The Rainbow Bridge

Just this side of Heaven is a place called Rainbow Bridge.

When an animal dies that has been especially close to someone here, that pet goes to Rainbow Bridge. There are meadows and hills for all of our special friends so they can run and play together. There is plenty of food and water and sunshine, and our friends are warm and comfortable. All the animals who had been ill and old are restored to health and vigor; those who were hurt or maimed are made whole and strong again, just as we remember them in our dreams of days and times gone by.

The animals are happy and content, except for one small thing: they miss someone very special to them; who had to be left behind.

They all run and play together, but the day comes when one suddenly stops and looks into the distance. The bright eyes are intent; the eager body quivers. Suddenly he begins to break away from the group, flying over the green grass, his legs carrying him faster and faster. YOU have been spotted, and when you and your special friend finally meet, you cling together in joyous reunion, never to be parted again. The happy kisses rain upon your face; your hands again caress the beloved head, and you look once more into the trusting eyes of your pet, so long gone from your life but never absent from your heart.

Then you cross Rainbow Bridge together ...

~Author Unknown~

**

The Last Battle

If it should be that I grow frail and weak
And pain should keep me from my sleep,
Then will you do what must be done,
For this -- the last battle -- can't be won.

You will be sad I understand,
But don't let grief then stay your hand,
For on this day, more than the rest,
Your love and friendship must stand the test.

We have had so many happy years,
You wouldn't want me to suffer so.
When the time comes, please, let me go.
Take me to where to my needs they'll tend,
Only, stay with me till the end.

And hold me firm and speak to me
Until my eyes no longer see.
I know in time you will agree
It is a kindness you do to me.

Although my tail its last has waved,
From pain and suffering I have been saved.
Don't grieve that it must be you
Who has to decide this thing to do;

We've been so close -- we two -- these years,
Don't let your heart hold any tears.

~Author Unknown~

Rory was received from a family here in Port St. John.  They had rescued her along with two other ferrets from a person who had been hoarding ferrets in nearby Canaveral Groves.  Rory was kept outdoors in a cage with the others who had since passed away.

Rory was somewhat timid with other ferrets here at Dookie's House and was unsure of Pat for several days.  She was soon adopted into a wonderful, ferret-smart home by Sandi and Tony of Melbourne to become a playmate with their three cute ferrets, Buzz, Daisy and Tinkerbell.

Upon adoption, Sandi and Tony learned that she had adrenal disease and some kidney damage.  With good veterinary care, they were able to provide Rory with excellent quality of life for her remaining years.

Rory's timid behavior soon changed upon entering her new home with her other playmates.   It took a little time, but she eventually became extremely comfortable with Sandi, Tony and the rest of their brood.  She was often the instigator in play, even being one of the first to engage the cat.  When Tony put them to bed at night Rory would often spend a few minutes before going to sleep grooming her cage mates. 

Sandi and Tony recently reported that Rory has passed over the Rainbow Bridge.  All of us at Dookie's House are so very thankful for the love and care Sandi and Tony provided for this previously abandoned little girl.  We hope that Sandi and Tony can take comfort in knowing that they added a generous measure of love, comfort and happiness into the life of this sweet, gentle creature.  We think Rory was about five years old when she passed over the bridge.

July 2002 - June 2007

Dexter was given up by a young woman from Titusville.  She had recently become disabled and was unable to care for him.  We promptly took him to Dr. Vargas for an exam and vaccines. 

Dexter was a very sweet, friendly boy and really appreciated the freedom he had at Dookie's House.  The poor boy had been previously kept caged and was not allowed out even for short periods since the onset of her illness.

Dexter was a blaze mitt and looked similar to Duncan but his behavior was quite different.  He had his playful moments but I had to put him in with the girls because Freddie and Verdi tended to pick on him too much.  

Because of his age we didn't put him up for adoption but were thankful to place him in a loving foster home with Bud and Hollie in Plant City. They soon learned that little Dexter was deaf.

Dexter started showing the symptoms of adrenal disease so Bud and Hollie took him to Dr. Marks for adrenal surgery.  A few days later he fell seriously ill and passed away.

Bud and Hollie only had the pleasure of his company for a year but this little boy put a good measure of joy into their hearts.  Dexter would give kisses all the time and loved to play with them. Even though he couldn't hear that did not stop him from having fun.. 

We are thankful for the love and freedom that little Dexter enjoyed in the year he had with Bud and Hollie.  Dexter is greatly missed by all of us including his many ferret playmates.  We think he was about four years old when he passed away.

June 2001 - September 2005

Spanky came in from Oldsmar with Smokey and was subsequently adopted to a wonderful home in Miami.  Tragically, their new mom became seriously allergic to them and had to give them up. 

Spanky was a big dark-eyed white boy who was very friendly and curious.  Spanky slept alot but did enjoy daily outings of snooping around Dookie's House and meeting the gang.

Spanky was very mild mannered and seemed to get along very well with everyone.  He and Smokey were subsequently adopted into a wonderful home by Hollie of Plant City to join many other ferret playmates.

Spanky suddenly fell ill one night and began vomiting. Bud and Hollie nursed him through the night and took him to see Dr. Marks the next morning.  Dr. Marks prescribed some medications and asked to see him back in a couple days.  Later in the week, his condition had not improved so Dr. Marks performed exploratory surgery.  He discovered huge tumors on his pancreas and adrenal glands.  Dr. Marks did his best to remove the tumors but it was not to be. Unfortunately, little Spanky died later that night from surgery complications.

