Quoth the Raven

What a wonderful world?

R.I.P Ziggy 10.02.07

Our ferret Ziggy lost his battle with adrenal gland disease last night and as much as I felt I had prepared myself for this event, I now know I could never have been ready for it and that there really is no way to prepare for the death of a loved one - animal or human.

We have owned Ziggy for about 6.5 yrs and I always referred to him as my 'special needs ferret' because he was a little odd. I really thought that some of his neurons weren't properly connecting as he would behave in the most bizarre fashion. One minute he would be standing still and then he would just bounce around as if he was dancing to a different beat, one unheard by our own ears. I also gave him the nickname 'Shark Eyes' because he never really looked like he was looking at you, but was looking through you, just like sharks eyes. But we loved him and he was the sweetest little man.

I am a new dog owner but have learned that different breeds will have different health issues to contend with, and this is the same with ferrets who have cancer as their health issue of choice. Actually, I am sure if they had a say in the matter that would quickly change. In the past 2 yrs we have lost 3 of our babies to various forms of cancer and it is horrible to watch as this disease ravages their bodies, but as a pet owner I also understand that life and death go hand in hand, and you cannot enjoy one without the other. Death is truly inevitable.

So that being said, we have enjoyed 6.5 yrs with our little Ziggy and I know he has had a wonderful life, and last night was our time to say goodbye. As a person who has experienced a great deal of loss it is unsettling to watch as the life disappears from my pet's eyes when they are euthanized, but even more strange is that I saw this loss of life in Ziggy's eyes last night after I arrived home from work and Joel mentioned seeing it the night before. It is almost like a veil covers their little eyes, as if their bodies have already begun to shut down. That is just my theory and I really don't want to go through this again any time soon to test it.

We drove Ziggy to a 24 hr veterinary clinic at 7.30pm and he left us not long after that. My only regret - apart from having to say goodbye - was that we couldn't take him to our own special vet, Dr Shini in Maple Leaf, who has been giving Ziggy his monthly luprone injections and is the most caring and wonderful vet I have ever met. But I guess we cannot always know when the end is going to come.

I wish you farewell my sweet Ziggy. 

RIP 10/02/07