Post by Forum Administrator on Aug 4, 2009 5:37:54 GMT -5
Hey guys its, Giuli! Remember me? I'm so sorry to have fallen out of existence recently. Life has been absolutely NUTSO! I'll give a basic rundown of whats been going on:
1. As you know my newest addition, Midas, and my oldest ferret, Mizu weren't getting along. Its even possible that Mizu was the cause of Midas's collapsed lung and subsequent hospital stay shortly after I got him. Well a week or so ago I rehomed Midas to a WONDERFUL family because Mizu kept beating the bejeezus out of Midas. Midey was so terrified of being beaten up that he wouldn't even come out of his cage when it was time for free roam.
He is so sensitive and a lover, not a fighter. I couldn't stand to see him like this, he is only 5 months old and deserved to not be terrified and beaten up on a daily basis. Despite my best efforts, Mizu WOULD NOT accept Midas, and I was forced to seperate them. Unfourtunately in an apartment as small as mine, its very hard to give the ferrets adequate time out when they need to be let out seperately.
I adopted Midas out to Jon (a new member on the forum) he and his wife have 11 other ferrets and their home is basically a two story ferret palace!
While I was thrilled to find a wonderful home for Midas, it was very hard to give him up. I had to do what was best for Midey though, and I know in my heart it was the right thing to do.
2. My papillon, Copernicus is going in for bilateral medial luxating patella repairs on Thursday. Basically his kneecaps pop out of place and do so frequently, causing him pain and imparing his movement. He is only 10 months old. He's been expericing a marked increase in imobility and pain these last 2 months, so after discussing with his doctor what the best course of action would be, he recommended surgery. Without surgery, Copernicus will most likely develop arthritis very early in life. I don't want to cause him any thing like that, so we will be repairing his knees so he can have the most pain-free future possible.
I will be present for the surgery because not only do I work in the vet clinic where it will be taking place, but I am also a pre-vet student (as many of you know) and it will be a good learning experience for me. I'm not worried about the surgery, its the 6 WEEKS post-op that I'm concearned with. He will need to be kept quiet as possible and that will be a nightmare.
3. This past month I realized that Fugue, my 1.5 year old male ferret has been coughing, sneezing, and wheezing. I took him to my work (where his vet is) and he was diagnosed with an upper respitory infection. He was put on clavamox (antibiotic) and quickly recovered from the infection.
However, while at the vet we noticed two things: 1. His weight has drastically decreased in the past six months and 2. The hairloss on the vet tip of his tail has slowly progressed up the tail and he is shedding all over. In addition, he's been having frequent loose stools and ocassional vommiting. We performed an x-ray to check for a possible obstruction in the intestines, and none was found. We also did a full blood panel, an adrenal panel to be sent out to the University of Tennesee, and a fecal check.
It turns out that no parasites are present in his stool to be causing the runny stool. Mizu, my other ferret has completely normal poops, and has never in his life vommitted. As such, Dr. Weltig does not feel that Fugue is sick because of his food. Fugue's bloodwork came back unremarkable, nothing out of the ordinary except for a VERY low blood glucose of 54 mg/dL. Well we rechecked his glucose levels when he had been fasting (90 mg/dL and after he'd been fed 150 mg/dL) so thankfully we can rule out any fear of insulinoma.
At this point Dr. Weltig is suspecting several things:
1. Fugues hairloss could either be adrenal related (we wont know for sure until we get back the results of the adrenal panel, which should be in any day now). or it could be related to another issues (malnutrition/absorbtion issues).
2. The chronic runny stool, occasional vommitting, increased lethargy, and weightloss could either be a symptom of IBD or Helicobactor Mustalae. The only was to diagnose these two conditions is through biopsy of the stomach or and the large intestine. This will require surgery.
In the last week Fugue has had a VERY bad flare up, vomitting up almost everything he eats and having explosive, mucoid diarhea. I was instructed to discontinue the clavamox from the upper respitory infection because a.) He's fully recovered and no longer needs it b.)Its obviously not helping his gi issues and c.)Its possible this gi flare up could partially from the clavamox upsetting his stomach.
Dr. Weltig says that if Fugue is still having really bad runny stool on Thursday (when Copee goes in for his surgery) to bring him in so we can give him a vitamin b12 injection, fluids, and so we can perform the surgery needed to obtain the stomach and intestine biopsies.
He obviously is not feeling well, though he is not critical. I am keeping him well hydrated through a mix of pedialyte and water, and I'm also feeding him a blend of pureed raw chicken and beef.