Spanky was a very sweet little boy who got along very well with everyone and was very tidy at the litter box.  He loved the occasional treats offered by Bud and Hollie and would clean himself thoroughly to ensure that he got all of the treat.  Spanky will be dearly missed by his brothers and sisters and by Bud and Hollie.   Spanky was about six years old.

For more photos of Smokey & Spanky click here.

June 1999 - August 2005

Princess was about a year old when Bud and Hollie found her running around in their back yard five years ago. When they first saw her they thought she was a cat and were surprised to discover that she was a beautiful dark-eyed-white ferret.  It took them a while tolearn that she was totally deaf.  Despite her handicap, little Princess was able to welcome and get along well with many new ferret arrivals over the years.

Lately, it became obvious that little Princess's heath was failing.  She was having extreme difficulty walking and kept falling over every time she tried.  When they took her back to see Dr. Marks, he found an inoperable tumor on her spinal column and advised that their was no hope for her. Bud and Hollie decided not to wake her from surgery and let her pass over the Rainbow Bridge.

Little Princess was deeply loved by Bud and Hollie and will be dearly missed by everyone including her many ferret companions.  Princess was almost six years old.

December 1999 - July 2005

Button was a tiny and very cute sable girl who was saved from a bad situation by Kimberly from Seminole.  She soon realized that Button needed surgery for her adrenal disease but did not have the resources to fund it.  She sent out a plea for help to several shelters including Dookie's House.

We subsequently visited with Kimberly and brought Button to our ferret-wise vet, Dr. Mitsie Vargas at the Orchid Spring Animal Hospital in Winter Haven.  Button underwent a successful bilateral adrenal surgery in October 2002 and was soon returned to her happy home with Kimberly.

Button loved Kimberly very much.  She would follow her around her room and absolutely loved being petted and cuddled.   Button was fond of humans and would come whenever her name was called.

Recently, Button fell seriously ill so Kimberly took her to her veterinarian who helped her over the Rainbow Bridge to preclude further pain and suffering.

Kimberly picked some fresh flowers and put them in a box with Button before burying her under the Hibiscus tree.

Little Button magically captured our hearts and will be deeply missed.  She was almost seven years old.  We love you, Button...

Clyde arrived along with Bonnie from a nice home in Kissimmee.  Their mom could no longer give them the time and attention that they deserved. 

On arrival, Clyde was a cute 18 month old blaze boy who was very friendly and enjoyed exploring and mooching for treats.  We thought that Clyde was deaf but weren't sure.  Bonnie and Clyde loved to run and play together so we decided to adopt them as a pair. 

Clyde, Bonnie and one other cute fuzzy, Freddy, were subsequently adopted by Hollie and Bud of Plant City to become buddies with Duncan, Peanut, Princess, Boo & Milly and later on, several other cute fuzzies.

Recently, when Clyde started rapidly losing weight, Bud and Hollie took him to see Dr. Marks in Plant City.  Dr. Marks x-rayed him and determined that he had a leaking bowel and prescribed high nutritional supplements and antibiotics.   Clyde didn't respond so Bud, Hollie and Dr. Marks decided to operate.  During surgery, Dr. Marks discovered a huge tumor that was causing his problems.  Dr. Marks was just completing the very difficult and complicated surgery when Clyde's little heart stopped beating.  

Clyde was a very good little boy who was kind to his ferret companions and sweet and loving to his mom and dad.  Hollie says that he always took his time about where he was going he should have been named "Hoppy" for he hopped just about all the time.

Clyde will be dearly missed by his brothers and sisters and, most of all, his daddy and mom, Bud and Hollie.  

Sweet little Clyde was four years old. 

Boo:  ARRIVED 27APR01 - ADOPTED 11AUG01

Boo-Boo came in from Widget's Halfway House with Milly.  They originated with a nice family with busy teenagers and thankfully both of them were very well nourished and healthy.  Boo was 2 1/2 years old at the time and was exceptionally outgoing and friendly.  Since she had grown up with Milly, she was adopted along with her by Bud and Hollie in Plant City. 

For almost four years, Boo enjoyed lots of love and companionship in complete freedom along with several other cute fuzzies.  She was particularly affectionate with Bud and quickly became one of his favorite little girls.  

Time has taken its toll, and Boo developed a serious congestive heart condition.  Her condition rapidly worsened despite the best veterinary care.  Late Saturday night, while being cuddled softly in Hollie's arms, little Boo passed away.  She was six years old.

Peanut never played much but did love to be held and cuddled.  He also loved to play with one certain type of toy ball.  When the ball got lost during a home fire, Peanut missed it very much.  After weeks of searching the internet, Hollie finally found one close enough that looked like his old one. When she showed it to him his eyes lit up he grabbed it and took off to put it his little hidey hole.  He always checked when he was up to see if his special ball was still in there.

The last few hours of his life we laid his ball next to him.  Peanut will be missed dearly and will always be in our hearts.  Peanut was about eight years old.

Lily arrived from the Lakeland SPCA with Tommy. 

Lily was a cute Dark Sable girl.  When she first arrived, she tended to use her teeth a bit heavily.  She would also nip at an ankle or calf to get attention.  Lily eventually learned that her nips hurt us humans and proved to be a very sweet, considerate little girl. 

Lily put on a few ounces and seemed to have slowed down a bit.  She still liked climbing up on the computer desk and stashing the mouse in a chosen niche and otherwise rearranging things.  

