Cadbury is an estimated 4-5 year old chocolate male. December 23, 1998.
Cadbury was among 47 dogs, 17 cats and assorted other animals taken in a raid at a rural Ohio home. Many of the animals were injured, sick and living in filth, and the owners have been charged with animal cruelty. Cadbury has been placed in temporary custody of the shelter pending the outcome of the court case. He has little muscle mass, a poor coat, and a large lump on the back of his head that the vet suspects is an osteosarcoma (bony tumor). But he is a gentle sweet boy, who loves the pile of soft tshirts he now sleeps in and all the new places to explore in the house. Entered shelter 10/29/98. For more details on the case, see Ferrets in Need.
Update 12/18/98: Cadbury has gotten a new softer coat, but the tumor on his head is growing at an alarming rate. I fear his prognosis is not good.
On December 23, Cadbury was put to sleep. In the previous few days, he had stopped eating on his own, could not use the litterbox, and finally, could not even hold himself up or walk without falling over.
Phoenix, July 12, 1998.
Pheonix, the Cleveland ferret, crossed the Rainbow Bridge after a brief but intense battle with an unknown virus. Several trips to the vet, subcutaneous fluids and force feeding could not keep him alive. He will be sorely missed, but the legacy of his life will live on.
Andre, May 19, 1998.
With heavy heart & many tears, I write this - My Andre the air ferret is gone. I only had Andre since September of last year but its seems like he had been around much much longer. He was my buddy. I was very close to him - we had a special bond. Andre was never healthy - for a long time he had to be force fed & then would only eat duck soup after he could eat on his own, but he had a mission. He had a to do list that had to be completed.
On his list he had to gain weight & look like a ferret again. He had to war-dance. He had to run through the tube. He had to play with the other ferrets. He had to eat hard food - no duck soup. He had to become the alpha-ferret & rule our little ferret kingdom. In the last month & a half, Andre had completed everything on his to do list. He was happy. Yesterday he checked off everything on his list & my little air ferret flew to the Rainbow Bridge. Farewell Andre!
- Laurie Long
Andre had one of the longest tails I've ever seen on a ferret, measuring in at over 8 1/2".
Lucie, 6 month old cinnamon jill. September 10, 1997, 9:15 pm EST.
Twice in 10 days is too hard to bear.
Bev got the call from a local pet shop just after lunch yesterday. They had two ferrets that were not doing well, 6 month old cinnamons, male and female. They were in an aquarium with pine shavings. The hob was thin and dehydrated, but not in immediate danger. But as soon as she picked up the female, Bev knew the little jill was in trouble. Her body was cold, she was all skin and bones.
Bev sat on the floor of the shop and gave her some duck soup, then took her straight to the vet. "I have an emergency" she told the receptionist. "I need to see Dr. Turner immediately." The vet responded with alacrity. He gave the ferret subcutaneous fluids 3 times during the afternoon, administered various med and ran several tests. Bev and the vet agreed she should take the little girl home for the night so she could be fed around the clock. They made arrangements to bring her back in the morning with one of Bev's big males for a blood donor if needed.
But despite best efforts, the little jill died at about 9:15 pm.
We named her Lucie, and buried her next to Sydney, under the redbud tree.
We named her brother Lucky, and he seems to be doing better, eating a little duck soup, and munching on a few pieces of food. We will try to find him a cagemate so he won't be too lonely. Perhaps Bonnie, who recently lost her Clyde.
Syndey was a sable male, about 3 years old. September 1, 1997, 7pm EST.
Bev had the message on her machine, but she was out of town, so she asked me to pick the ferret up. Apparently, the landlord had found the ferret, without food and water, abandoned by his departing tenants. He took the ferret home, put it on the back porch, gave him food and water, but he was not eating and seemed to be going downhill fast. I don't know how long the ferret had been left in the apartment, or how long the landlord had him.
As soon as I picked him up, I knew he was dying. His sable body was cold to the touch and he was pitifully thin. He whimpered briefly as if in pain. The landlord had a syringe and told me there was a nearby drug store where I could get pedialyte. He thought perhaps if I could get some fluids in him, the little guy might be ok.
