fuzzy
live his life out with out the painful surgery and uncomfortable forcing down of
gross tasting medicine.

Our animals can't tell us how they feel or what they want us to do for them, we can
only guess.

I love my Ashton to death, and it is so hard for me to decide what to do for him. I
stuggle with the loss of a loved one. It's hard for me to grasp the concept of them
going to a better place. All I see is that they won't be with me here on Earth in the
flesh only in spirit. I lost my dog of 12.5 years last December. I lost my ferret Loci
in January and my father died in April. Now I'm dealing with another sick young one
and it's taking its toll on me.

Who ever has had the patience to sit and read through all of my rambling, thank you
and I can only ask for some advice on what to do for my Ashton.

Kelli