Lily and a new companion, Rascal, became almost inseparable and we thought it would be great for them to be together at adoption time.  She was subsequently adopted into a wonderful home with Rascal by Darlene from Gainesville to be companions with her ferret Bit-Bit. 

Recently, Darlene wrote to report that Lily passed away in her sleep. 
There was no indication of weight loss, listlessness or any other problem at all.  When Darlene came to let them out for their evening play time, she found Lily laying dead next to Rascal like she was asleep.  . 

We can take comfort in knowing that Lily lived the final months of her life in a loving, caring, happy home with companions Rascal and Bit-Bit.  She was spared the loneliness, pain and suffering that so many of her fellow creatures are caused to endure.  Lily was about 3 ½ years old.

Guinevere:  ARRIVED 23APR02 - ADOPTED  25MAY02

Guinevere came from a nice home in Orlando with her cage mate Lancelot.  Unfortunately their mom had developed some serious allergies and had to part with them to preserve her health.

Guinevere was a gorgeous dark sable female who was very sweet but a little timid and had a tendency to nip if things didn't go her way.  She was adopted into a very loving and caring home by Roger and Karen from Oldsmar and did very well for about two years.

Her spleen had gotten huge and was still growing, so Roger took her in to have it removed.  Unfortunately, when the vet put Gwinny under, she went into cardiac and respiratory arrest.  They managed to get her going again after 30 minutes of trying, but she never regained consciousness.  They think it was a blood clot rather than an anesthetic reaction.

Gwinny was full of life, even dragging that spleen around.  Roger and Karen never thought that when they took her to the vet that she wouldn't be coming home.  They will miss her pestering every morning to hurry up and get her her chicken gravy.  She loved that stuff more than anything else, and never let them forget it.  Guinevere was five years old and will be sorely missed..

Duncan:  ARRIVED 16APR01 - ADOPTED 31MAY01

Duncan was a strikingly handsome blaze-mitt who was absolutely into everything and was a mooch for Ferretone and raisins.  He was a very smart boy and despite his youthful exuberance, did very well in the harness and leash.  Except for bullying old man Nosey a little, he was very sociable with the other fuzzies here at Dookie's House. 

Duncan was raised with Zoey but they didn't hang out very much with each other so he was adopted into a new home by Hollie of Plant City.  Eventually, he became playmate to eleven other cute fuzzies.

I'm very sad to report that Duncan was killed in an accident involving a piece of furniture.  We will miss this sweet little boy.  Duncan was almost four years old.

Smokey came in from Oldsmar with Spanky and was subsequently adopted to a wonderful home in Miami.  Tragically, their new mom become seriously allergic to them and had to give them up. 

Smokey was a very cute old dark sable male who was very friendly and people oriented.  He was very mild mannered and seem to get along very well with everyone.  Smokey was re-examined by Dr. Vargas and updated on vaccines.  He was then adopted into a wonderful new home by Hollie of Plant City and eleven playmates.

In September of 2003, Smokey started showing signs of weight loss.  He seemed to be eating fine but continued to lose weight. Hollie started feeding him turkey gravy and broth, mixed in with Iams canned kitten food.  Smokey went nuts over it.  He responded to the medications Dr. Marks prescribed and was gaining back his weight on the special diet..

In mid-December, Smokey suddenly fell ill.  He was very lethargic so Hollie got him in to see Dr. Marks after clinic hours.  Dr. Marks x-rayed him for a blockage but there was none.  Smokey appeared to be in pain so Dr. Marks gave him something for it and put him on antibiotics and IV fluids.  Dr. Marks thought Smokey might have a lower stomach virus but took him home with him to keep a better watch on him.  He called at 9AM the following morning and said Smokey was still holding on but then called back about 1PM to report that Smokey had just taken his last breath.  Dr. Marks will be doing a post-mortem but right now we think he had cancer.

Smokey was a very sweet little boy and will be missed very badly by Hollie, Bud and his fuzzy companions.  Smokey was almost five years old.

Peanut is a 4-5 year old sable boy who came in from the Titusville rescue with the worst case of diarrhea I have ever seen.  He was totally dehydrated and was near death.  Daily subcutaneous infusions with lactated ringers and chicken gravy to nourish him helped tremendously but the diarrhea was profuse and non-stop. 

Albon, Amoxicillin and then Amoxicillin/Biaxin combo for 14 days as well as Pepto Bismol and Kaopectate had no effect.  We also tried Immodium (Loperamide) for three days and finally Metronidazole.  Since his fecal float tests were negative for parasites and the antibiotics didn't help, we suspected Inflammatory Bowel Disease.

We eliminated all kibble, put him on "turkey gravy" and added Depo-Medrol (methlyprednisolone) injections.  We also gave him a small dose of Kaopectate prior to each meal.  The profuse watery diarrhea stopped but his stools were still small brown puddles.  Thankfully we no longer needed to give him daily subQ fluids to keep him hydrated and his energy level zoomed. 

From the start he had a ravenous appetite!  We seemed to be on the right track with him but his stools were still very loose.  Follow-up fecal tests were negative but during a subsequent medical exam we decided to administer worming treatment to him.

About three days after the worming treatment, his appetite waned and over the next few days he needed to be force fed the gravy and hydrated with subQ fluids.  When he started showing neurological symptoms, we took him back to Dr. Vargas.  Blood tests revealed significant, irreversible kidney damage.  Post-euthanasia necropsy verified the kidney damage.

