Kyra's Medicines

I think this picture says it all. Twice a day!

Happy Gotcha Day Mokey

One year ago today I brought Mokey home from the GCFA to join our family. Let's see what she's been up to....

Climbing
Tunneling
Mischief (Putting elephants in her water dish)
More Climbing
More Mischief
Yet again - More Mischief (in the dishwasher at Grandma & Grandpa's)
Fun on Easter
Fun on Christmas
Fun in the Club House of Boxes
Playing Inside and Elephant, Inside a Laundry Basket
Playing with eggs in water in a basin
Playing With Her Sisters In A Box
Sleeping in Her Favorite Sweater
Going to the Pride Parade
Eating Scrumptious Dinners with Her Sisters
Choosing Videos (Looks like Mokey prefers Sci-Fi, fantasy, and Christmas)
All these adventures have worn Mokey out!

Happy Gotcha Day Mokey. We love you

Kyra Has Cancer - Again

Kyra was lethargic, barely able to walk , not eating, and starting to twitch when I took her to the vet this afternoon. I figured her blood sugar was low, and the honey and high protein food I gave her did not perk her up. Sure enough, her blood sugar level was 29. It should be around 100. She had also lost weight. The vet diagnosed her with insulinoma - or pancreatic cancer. She did have some good news, however, her speen has in fact shrunk a bit. But that really means nothing since she has pancreatic cancer anyway.

She's taking prednisone and brewers yeast to help attack the extra insulin and help release more sugar into her system. Although none of this was too successful tonight, as she refused to eat the food I offered her with the medicines hidden inside. So that got thrown out. Then I dumped the prednisone on myself. Then I had to force in the meds with a dropper which caused her to gag and spit most of it out. When I offered her food she was so pissed she wouldn't even eat the regular food. So she has half her meds and barely any food. But somehow she mustered enough energy to hide under the couch right when I was trying to put everyone in the cage so I could leave for work.

I had two jobs cancel on me this week, and one job doesn't need me for two weeks due to Christmas vacations. Good thing I'm working two jobs this weekend. I guess its sort of good since I was afraid I might actually die from being so tired this week. When I received a text at 6:30 this morning that my job was cancelled, I went right back to bed until almost 10. You know when you're so tired you can't think or remember what you are doing or why you are where you are, and you're afraid you may just fall asleep while standing up in the middle of work? Well, that's what was happening to me. So two cancelled jobs -good for my survival- not good for my pocket book, which just recently had to purchase a new lap top and vet bills. Vet bills win however, costing well above the price of a laptop - although I did buy the second cheapest laptop they had, right off the shelf too for an added discount to the already clearance price.

Watch & Wait Update

So I was looking at some pictures of the girls the other day, when I realized that when I adopted Mokey she was very skinny and had no hair on her tail - as she is now. The shelter told me she was healthy, it was just from living at the shelter. The pictures from two months later showed a fat, fluffy Mokey with a fully hairy tail. Mokey has been running around like her usual energetic self and eating really well. I think she does have that seasonal thing. As long as she is energetic and eating, I'm going to let her be and see if she is all fluffy again by February.

Now Kyra of course can't be that easy. Kyra seemed to get better and have more energy. But last night she was lethargic and when she tried to walk her legs kept splaying out. When I came home from work tonight she just laid in my lap. I called the vet and he thinks she may have insulinoma in addition to the enlarged spleen - which I can still feel in her side. He said to feed her and as long as she was responsive she should be fine. If she gets unresponsive I'm to rub some honey on her gums. I'm taking her to the vet tomorrow to get her blood sugar tested again. She may be put on steroids. Insulinoma is another very common ailment in older ferrets.

A Joyous Thanksmas

The girls and I spent Thanksmas (that's Thanksgiving and Christmas combined) at Grandma and Grandpa's. The girls were very good on the 6 hour drive over. Grandma had cleared a special space just for their new playpen. They were so good about playing in the pen and sleeping in their travel cage. They were allowed out sometimes for high energy running through the house play and romping in the bathroom. Aside from a few attacks on the houseplants, the girls were really well behaved. Grandma and Grandpa both remarked that the girls did not stress them out like they usually do. Good job girls and a special thanks to the new play pen!

Since it was Thanksmas, the girls got to open some presents too. Grandma and Grandpa got them a tweeting bird on a tree stand and a squeaking mouse. Kyra has claimed the mouse for her own and insists that it be stowed away safely under the couch. Now the couch randomly squeaks. Occasionally Mokey will attack the bird or push it across the floor with her nose.

I of course spent a great deal on the new playpen, but what type of mother would only give her little ones practical gifts. I got the girls a plastic hut and filled it with tissue paper for them to dig and shred to their little hearts content. And some new jingly balls. (Saving the rest for Christmas.)

Pictures of Freedom and Fun!

Playing in the Garden Tub

Nothing beats a dryer tube

Run! Run! Run!

Ferret Health: Watch & Wait

Kyra and Mokey are both under medical observation.

After shedding was completed, Mokey forgot to grow in her winter coat. She also got very thin. So Mokey, once referred to as Bear for her large size and fluffy coat, is now skinny and has no hair on her tail. I see her eat plenty and aside from sleeping in in the morning, she's still quite active. The vet suspects adrenal disease even though she is only 2 1/2 years old. It's also a possibility that she has Seasonal something, which is caused by artificial light confusing ferrets during the shedding season into thinking maybe it is not actually winter and so they don't grow their winter coat. And so we wait to see.

In the words of Arnold Schwarzenegger, "It is not a tuma." I discovered a lump in Kyra's left side the day after Thanksgiving. She has recently gained a lot of weight and is very fluffy. I was just remarking how healthy my little Kyra had become. Her coat is silky soft. I thought the weight was due to impending winter weather. However, I soon noticed she was walking a bit funny, and while still moving about, she wasn't running about. So I did a body check and found the lump. The vet determined through ex-ray that her spleen was enlarged. Its filling up with white blood cells for some infection that only it is aware of. So Kyra was given antibiotics and I am to observe and wait. Its pressing a bit on her pancreas, giving her slightly low blood sugar. If it shrinks back up - good. If it grows, she'll need surgery.

Both these test results are worth the grand total of two weeks pay. Yikes. And I'm supposed to bring them back in January to test again to see if anything has changed.

For now, I watch and wait.