Message Number: SG15400 | New FHL Archives Search
From: sukiec@optonline.net
Date: 2005-09-19 04:17:34 UTC
Subject: RE: When is enough enough?
To: ferrethealth@smartgroups.com
Message-ID: <2711292.1127103454219.JavaMail.root@thallium.smartgroups.com>

It sounds like you are asking when a person knows if the QUALITY of a ferret's life is better with or without certain procedures, medicines, or intervention.

What makes that so hard to answer in the case of your little one is that there is not a firm diagnosis so it is not possible to weigh things.

Like anyone else, we have run into both situations, though usually in the 24 years we have had ferrets in the family the ones we have encountered have been ones where the medicines provided quality and sometimes also quantity of life. Remember that proportionally each year of quality time gained is like 10 years of quality life gained for human. Is each individual fortunate enough to be able to be helped? Sadly, no. Sadly there are also times when a mercy shot is the best approach.

It seems like you don't have enough information to know either way yet, though. For instance, if your little one wound up with heartworms the situation could be quite different from dilative cardiomyopathy, or with a lung infection it may depend on what type of organism is infecting.

What has been tested for so far?

End of ferrethealth Digest
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