I am heartbroken with Peanut's untimely death and feel responsible, especially since I suggested the worming treatment for him.  The only solace is the knowledge that he spent the last weeks of his life in a loving, caring, comfortable environment.  Peanut knew that he was loved.

Maya was a cute chocolate mitt girl who came in with Verdi  from the Bradenton area.  Her previous owner was having financial difficulties and wasn't able to give them the care they needed.

Maya had some digestive difficulties with incessant diarrhea, poor appetite and significant weight loss.  She was on just about every antibiotic known to a ferret with minimal improvement.  At one point she lost weight down to an emaciated 21 ounces.

Having ruled everything else out, we suspected that she had inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and treating her accordingly.  She received an antacid/acid reducer prior to twice daily "chicken gravy" feedings and Prednisone injections.  The new treatment made all the difference for her and she thrived.  

Maya was a very independent little girl.  While she slept alot, she enjoyed daily explorations around Dookie's House and often had moments of joy where she would dance and romp like a youngster.  Maya was very friendly with humans and got along with any ferret that didn't try to give her a hard time or dominate her.  She enjoyed curling up for a nap with her old cage mate, Verdi, but could often be found snuggled in a ferret pile with Baby, Sally and Spunky. 

Maya had yet another relapse of her IBD related diarrhea in July 2003.  We switched her to "turkey gravy" and tried Sulfasalazine but she refused the medication.  Instead, we increased her Prednisone medication to further suppress her immune system and added in Amoxicillin.  Her diarrhea markedly improved but despite subcutaneous infusions with Lactated Ringers and the "turkey gravy", her energy levels continued to wan.  She developed a serious eye infection which slowly responded to special medications but her energy levels continued to drop to the point that she was unable to climb in and out of a special, low entry, litter box.  Since her quality of life was so poor, on 29 September 2003, we decided to help her over the Rainbow Bridge.   Maya was 7½ years old.  We loved this special little girl tremendously and she knew it..

Allen was a cute silver boy who arrived from a nice home in Mulberry with Thor.  His mom was experiencing some serious family illnesses and needed to be away from home alot.

Allen had a serious heart condition and one of the major vessels feeding his heart was partially obstructed.  He also had difficulty swallowing food and an ulcer.  While we were able to find a good treatment for his heart condition, the digestive problems became quite severe at one point and Allen dropped some weight before we were able to find a solution.

We subsequently learned that twice daily antacid/acid reducers made a big difference for him.  His appetite improved with the chicken gravy feedings but he was no longer interested in snacking kibble from his food bowl.

Allen was a very cute boy with a snaggle tooth that added to his overall personality.  He was very tolerant and patient with us and seemed to enjoy the special attention he was getting.  He turned into a complete lap puppy and we enjoyed having him here as part of the permanent Dookie's House gang.

Allen continued to have heart problems and also had a significant problem with fluid buildup in his chest.  We added Lasix to his medications to help with this condition.  Testing of his blood glucose revealed that he most likely had pancreatic cancer (Insulinoma) too, so we added Prednisone injections to the mix. 

He started having significant difficulty swallowing food so we added Reglan to his battery of medications and fed him "chicken gravy" while holding him in a vertical position to aid in swallowing and motility. 

We did our very best for this sweet boy but he recently took a sudden turn for the worse.  His appetite waned and he was clearly not feeling very good.  We took sweet Allen to Dr. Mitsie Vargas and helped him over the Rainbow Bridge on 30 August 2003.  Allen was six years old.

During the short year that he was here at Dookie's House, Allen got lots of tender, loving care and we became very fond of him.  There is no doubt that Allen knew that we loved him very, very much.

Stewie they called him, was brought in by this nice couple who rescues animals of all kinds.  Someone found Stewie outside digging in the trash.  When they approached him they were pleasantly surprised by his friendliness.

Stewie was missing most of his fur below his shoulders. The rescue people thought he maybe had mites or something.  Of course, the baldness is a classic symptom of adrenal tumors in ferrets.  While we were sitting in the living room chatting, shelter dad was telling them how good the prognosis was post-adrenal surgery.  That's when he noticed the large lump under Stewie's skin inside his left thigh.  Then he checked him over some more and found the large mass up in this throat area.  There was also a nasty looking open sore on his lower left leg that responded well to antibiotic ointment.

Stewie was eating good and pooping and peeing ok.  He had a good attitude and was friendly to everyone.  He was out everyday exploring but would soon tire and would curl up in a warm spot to snooze.  Stewie seemed to be doing alot better than his condition showed. 

Dr. Mitsie Vargas examined him and we decided not to operate as it would only hasten his death and reduce his quality of life.  We knew it was just a matter of time before the Lymphoma interfered with a vital organ and started causing some pain.  On December 12, 2002, we gave Stewie a Lupron injection which masked his adrenal problems, allowed fur re-growth and slowed the hormonal damage to his little body. 

Stewie's fur returned everywhere except the tip of his tail and he proved to be a very handsome little boy.  He continued to eat well on his own but still enjoyed twice daily "chicken gravy" feedings and didn't mind the Prednisone injections.  Stewie developed chronic diarrhea about two weeks after the Lupron injection so we gave him a small amount of Kaopectate or Pepto Bismol almost every day. 

On Saturday morning, July 26, 2003 Stewie suddenly started refusing "chicken gravy" and even ignored Ferretone offerings.  Shelter dad was able to get a small amounts of Dyne and water into him to keep him nourished. We put him on pain medications and subcutaneous fluids to keep him hydrated. We kept little Stewie warm and let him know that we loved him very much.  Poor little Stewie continued to fail and early Sunday morning he crossed over the Rainbow Bridge.  Stewie was five years old.