Thursday is going to be a big day because two of my animals will be in surgery.
Now, even though I am blessed to work in a vet clinic and get a discount, the combinded cost of all the x-rays, bloodwork, medication for Fugue and the surgeries for Fugue and Mizu will be roughtly $2,200-2,500. Tim and I are already very strained financially. We have alot of debt we are working to pay off. In order to afford all the diagnostics and surgeries I had to cancel my cable and internet, my car insurance (and thus the cost to fill my car with gas), and my gas (hot water). I haven't been online recently because I am now working three 12 hour shifts at the vet clinic Fri-Sun 6pm-6am and then I now have a part time job working three 10 hour shifts at a local clothing store on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday.
I haven't had much time to get on here because of my crazy work schedule. Because I no longer have internet in my home I have to have Tim (my boyfriend) drive me to the library or to my parent's house. He also works 2 jobs so the chance to do this is rare.
I am so sorry I didn't have a chance to post on what was going on or where I was. I am sorry to worry anyone. I want to say thank you so much to Heather and all the mentors and moddies for doing your part to keep the forum going.
I know there are alot of things that need to be attended to around the forum, but unfourtunately it could be a little while before I have the time to tend to these needs. I will be doing the best I can in the coming weeks to squeeze in some time to work on the forum.
In the mean time, I am giving Heather permission to officially "graduate" people (if she hasn't already been doing so out of necessity).
I hope to get back on my feet both financially and emotionally asap. I'm in a bit of a pickle but I know I'll make it through. My main concearn is over Fugue (Copernicus's knee surgery recovery will suck, but after 6 weeks he'll be out of the woods and hopefully free of any future issues).
I miss you guys a ton and would love to stay in touch with ya'll when I have a free moment. Since I won't have readily available internet access for a while, you can PM me for my cell number (if you don't already have it). Feel free to call or text at any time, especially the mentors and mods, and heather. If you need a question answered about the forum, etc I can certainly help ya if you text me or leave a message. I'll be sure to return your call or text between shifts, or if you require a more lengthy conversation, we can set up a time when I am free to chat.
I can't say for sure when I'll be back on the forum in full force but rest assured I will be doing all that I can to get back on asap.
Please keep Copee and Fugue in your thoughts, I'll be keeping all of you guys in mine. I can't wait to be back at "home" on the forum, and I'll keep on truckin' until I get to the point when I can be back full time.
Hugs,
-G
1. As you know my newest addition, Midas, and my oldest ferret, Mizu weren't getting along. Its even possible that Mizu was the cause of Midas's collapsed lung and subsequent hospital stay shortly after I got him. Well a week or so ago I rehomed Midas to a WONDERFUL family because Mizu kept beating the bejeezus out of Midas. Midey was so terrified of being beaten up that he wouldn't even come out of his cage when it was time for free roam.
He is so sensitive and a lover, not a fighter. I couldn't stand to see him like this, he is only 5 months old and deserved to not be terrified and beaten up on a daily basis. Despite my best efforts, Mizu WOULD NOT accept Midas, and I was forced to seperate them. Unfourtunately in an apartment as small as mine, its very hard to give the ferrets adequate time out when they need to be let out seperately.
I adopted Midas out to Jon (a new member on the forum) he and his wife have 11 other ferrets and their home is basically a two story ferret palace!
While I was thrilled to find a wonderful home for Midas, it was very hard to give him up. I had to do what was best for Midey though, and I know in my heart it was the right thing to do.
2. My papillon, Copernicus is going in for bilateral medial luxating patella repairs on Thursday. Basically his kneecaps pop out of place and do so frequently, causing him pain and imparing his movement. He is only 10 months old. He's been expericing a marked increase in imobility and pain these last 2 months, so after discussing with his doctor what the best course of action would be, he recommended surgery. Without surgery, Copernicus will most likely develop arthritis very early in life. I don't want to cause him any thing like that, so we will be repairing his knees so he can have the most pain-free future possible.
I will be present for the surgery because not only do I work in the vet clinic where it will be taking place, but I am also a pre-vet student (as many of you know) and it will be a good learning experience for me. I'm not worried about the surgery, its the 6 WEEKS post-op that I'm concearned with. He will need to be kept quiet as possible and that will be a nightmare.
3. This past month I realized that Fugue, my 1.5 year old male ferret has been coughing, sneezing, and wheezing. I took him to my work (where his vet is) and he was diagnosed with an upper respitory infection. He was put on clavamox (antibiotic) and quickly recovered from the infection.
