Post by josiesmom on Oct 10, 2010 13:26:33 GMT -5
This delayed eulogy in no way means Kosmo didn't deserve recognition - just that I can't type well to begin with, and when tears stream from my eyes - hunt and peck becomes impossible.
The Cosmos brought to me one pathetic hairless, skinny, discarded ferret. Found by a friend who fears ferrets but knew I loved them; he walked into her house one morning and thinking he was a rat she went after him with a broom. Her boyfriend heard her shrieks and the commotion and stopped her from beating him to death! He put him in a pet carrier with water and dog food and they called me.
Going to their house directly after work I met a most pathetic but friendly ferret. He had sparse fur left on his head, and straggles on his paws but the rest of him was bare skin. He was a great model for ferret anatomy as just about every bone was visible in his skinny little body.
My friend lives on the beach side in Daytona Beach, FL so wandering around without fur would have soon left him sun burned. They said he drank a LOT of water when they first put him in the carrier and eagerly chowed down on the kibble.
He was obviously an older ferret and adrenal but I took him in to give him at least a chance for better living until his final day. On the way home I got pulled over by a rookie cop claiming I was speeding! I know I wasn't. But this rookie must have been eager to write his first ticket. He shined his flashlight into my car and saw the skrawny hairless stinky animal in the travel cage hammock.
He grilled me about the ferret and clearly though I had been the animal's antagonist. I kept repeating that he was just found and I was rescuing him - but the rookie didn't agree. He called for back up!
The second officer arrived and shined his flashlight at key points of the car, my license, face and on the pathetic ferret. Went to confer with the rookie, then came back and inquired why was I driving a FORD when my registration said MERCURY. I was befuddled and informed him that a Mercury WAS made by FORD - what was the confusion? HE indicated the tailgate emblem said FORD and the VIN number related to a MERCURY. The emblem was NOT a manufacturer's badge- it was simply a 3-D sticker which I had applied! A Sticker left over from dressing up my FORD Ranger! In the end I got a ticket for speeding AND vehicle alteration!
They finally let me go and it was on the way home that the pathetic little ferret got christened Kosmo. Seemed like such a cosmic way that he came to me.
Kosmo had a great personality - at some point in his life he enjoyed cuddling with people. He never once offered to bite me. Instead he was very quick to give kisses! I bathed him gently in warm water and he tolerated that well. His claws needed serious trimming and he needed good vittles!
At the time I was offering refuge to another forlorn female ferret Mimsy so had some kibble on hand. He dove into the food dish and over the next few days I offered him raw minced bits, soups and kibble mix. It wasn't long at all before Kosmo was showing a definite preference for the meaty items and soon began ignoring the kibble.
The power of a raw diet is magical and Kosmo's metamorphosis was well under way with his fur coming back and muscles rebuilding and his frame fleshing back out by the time I got him scheduled in to the vet three weeks later.
The new vet was a bit reluctant to just simply start him on meds and wanted to do tests, but after more perseverance and a couple more visits I finally got him started on Predisolone and Melatonin. These two drugs are commonly offered to ferrets exhibiting Kosmo's symptoms and he responded well to them. But the drugs are just a band aid- they do NOT stop the insidious internal onslaught ravaging their tiny bodies from a lifetime of poor housing, poor diet and being totally misunderstood. Its a tribute to their innate good nature and survival skills that ferrets live as long as they do on the crap they are given!
October 26, 2009 is when Kosmo came into my heart and home. He gained a friend to snuggle with in Mimsy,
but when she passed on he lost ground too and I spent many nights comforting him and feeding him soups to encourage him to go on. He rallied and regained his weight becoming a 2 1/2 pound ferret!
Kosmo went on shopping excursions, picking out toys and treats, meeting other people and kids. he enjoyed night time excursions in the cool grass and war danced, dooking and chuckling.
After Mimsy left he never did buddy up to any other ferrets; instead he would yell at them and take the offensive if they strayed too close to his snoozing spot.