Bubby was a six year old silver boy who came in with Mija, White Boy and Mushu.  He came in with obvious adrenal symptoms and on a subsequent examination, we scheduled him for surgery on December 3, 2002..

The surgery revealed a grossly enlarged right adrenal gland which Dr. Vargas cryogenically triple froze.  She also removed two nodules on his pancreas and she froze a nodule on his liver. 

Bubby recuperated well from his surgery.  He had a  good appetite for the "chicken gravy" and seemed to be doing ok with good energy levels considering his age and overall condition.  Before long he was snacking on his Totally Ferret food so we tapered his "chicken gravy" feedings to every other day.

Despite surgery, Bubby's coat continued to disappear so we gave him a Lupron injection on June 9th.  It had also become evident that Bubby had a bleeding disorder, with numerous lesions on his skin, so we increased his Prednisone dosage and added vitamin K injections to his medication protocol. 

Bubby expired Sunday morning, June 22, 2003.  His energy level had declined over a two week period until he became very lethargic.  His appetite held until the last day when it waned and he started passing dark stools.  His last night he could barely hold his head up to eat the "chicken gravy" but still licked at it.  Shelter dad gave him his medications and also a Ringers infusion to hydrate him.  His body felt cold so he put him in his sleep sack with a couple warm water-filled latex gloves. When he went to check on him a bit later, he discovered that Bubby had expired.

Poor Bubby was deaf, so he never heard all of praise and nice things said to him during his brief, eight month stay with us.  There is no doubt though that this special little boy knew that he was loved.  Bubby was almost seven years old.

Honey arrived from the Lakeland SPCA where she had been relinquished by her previous owner. 

Honey was a very sweet dark sable girl.  She was very friendly and enjoyed mooching Ferretone and other treats. 

Honey had visited our ferret-wise veterinarian, Dr. Mitsie Vargas at the Orchid Springs Animal Hospital in Winter Haven for an examination and update on her vaccines.  Dr. Vargas noted some problems during the exam and suggested that we keep a close eye on her.  Sure enough, about a week later, Honey's vulva started to balloon so we scheduled her for adrenal surgery.

On 17 March 2003, Honey underwent surgery.  It was a very difficult surgery but she is recovering well.  Several of her internal organs were fused together and Dr. Vargas was unable to gain access to her right adrenal gland without injuring her liver.  So we have no idea if her right adrenal gland was involved.  Dr. Vargas froze her left adrenal gland and closed her up.  Time will tell if she continues to have hormone problems.

Well, it appeared that Honey's right gland was diseased so we administered a 4-month Lupron Depot injection on 7 May 2003.  Honey responded to the Lupron and we could see a positive change in her behavior as her hormone levels improved. 

On a quiet Saturday afternoon of 31 May 2003, Pat was shocked to find that Honey had passed away in her sleep, snuggled up with Allen.  Honey was a very sweet, special little girl and we will miss her dearly.  Honey would've been five years old in August.

Lancelot :  ARRIVED 23APR02 - ADOPTED 25MAY02

Lancelot came from a nice home in Orlando with his cage mate Guinevere.  Unfortunately their mom had developed some serious allergies and had to part with them to preserve her health.

Lancelot was a very cute and energetic sable boy who got along fine with almost everyone here at Dookie's.

He was adopted into a very loving and caring home by Roger and Karen from Oldsmar.  He began to display aggressive behavior determined to be caused by a hormone imbalance due to adrenal disease.  He went in for surgery in November 1992 and seemed to be doing well.

Recently his adrenal symptoms returned and he went in for his second adrenal surgery. The vet had found a new adrenal mass.  She said it looked like a complete new gland and removed it.  It was a tricky, but successful surgery.  However, much later in the day, Lancelot apparently threw a blood clot that lodged in his brain and took him from us.

Lancelot was a very special little boy with a truly unique personality.  We are thankful that Roger & Karen took this special little boy into their home and hearts.  All of us at Dookie's take comfort in knowing that they did their very best to provide him with a happy, comfortable life with tons of love and patience.

Lancelot was six years old.

Mija was a seven year old silver girl who came in with Bubby, White Boy and Mushu.

Mija had a puzzling breathing problem.  She seemed to be congested and her nose was often stuffy.  She had sneezing fits that would get so bad that she would get upset and her tail would bottlebrush.

We had her on medications to help her breathe and help with nasal stuffiness and allergies.  A battery of antibiotics seemed to help some but the problem still remained.

Mija's condition continued to worsen.  She fell seriously ill and we put her to sleep on 28 February 2003.  Mija was over seven years old.

September 1995 - February2003

Nosey-nose was rescued from the Tri-County Animal Shelter where he had been in quarantine for nipping someone there.  When we got him home he was loaded with ticks.  They were lined up around his ears like cars at a parking lot and were all over his body.  Once we got him cleaned up we noticed that he had a fever.  After treating him with antibiotics, his fever went away but he just kept losing weight.  He was eating loads of food, but was getting skinnier and skinnier.  He was very lethargic and appeared to be in pain.  

We took him to one of the best ferret vets on the east coast, Dr. Jean Wardell in Annandale, Virginia.  Exploratory surgery and a biopsy revealed that he has a serious genetic gastrointestinal disorder.  A battery of special antibiotics and prednisone turned him around like night and day, at least for now.  He has gained weight and is a big boy of 43 ounces.  His energy level has zoomed.  It is a joy to see him dancing and running around like a puppy. 