However, while at the vet we noticed two things: 1. His weight has drastically decreased in the past six months and 2. The hairloss on the vet tip of his tail has slowly progressed up the tail and he is shedding all over. In addition, he's been having frequent loose stools and ocassional vommiting. We performed an x-ray to check for a possible obstruction in the intestines, and none was found. We also did a full blood panel, an adrenal panel to be sent out to the University of Tennesee, and a fecal check.
It turns out that no parasites are present in his stool to be causing the runny stool. Mizu, my other ferret has completely normal poops, and has never in his life vommitted. As such, Dr. Weltig does not feel that Fugue is sick because of his food. Fugue's bloodwork came back unremarkable, nothing out of the ordinary except for a VERY low blood glucose of 54 mg/dL. Well we rechecked his glucose levels when he had been fasting (90 mg/dL and after he'd been fed 150 mg/dL) so thankfully we can rule out any fear of insulinoma.
At this point Dr. Weltig is suspecting several things:
1. Fugues hairloss could either be adrenal related (we wont know for sure until we get back the results of the adrenal panel, which should be in any day now). or it could be related to another issues (malnutrition/absorbtion issues).
2. The chronic runny stool, occasional vommitting, increased lethargy, and weightloss could either be a symptom of IBD or Helicobactor Mustalae. The only was to diagnose these two conditions is through biopsy of the stomach or and the large intestine. This will require surgery.
In the last week Fugue has had a VERY bad flare up, vomitting up almost everything he eats and having explosive, mucoid diarhea. I was instructed to discontinue the clavamox from the upper respitory infection because a.) He's fully recovered and no longer needs it b.)Its obviously not helping his gi issues and c.)Its possible this gi flare up could partially from the clavamox upsetting his stomach.
Dr. Weltig says that if Fugue is still having really bad runny stool on Thursday (when Copee goes in for his surgery) to bring him in so we can give him a vitamin b12 injection, fluids, and so we can perform the surgery needed to obtain the stomach and intestine biopsies.
He obviously is not feeling well, though he is not critical. I am keeping him well hydrated through a mix of pedialyte and water, and I'm also feeding him a blend of pureed raw chicken and beef.
Thursday is going to be a big day because two of my animals will be in surgery.
Now, even though I am blessed to work in a vet clinic and get a discount, the combinded cost of all the x-rays, bloodwork, medication for Fugue and the surgeries for Fugue and Mizu will be roughtly $2,200-2,500. Tim and I are already very strained financially. We have alot of debt we are working to pay off. In order to afford all the diagnostics and surgeries I had to cancel my cable and internet, my car insurance (and thus the cost to fill my car with gas), and my gas (hot water). I haven't been online recently because I am now working three 12 hour shifts at the vet clinic Fri-Sun 6pm-6am and then I now have a part time job working three 10 hour shifts at a local clothing store on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday.
I haven't had much time to get on here because of my crazy work schedule. Because I no longer have internet in my home I have to have Tim (my boyfriend) drive me to the library or to my parent's house. He also works 2 jobs so the chance to do this is rare.
I am so sorry I didn't have a chance to post on what was going on or where I was. I am sorry to worry anyone. I want to say thank you so much to Heather and all the mentors and moddies for doing your part to keep the forum going.
I know there are alot of things that need to be attended to around the forum, but unfourtunately it could be a little while before I have the time to tend to these needs. I will be doing the best I can in the coming weeks to squeeze in some time to work on the forum.
In the mean time, I am giving Heather permission to officially "graduate" people (if she hasn't already been doing so out of necessity).
I hope to get back on my feet both financially and emotionally asap. I'm in a bit of a pickle but I know I'll make it through. My main concearn is over Fugue (Copernicus's knee surgery recovery will suck, but after 6 weeks he'll be out of the woods and hopefully free of any future issues).
I miss you guys a ton and would love to stay in touch with ya'll when I have a free moment. Since I won't have readily available internet access for a while, you can PM me for my cell number (if you don't already have it). Feel free to call or text at any time, especially the mentors and mods, and heather. If you need a question answered about the forum, etc I can certainly help ya if you text me or leave a message. I'll be sure to return your call or text between shifts, or if you require a more lengthy conversation, we can set up a time when I am free to chat.
I can't say for sure when I'll be back on the forum in full force but rest assured I will be doing all that I can to get back on asap.
Please keep Copee and Fugue in your thoughts, I'll be keeping all of you guys in mine. I can't wait to be back at "home" on the forum, and I'll keep on truckin' until I get to the point when I can be back full time.
Hugs,
-G