He really didn't like being caged so I set him up in a soft sider play pen. He got monthly Lupron injections and Melatonin implants at 3 month intervals. His Prednisolone was bumped up once. At the end of July he began to get loose stools and wasn't that interested in eating. So soups became a nightly offering. He still chewed on dried chicken breast and N-bones but his intake was decidedly waning. The soups worked their magic though and he put on some weight again, but the next several vet visits he hovered at 2lbs. Not too bad for a ferret guesstimated to be 5 to 7 years old.
But eventually Kosmo ate even less and less of his raw offerings preferring only soup. I offered dry kibbles and wet kibbles thinking maybe this might trigger familiar old habits and memorie - but all kibble went untouched. I began hand feeding him which he obliged me by eating whenever I offered a soup covered finger.
There was no denying he was drawing closed his curtain. Sept 18, 2010 we went to the vet's again along with other ferrets. He had been losing weght, his coat was getting coarse. Any food he took in came out practically in the same form. His system was failing and I knew it - still one small voice in me was trying to say save him- save him.
Kosmo's normal reaction to a vet visit was one of curiosity and eagerness to be on another adventure. He travelled in a soft sider carrier and I'd open its top so he could look around and come out to visit folks in the waiting room. This day he merely sat up, took a sniff looked up at me then laid back down and let out a HUGE sigh! I choked up as I knew he was telling me, "It's O.K. Mom I want to go on my biggest adventure now."
I discussed Kosmo's turn of events with the vet and that i did NOT want to drag him on and on until he became skin and bones, couldn't get to his litter pan and began excreting upon himself - losing all dignity. Already he was having balance issues when in the litter pan and his self grooming had fallen by the way side. Their scales showed he'd dropped 8 ounces since his last visit. As his caretaker I feel it IS my responsibility to let him go with his dignity intact and still looking relatively well.
I cried over him, spoke to him, held him and he reached up to give me his final kiss. Farewell Kosmo you are now a bright star on my horizon always in my heart and ever will be a testament to the healing power of a raw diet. It was a joy to watch you become a true ferret and see you really enjoy life for just several more months. Only 11 months - but so much life lived in those months. Thank you for brightening my life dear Kosmo - have fun on your grand adventure! Say hello to Josie, Fozzy, Faylene and Mimzy for me.
The Cosmos brought to me one pathetic hairless, skinny, discarded ferret. Found by a friend who fears ferrets but knew I loved them; he walked into her house one morning and thinking he was a rat she went after him with a broom. Her boyfriend heard her shrieks and the commotion and stopped her from beating him to death! He put him in a pet carrier with water and dog food and they called me.
Going to their house directly after work I met a most pathetic but friendly ferret. He had sparse fur left on his head, and straggles on his paws but the rest of him was bare skin. He was a great model for ferret anatomy as just about every bone was visible in his skinny little body.
My friend lives on the beach side in Daytona Beach, FL so wandering around without fur would have soon left him sun burned. They said he drank a LOT of water when they first put him in the carrier and eagerly chowed down on the kibble.
He was obviously an older ferret and adrenal but I took him in to give him at least a chance for better living until his final day. On the way home I got pulled over by a rookie cop claiming I was speeding! I know I wasn't. But this rookie must have been eager to write his first ticket. He shined his flashlight into my car and saw the skrawny hairless stinky animal in the travel cage hammock.
He grilled me about the ferret and clearly though I had been the animal's antagonist. I kept repeating that he was just found and I was rescuing him - but the rookie didn't agree. He called for back up!
The second officer arrived and shined his flashlight at key points of the car, my license, face and on the pathetic ferret. Went to confer with the rookie, then came back and inquired why was I driving a FORD when my registration said MERCURY. I was befuddled and informed him that a Mercury WAS made by FORD - what was the confusion? HE indicated the tailgate emblem said FORD and the VIN number related to a MERCURY. The emblem was NOT a manufacturer's badge- it was simply a 3-D sticker which I had applied! A Sticker left over from dressing up my FORD Ranger! In the end I got a ticket for speeding AND vehicle alteration!
They finally let me go and it was on the way home that the pathetic little ferret got christened Kosmo. Seemed like such a cosmic way that he came to me.