We named him Nosey for obvious reasons.  He was a big sweetie and would lie patiently in Pat's arms while he talked to him and petted him.  Then when Pat put him down, he ran around like a wind-up toy.  

Nosey came down with cancer and it became necessary to put him to sleep on 11 February 2003 to avoid further suffering.  Nosey was almost five years old.

**

Precious was given up by a person who had one other ferret with a medical problem.  She said that Precious was too aggressive for the other ferret and that she did not have adequate time to devote to her.

Precious didn't do well at Dookie's at all.  She appeared to be totally stressed out and afraid of all other ferrets and me.  She would bite any hand that approached and attack any ferret that came near her.  Diarrhea started two days after her arrival and essentially continued to the end.  She lost seven ounces of weight, refused Ferretone, resisted chicken gravy feedings and did not respond to attempts to calm and socialize her.  I took her to Dr. Mitsie Vargas at the Orchid Springs Animal Hospital in Winter Haven for help.

Dr. Vargas treated her for dehydration with a ringers infusion and provided some injections to give to her to help her calm down.  She responded well to treatment and her weight was back up so on 19 December I took her back to Dr. Vargas for her vaccinations.  I could see that Precious still needed the injections to keep her appetite up so Dr. Vargas gave me more for her.

Everything went ok as long as I had the injections.  She would eat her food about 5 minutes after each injection and would accept the chicken gravy feedings. When I ran low on the injections I reduced them to once daily to taper her off.  She stopped eating again and would resist the chicken gravy feedings.  She would clench her mouth shut and would push the syringe away with her paws.  Even with the single injection she would only eat a small amount.  I noted that she had dropped weight down to 24 ounces and was dehydrated so I gave her a ringers infusion and started her on the liquid nourishment again.  The next day I took her to see Dr. Vargas.  She examined her thoroughly and said the she didn't appear to have any physical problems.  Dr. Vargas said that continuing the injections was only masking the problem and recommended that we put her to sleep.  I reluctantly agreed because I could see that the future only held more suffering for her.

I brought little Precious home and buried her out under the tangerine tree with Dookie, Rosey and the others.  Many of the older ferrets have difficulty adapting to their new situation but Precious seemed to be afraid of everyone including me and never did warm up to me even though I tried my very best to calm her and let her know that she was loved.  Precious was 4 1/2 years old.

**

During the exam prior to vaccination, we discovered that he had a swollen prostrate, so we scheduled him for surgery.  We were careful to give him vitamin K injections for three days prior to prevent bleeding problems during surgery.

Surgery revealed a normal adrenal gland but numerous pancreas tumors including a large nodule and numerous small ones.  Half of his pancreas was removed.  We took him home and he seemed to be doing ok.  Later that night as I went to feed him, I found him lying in the bottom of his cage unconscious.  All efforts to revive him failed and he died just before midnight about 16 hours following surgery.  Subsequent necropsy suggested disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC), a serious blood disorder, as the cause of death.  Essentially he bled into his organs, lost blood pressure and died.   White Boy was six years old.

         September 1996 - November 2002

**

Upon arrival at Dookie's, we promptly made an appointment for her with Dr. Vargas to see what was going on.  The x-ray revealed that she had been seriously injured.  Two of her vertebra high up in the lumbar region had been essentially crushed.  Dr. Vargas said if it would've been 1/2 inch higher her lungs would've been paralyzed.  Also her right knee joint was crushed to bits and the upper and lower leg bones no longer met.  I had wondered why her leg was so much like a noodle.  Thankfully she couldn't feel it because this injury would've been very painful.  Her left hip was also broken but hadn't separated.  She also had a bladder infection which responded well to the Baytril.  

She was a very sweet baby and was amazingly tolerant of all the stuff we had to do to her.  Her name Sassy fits her well.  Her injuries were so bad that we are thinking recliner injury.  However, there was also a rambunctious six year old boy in the household.  I called the owner and he said that he had a recliner but didn't connect it with her injury.

Sassy required to have her bladder manually expressed three times a day which was no problem at all.  Her appetite and condition improved so we made her a wheelchair so she could get around better.  After about two weeks in the shelter, I noticed that she had suddenly stopped eating.  During a subsequent bladder expression, I noticed a hard lump where her liver was located.  A quick trip back to the vet revealed that she had suddenly been overtaken by juvenile lymphoma which had initially attacked her liver.  Dr. Vargas believes that stress from the injury probably triggered the cancer.  There was no hope for this little one so we helped poor Sassy over the Rainbow Bridge to preclude further pain and suffering.  Little Sassy was only 18 months old. 

**

Thor arrived with cage mate "Big Al" from Mulberry.  He had a history of  adrenal disease with a prior surgery in 2000 and was suspected of having insulinoma due to a seizure observed in early July 2002.

We checked his blood glucose and verified that it was very low.  Since he was beginning to lose the fur over his hindquarters, we suspected a reoccurrence of the adrenal disease.  We put him on chicken gravy and prednisone and scheduled him for surgery.

Thor responded very well to treatment.  He was gobbling down the chicken gravy and was gaining weight.  On July 22, 2002 we took him in for his second adrenal surgery.  We were shocked when, during the operation, he suffered a sudden and fatal circulatory system shut down.

We brought Thor home and buried him out under the tangerine tree with Dookie and the others.  Even though he was only here at Dookie's for about three weeks, we became very fond of him.  He was a very sweet boy and he enjoyed our company and the gravy and goodies we offered.  Thor was about five years old.

