Farewell Duncan
This has to very quick because I'm flying to San Diego in an hour or so.
I was going to post a humorous video of Duncan stealing tampons (qty 16) and packing peanuts (about a saucepan full). However, I've been forbidden to do so in the wake of his death.
Please don't comment to say you're sorry to hear the news. In my experience I'm perfectly fine until someone expresses condolences.
Two days ago he was acting lethargic. I didn't think much of it (I never do) until Tery came home and was concerned. He reluctantly drank water, only to vomit it all up again. Not good. We figured he had an obstruction and Tery was going to bring him in for an x-ray the next day. We've had ferrets with obstructions before and always had time to get it treated. Duncan was so healthy and strong we thought we had plenty of time.
Not so. We found him the next morning. We suspect now he might have had a bowel perforation based on the suddenness of it, and if so he wouldn't have had a chance even with hospital care. Tery took it very badly, blaming herself, insane with grief. I cried a bit, but truthfully, I felt a bit relieved. When I said he was the worst behaved of all our ferrets, that wasn't an idle statement. Utterly resistant to training, refusing to heed us when we tried to stop him from doing something dangerous, completely incorrigible (and not in a cute, rascally way) -- in my opinion, it was only a matter of time before tragedy fell. Either that, or he'd live to be 20 just because he was such a bastard.
Don't comment to say you're sorry, because I'm not. All of our other ferrets have been sweet, adorably sweet and lovable -- every last one a poster child for what great pets ferrets are. Duncan I think would have always been just a little bit wild, a little bit unpredictable, no matter how hard we tried. No, I don't think he deserved to die because of this, but the fact of the matter is if we hadn't come along, he would have been put to sleep as unsellable at the store so we gave him a short time in a good home at least.
On that note, I begin my vacation.
I was going to post a humorous video of Duncan stealing tampons (qty 16) and packing peanuts (about a saucepan full). However, I've been forbidden to do so in the wake of his death.
Please don't comment to say you're sorry to hear the news. In my experience I'm perfectly fine until someone expresses condolences.
Two days ago he was acting lethargic. I didn't think much of it (I never do) until Tery came home and was concerned. He reluctantly drank water, only to vomit it all up again. Not good. We figured he had an obstruction and Tery was going to bring him in for an x-ray the next day. We've had ferrets with obstructions before and always had time to get it treated. Duncan was so healthy and strong we thought we had plenty of time.
Not so. We found him the next morning. We suspect now he might have had a bowel perforation based on the suddenness of it, and if so he wouldn't have had a chance even with hospital care. Tery took it very badly, blaming herself, insane with grief. I cried a bit, but truthfully, I felt a bit relieved. When I said he was the worst behaved of all our ferrets, that wasn't an idle statement. Utterly resistant to training, refusing to heed us when we tried to stop him from doing something dangerous, completely incorrigible (and not in a cute, rascally way) -- in my opinion, it was only a matter of time before tragedy fell. Either that, or he'd live to be 20 just because he was such a bastard.
Don't comment to say you're sorry, because I'm not. All of our other ferrets have been sweet, adorably sweet and lovable -- every last one a poster child for what great pets ferrets are. Duncan I think would have always been just a little bit wild, a little bit unpredictable, no matter how hard we tried. No, I don't think he deserved to die because of this, but the fact of the matter is if we hadn't come along, he would have been put to sleep as unsellable at the store so we gave him a short time in a good home at least.
On that note, I begin my vacation.