Kosmo had a great personality - at some point in his life he enjoyed cuddling with people. He never once offered to bite me. Instead he was very quick to give kisses! I bathed him gently in warm water and he tolerated that well. His claws needed serious trimming and he needed good vittles!
At the time I was offering refuge to another forlorn female ferret Mimsy so had some kibble on hand. He dove into the food dish and over the next few days I offered him raw minced bits, soups and kibble mix. It wasn't long at all before Kosmo was showing a definite preference for the meaty items and soon began ignoring the kibble.
The power of a raw diet is magical and Kosmo's metamorphosis was well under way with his fur coming back and muscles rebuilding and his frame fleshing back out by the time I got him scheduled in to the vet three weeks later.
The new vet was a bit reluctant to just simply start him on meds and wanted to do tests, but after more perseverance and a couple more visits I finally got him started on Predisolone and Melatonin. These two drugs are commonly offered to ferrets exhibiting Kosmo's symptoms and he responded well to them. But the drugs are just a band aid- they do NOT stop the insidious internal onslaught ravaging their tiny bodies from a lifetime of poor housing, poor diet and being totally misunderstood. Its a tribute to their innate good nature and survival skills that ferrets live as long as they do on the crap they are given!
October 26, 2009 is when Kosmo came into my heart and home. He gained a friend to snuggle with in Mimsy,
but when she passed on he lost ground too and I spent many nights comforting him and feeding him soups to encourage him to go on. He rallied and regained his weight becoming a 2 1/2 pound ferret!
Kosmo went on shopping excursions, picking out toys and treats, meeting other people and kids. he enjoyed night time excursions in the cool grass and war danced, dooking and chuckling.
After Mimsy left he never did buddy up to any other ferrets; instead he would yell at them and take the offensive if they strayed too close to his snoozing spot.
He really didn't like being caged so I set him up in a soft sider play pen. He got monthly Lupron injections and Melatonin implants at 3 month intervals. His Prednisolone was bumped up once. At the end of July he began to get loose stools and wasn't that interested in eating. So soups became a nightly offering. He still chewed on dried chicken breast and N-bones but his intake was decidedly waning. The soups worked their magic though and he put on some weight again, but the next several vet visits he hovered at 2lbs. Not too bad for a ferret guesstimated to be 5 to 7 years old.
But eventually Kosmo ate even less and less of his raw offerings preferring only soup. I offered dry kibbles and wet kibbles thinking maybe this might trigger familiar old habits and memorie - but all kibble went untouched. I began hand feeding him which he obliged me by eating whenever I offered a soup covered finger.
There was no denying he was drawing closed his curtain. Sept 18, 2010 we went to the vet's again along with other ferrets. He had been losing weght, his coat was getting coarse. Any food he took in came out practically in the same form. His system was failing and I knew it - still one small voice in me was trying to say save him- save him.
Kosmo's normal reaction to a vet visit was one of curiosity and eagerness to be on another adventure. He travelled in a soft sider carrier and I'd open its top so he could look around and come out to visit folks in the waiting room. This day he merely sat up, took a sniff looked up at me then laid back down and let out a HUGE sigh! I choked up as I knew he was telling me, "It's O.K. Mom I want to go on my biggest adventure now."
I discussed Kosmo's turn of events with the vet and that i did NOT want to drag him on and on until he became skin and bones, couldn't get to his litter pan and began excreting upon himself - losing all dignity. Already he was having balance issues when in the litter pan and his self grooming had fallen by the way side. Their scales showed he'd dropped 8 ounces since his last visit. As his caretaker I feel it IS my responsibility to let him go with his dignity intact and still looking relatively well.
I cried over him, spoke to him, held him and he reached up to give me his final kiss. Farewell Kosmo you are now a bright star on my horizon always in my heart and ever will be a testament to the healing power of a raw diet. It was a joy to watch you become a true ferret and see you really enjoy life for just several more months. Only 11 months - but so much life lived in those months. Thank you for brightening my life dear Kosmo - have fun on your grand adventure! Say hello to Josie, Fozzy, Faylene and Mimzy for me.