**

Sinjin was cute dark sable boy who came in with four other fuzzies from a home in Ellenton.  He was already on a high dosage of prednisone for “suspected insulinoma”.  We checked his blood sugar and verified that it was below normal.  Over several days we adjusted his prednisone dosage downward.  Due to his age, we did not plan surgery.

On Wednesday 5/26/2002 Sinjin appeared to be in distress.  He was very lethargic and was running a fever.  We then noticed him repeatedly going to the litter box and straining.  The following morning at the veterinary hospital we learned that he had blood in his urine but there was no infection.  Dr. Mitsie felt lumps in his belly and suspected that he may have cancer.  Since he was able to pass some urine and poop, she added some valium and baytril to relax his plumbing and we increased the prednisone dosage.  Due to his advanced age, we decided not to operate but rather to just try to keep him comfortable until it was his time to cross the Rainbow Bridge.

Well, I am very sad to report that Sinjin is no longer with us.  The medications seemed to help a lot with his distress but he continued to resist feedings and was still having numerous visits to the litter box.  On Sunday, 6/2/2002, even after scruffing him and trying to feed him liquid chicken gravy with the syringe he would wrestle and fight it away with his paws.  He continued making the grunting and whining noises in the litter box and we noticed that the lumps in his abdomen were becoming more prominent.  I could no longer bear to see him in distress.  My heart was breaking as we sedated him and then administered a lethal dose of barbiturates.

We brought him home and buried the poor baby out under the tangerine tree with Zero, Dookie and Rosey.  I was completely heart broken but can take some comfort in knowing that we were able to keep him relatively comfortable until it became clear that there was no hope for him.  He was a very sweet boy.  Sinjin was 6 1/2 years old.

**

Zero and his cage mate Mossimo were relinquished by a local Sebring family in March 2001.  They were loaded with fleas and had been on a less-than-optimum diet.  They were being kept in a simple wire cage in a garage and were using a bucket half-filled with pea gravel for a bed. 

Zero was a big, sweet boy who liked to give Pat kisses on the nose.  He and Mossimo were slated for adoption when some health issues surfaced.  Soon thereafter, Mossimo crossed over the Rainbow Bridge due to complications of severe insulinoma.

Zero appeared to be a healthy and vigorous four year old, but subsequently had a hypoglycemic seizure which concerned us.  We were able to stabilize his blood sugar with medications and we kept a close eye on him. 

In February, Zero started showing signs of adrenal disease including significant hair loss.  He underwent surgery on 11 March 2002.  Our ferret-wise vet, Dr. Mitsie Vargas removed a hugely enlarged left adrenal gland.  He also has significant involvement in the left lobe of his pancreas and she removed the entire lobe. 

While Zero healed well following surgery, his low blood sugar condition only worsened.  After two months of  round the clock feedings and medications, it became apparent that we would not succeed.  With a heavy heart, we helped Zero over the Rainbow Bridge on 28 May 2002.  Subsequent necropsy revealed that his liver was overwhelmed with cancer.  

We did everything possible for this boy but it was just not to be.  We buried him out under the tangerine tree next to his cage mate Mossimo.

Zero was a very tough, brave boy and we will miss him.  He was five years old.

He had been a lone ferret with five cats and a Black Lab.  Rudy was very strong and played a bit rough with some of the male ferrets, but seemed to get along very well with the three tiny females here, Sally, Baby and Spunky.  He also loved to wrestle and get tickled by people and was very gentle with his teeth..  

The guy was no mooch at all!  He initially had no interest in Ferretone and refused every treat offered, even raisins.  

Rudy proved to be a very friendly, sweet boy and was adopted by Ken & Gia to become pals with little Miss Ferret Beaulah of Miami Beach.

Recently, Gia wrote to report that little Rudy passed away in his sleep. 
There was no indication of weight loss, listlessness or any other problem at all.  Rudy had been just as happy and playful as can be.  He and Beaulah had become bosom buddies and both had lots of freedom to romp and explore.  Rudy was a very cute boy.  More photos of him are here.

            May 1999 - May 2002

Cane: ARRIVED 16MAY01 - ADOPTED 27MAY01

Cane arrived with his cage mate Candy  via Widget's Halfway House.  He was a very sweet and athletic 19 month old albino male.  He quickly learned to jump up and climb over the 2' barrier into the "forbidden" areas of Dookie's House.  He was a bit on the skinny side, but we put some weight on him in no time at all. 

Cane was subsequently adopted into a loving home by Laura from Dade City and was enjoying his new home with cage mate Candy.

One day Laura noticed Cane acting strangely so she took him to the vet who said that he had some upper GI bleeding.  They put him on antibiotics and kept him overnight to observe him.  The next day the vet called to report that Cane was looking better and that he was running some blood tests to make sure the medicine was working.  The following morning the vet called and said that Cane was not doing well and that he was worried about heart failure because of  lost blood.   Later the same day, the vet reported that Cane had passed away in his sleep.  Cane was only 2 1/2 years old.

Rosey was the sophisticated lady of the bunch.  She had been rescued from the DC Animal Shelter by the All About Bandit Ferret Rescue in Annapolis, MD in December 1999 with her sister Sally.  Shelter dad Pat took them both in shortly thereafter.

She loved to snooze in a variety of unusual  locations around the shelter.  She was known to have a bit of an attitude and was not willing to take much guff from other fuzzies. 