I gave the ferret a couple cc's of water from the syringe. He struggled a bit at first, then swallowed a few times. The evening air was getting cool, so I snuggled him against my body.
The man said something about putting him back in the cage and putting it (a somewhat rusted 2-story wire cage) in the car. I said no, I had a carrier I would put the ferret in. We can just dump the litterbox and stuff and put the cage sideways in the back seat.
I headed to my car to put the ferret in the carrier, and thought maybe I could get him to take a little more water. It was then I realized he was dead. I had been holding him for less than a minute.
I didn't cry until I got home and told my daughter he was dead. We washed his body, trimmed his very long nails and wrapped him in a clean soft tshirt. We named him Sydney after Sydney Carton in A Tale of Two Cities, and buried him under the little redbud tree in the backyard.
"It is a far, far better resting place I go to than I have ever known."
Beavis belonged to an Elyria Ohio family. He escaped from his cage and the garage and wandered into the neighbor's yard were he reportedly nipped the neighbor. Beavis had a valid rabies vaccination, but the Lorain County Health Department insisted on kill and test. The results were of course, negative. August 25, 1997. See the Update, below.
Photo from Mentor OH News Herald. Poem written by Cocoa's owner.
Cocoa was a sable male ferret from Lake County Ohio. His owner allowed him to roam in her card shop. On August 16, 1997, Cocoa reportedly bit a customer. Although Cocoa had a valid rabies vaccination, he was put to death by the Lake County Health Department to be tested for rabies. August 21, 1997. See the Update, below.
A Tribute to CocoaYou were curious and playful
At the young age if three
And naughty at times
As ferrets can beBut you had many friends
Both young and old
Who stopped in the shop
Just to say "hello"Today many are angry
And many are sad
And many are asking "Why?"
Why- you had to die.
Felipe was a 6 year old dark ruby eyed white male, given up reluctantly to NCFS by his owner. He was a very mild mannered ferret who loved to be cuddled and got around quite well although he was both deaf and blind. Felipe was diagnosed with insulinoma and treated with Pediapred. He did quite well for a while, but suffered sudden seizures from which he did not recover. June 25, 1997.
Kodo was a 1 year old ferret, incarcerated May 2, 1997, in Animal Control Jail in Bay County Michigan after his tooth brushed against a man's knuckle, causing it to bleed slightly. Although Kodo had all the proper vaccinations, and his family went to court to try to have him released, he was executed by the state of Michigan on June 12. The test for rabies was negative. His family fought for his life, and are continuing the fight for the safety of ferrets everywhere. Join people all around the world who are working to establish quarantine laws for ferrets. Help prevent this from happening to YOUR beloved ferret. Visit Kodo's page for more information.
Update: In November 1997, the National Association of State Public Health Veterinarians voted to recommend the same 10-day quarantine period in ferret bite cases as is allowed for dogs and cats. Many states, including Ohio, have agreed to abide by the new recommendations.
Mister was an 8+ year old DEW hob that came to NCFS in summer of 1996. He lived outside in summer and in a garage in winter, and was fed grocery store cat food. His lifelong mate, Misses, died from cancer some time ago. Mister was very weak in the hindquarters and had suffered several seizures. Tests showed very low blood glucose. He was started on Prednisone and a special high protein diet, and showed remarkable improvement and a high activity level for such an old fellow. After several months, however, his health deteriorated rapidly. January 5, 1997.
Stinky, a sable, had been in residence at NCFS since January 1996. He was about 7 years old and had multiple health problems, including cardiomyapothy, and was treated with multiple medications. He was a wonderful lap ferret. January 5, 1997.
Ellie was a 5 year old sable female, brought into NCFS by her owners who could not keep her anymore. A quick exam showed multiple lumps in her abdomen. She was taken to the vet for surgery, where many large turmors were found. She did not wake up. October 10, 1996.
Schnitzel was found in someone's basement by NCFS. He was a short round siamese sable, about 6 months old, so he was named him after a sausage. He was covered in ticks. He was neutered and given a distemper shot. Two weeks later, he started showing classic signs of distemper. He survived for almost a month while we hoped we were wrong, but finally he had to be euthanized. August 23, 1996.