Sandee has a new home! December 24, 2004

Left for Rainbow Bridge on August 04, 2005

Sandy, now known as Sandee, went to Bloomfield, NY with her dad after having been left here at the shelter August 29, 2004. Sandee is a dainty little Champaign girl that came here because her family had some life changes that did not include her. She is snug as a bug in her new dad's arms happy as any little ferret could be.

Update: August 04, 2005
Just spoke with Doc. Sandee has improved to the point where it is reasonably safe to attempt the surgery. So he will be operating later this afternoon. That's the good news. The bad news is, this is such a fast growing tumor I'm really worried that when he does go in, he won't be able to help her. I'll be a basket case by this afternoon. But I hope and pray it goes well. I'll let you know as soon as I hear anything.

2:53 PM
Sandee is gone. The tumor was even bigger than at first thought and all through her intestines, etc. Impossible to remove. So we decided to end her suffering. I will be going up tomorrow to pick her up for burial at home.

Update: August 03, 2005
Just talked with Docs office. Sandee is re-hydrated now and is taking the soup they are giving her ok, but still doesn't want to eat on her own. But she is moving around more, etc. She is steadily, but very slowly, showing improvement.

Update: August 01, 2005
Still no change. Doesn't seem worse, but not any better either. She's pooping and peeing, but in her blankets. She won't get up to go. She rouses when I touch her, so she remains conscious. Do you think it could be some sort of infection? I talked to a friend earlier this evening who had one act similarly, and it turned out to be an infection. They treated her with antibiotics and she was ok again.

No change in Sandee so far. She hasn't improved any since you saw her. I think you're right about it being more than a sugar attack. She should have perked up more by now if that's all it is. I'm having a real tough time getting soup into her. I manage to get maybe a half teaspoon in her at a time, then she just absolutely refuses to take more. She just isn't interested in eating. She is still conscious, but doesn't move around much unless you disturb her. She has been spending most of the time laying on my lap. I think her kidneys are still working a bit, cause she just peed on me. Her breathing is rapid and shallow. I guess all I can do is continue on the way I've been doing and hope she is still with us in the morning so I can take her to Docs.

Update: July 02, 2005
Sandee is doing great on the prednisone. She was war dancing and playing with the stick toy last night. And I haven't noticed any wobbliness at all lately.

Update: June 19, 2005
Sandee I think has shown a bit of improvement. Giving her the prednisone is no problem. I just put it in her soup. She seems a bit more active than she did before. Bandit however has been a real chore. I tried scruffing him (though I hate to do that unless absolutely necessary) and he still shakes his head and tosses most of the prednisone out on me. As I said on the phone, he won't eat soup on his own. I usually use those stainless steel dishes for that. But I tried your advice and put the soup on a flat plate, and so far it is working. He will eat the soup now. He won't eat a lot of it, so I have to portion it out smaller so that he gets the whole amount of prednisone. But it appears to be working. So once again, you have saved the day. Thanks. :-) Bandit still looks like hell, but even he is showing signs of improvement. He is a tiny bit more active. It breaks my heart to see him and Sandee this way. Sandee looks fine, she just isn't very active. But Bandit looks terrible. Hopefully Doc will have them both fixed up in a few days.

Update: June 16, 2005
I took Sandee to see our favorite Doc today and had a BG level done. She has been a bit wobbly from time to time. Unfortunately, the test results were as we suspected. Her BG level is 48, and she has Insulinoma. So Doc has put her on prednisone for two weeks and she goes back for surgery June 30th. Doc was very optimistic about the surgery, so hopefully all will turn out well. I will keep you posted on her progress.

Update: February 05, 2005
Sandee is fine. She was funny last night. Chance was laying on the couch and Sandee kept crawling all over him, digging in his hair, etc. He wasn't having much luck taking a nap. lol.

Update: January 3, 2005
Wish you could have seen Sandee ( I changed the spelling of her name to avoid confusion when chatting with several of my ferret friends who are named Sandy, lol ) last night. She was having a good time playing. I discovered she likes her tummy tickled. I tickled her and she rabbit kicked my hand, then jumped up and did a little war dance. A bit later she walked up and put her front paws on my leg, like she was asking to come up. I picked her up and she immediately got down, only to turn around and ask to get back up again. Then she kinda fell over on her back, on purpose. I finally figured out she was asking to have her tummy tickled again. lol. Of course I was more than happy to oblige. She is such a sweetheart.

Update: December 28, 2004
You'll never guess what Sandy did tonight. I got her out for playtime. I cuddled her a bit, then let her down to go exploring. A while later she curled up on my lap and went to sleep. lol. She slept on my lap for about 45 minutes. I had to wake her up to put her to bed. lol. It was cool.

Update: December 24, 2004
I tried to call you before you left for the day, but I must have been too late. Just wanted to let you know that Sandy has settled in just fine. I let her play in the ferret room while I prepared her cage, etc. She had a lot of fun exploring. When I went to get her to put her in her new cage, I found her fast asleep, down inside the soft, fleece play tube I bought from you this past summer. lol. I had to wake her up to put her in the cage. She is absolutely gorgeous. And she appears to be right at home here. I can't thank you and Linda enough. She's the best present I could ever have. I promise to take really good care of her. I hope you have a great Christmas, and I'll be talking to you soon. Bye for now.

Updated: June 06, 2005
PS - The kids are all fine. Sandee has everyone wrapped around her little paws, cause she's such a sweet little thing. lol.
Dale