Pat started giving her a little extra attention just in case she might be jealous of all the newcomers.  She settled down very well, put on a bit too much weight, and became quite sweet and spoiled. 

She enjoyed taking evening walks with Pat and had a comfortable and happy life at Dookie's with many occasions to dance and jump with joy.  Every time Pat touched her or picked her up, she would give him lots and lots of kisses.

Mid-December we noticed some lumps in her belly.  Subsequent tests and x-rays suggested that she had lymphoma, a terminal form of cancer.  When we saw that she was experiencing serious discomfort, we took her back to Dr. Mitsie and helped her across the Rainbow Bridge to be with Dookie.  Rosey was five years old.

We love you Rosey and will miss those sweet kisses of yours.

        December 1996 - February 2002

Dookie was the first ferret that shelter dad Pat ever got to know.  He  belonged to his daughter, Noreen.  During one of Noreen's extended visits, it became apparent to Pat that Dookie just wasn't getting all the care and attention that he deserved.  After all, Noreen being in her twenties with an active lifestyle, well she was just kind of busy.  To make a long story short, Pat took over Dookie's care and feeding and otherwise became his buddy.  Noreen would stop by to visit from time to time and was always nice for Dookie to see his mommy and steal some hugs.

Dookie enjoyed alot of freedom to pursue some of his interests such as eating, sleeping, mooching raisins, hassling Spunky and getting into trouble.  He was an easy going sort of fellow who always enjoyed meeting and playing with all of the new fuzzies at the shelter.  

Dookie fell ill in October with inflammatory bowel disease.  Despite our exhaustive efforts to save him, he lost the battle crossed over the Rainbow Bridge on December 30th.  Dookie was very special little boy who completely stole our hearts.  

We all love you and miss you sweet Dookie-Dook...

          August 1996 - December 2001

Beavie came in from Fort Lauderdale.  She was given up by her owner who could no longer provide the level of care that she needed.  She was a tiny, six year old sable girl who was a skinny 14 ounces.  She apparently had a stroke or some other serious neurological episode about seven months prior.  Her motor functions were impaired as she had difficulty controlling her movements.  We also believe that she had cataracts and was essentially blind.  She had seen the vet and was on twice daily medications for her neurological disorder.  Her condition severely deteriorated.  She was having continuous seizures for hours on end and we think she was conscious during the entire ordeal.  We finally could no longer bear to watch her suffer and helped her across the Rainbow Bridge on August 11th.  She was 73 months old.   Beavie was a very sweet girl who was curious, friendly, and loved to give kisses.  Even though she was only with us for two weeks, we came to love her and are deeply hurt by her passing.  We love you Beavie!

      July 1995 - August 2001

Mossimo and his cage mate Zero were relinquished by a local Sebring family.  They were loaded with fleas and had been on a less-than-optimum diet.  They were being kept in a simple wire cage in a garage and were using a bucket half-filled with pea gravel for a bed.  Both boys were four years old.  They were slated for adoption when some health issues surfaced.  

Mossimo was frail and somewhat unsteady in his gait.  He suddenly started losing weight and then completely stopped eating.  A visit to the vet revealed a blood sugar count of less than ten suggesting insulinoma.  We started feeding him "duck soup" and forcing liquids where we could and gave him subcutaneous injections of Ringers to help get him hydrated.  He seemed to enjoy the duck soup and was doing very good at eating it from a tiny spoon.  He gained back much of the lost weight and was obviously feeling much better.  Then he suddenly caught some kind of bug.  He developed severe diarrhea and nausea and absolutely refused to eat or drink.  We put him on amoxi-drops, Pepto Bismol, Pedialyte and resumed the sub-q hydration.  He resisted every syringe of nourishment, medication and fluids.  He finally got to the point that shelter dad could no longer bear to see him suffering from the diarrhea and terrible nausea.  Mossimo crossed the Rainbow Bridge on May 31, 2001.  He was 50 months old.  We love you Mossimo.   

           March 1997 - May 2001

Buddy was relinquished by his owners in Maryland.  As soon as we got him home we knew something wasn't right with him.  He was very lethargic and could barely walk.  Despite a 104+ degree fever, he seemed to be eating, drinking and going to the litter box ok.  We immediately put him on amoxi-drops and made a vet appointment.  The vet noted an elevated heart rate and put him on Cefa-drops.  He didn't get better.  X-rays and blood work taken during a follow-up visit suggested that he had cancer and he was put on Prednisone.  While his fever subsided a little, his condition continued to worsen.

Pat didn't want to give up on him, so we sought out the advice of ferret specialist, Dr. Jean Wardell, in Annandale, Virginia where he was first seen on July 10, 2000.  Subsequent testing and x-rays revealed that Buddy had been severely injured in his chest area and had a raging internal infection.  One lung was essentially gone and the other was in serious jeopardy. We put him on a battery of special antibiotics, kept him hydrated and nourished him with Stat.  Buddy had a few good days and we actually thought for a while that he might make it.  Unfortunately, it was not to be.  He suddenly became very ill and we rushed him back to Dr. Wardell.  Buddy's kidneys had given up.  His little body wasn't able to process all the toxins being thrown at it by the massive infection.  He crossed over the Rainbow Bridge on August 22, 2000, just one month after his first birthday.  

We never saw little Buddy run, dance or play.  He was so brave and patient with us as we tried to nurse him back to health.  The picture shown here is how Buddy was during most all of his waking moments.  We came to love him so very much and miss him terribly.  Till we meet again sweet, brave Buddy.

   
       July 1999 - August 2000

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