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
I hope the soul of Ziggy may find a great pet owner like you. I pray for it.
- Mathew
Posted by: veterinary hospital | January 31, 2010 at 04:45 AM
Hi Sue
Thank you for your kind comments. I am doing much better and have come to terms with the fact that he no longer has to fight this dreaded disease.
Actually, we do have another 4 ferrets and a dog to keep us occupied and dish out lots of love too, as well as having lost 2 others to cancers. I do know what you mean about the excitable bouncing and Ziggy definitely did this but he also did other strange actions that were not usual for any ferret I have had. It was almost as if something was disconnected inside him.
Well, thank you again for your comments! Faith
Posted by: Raven | October 20, 2007 at 11:51 AM
Hi, SueJ again. I wanted to share this quote with you, to comfort you in Ziggy's loss.
"We who choose to surround ourselves with lives even
more temporary than our own, live within a fragile
circle, easily and often breached. Unable to accept its
awful gaps, we still would live no other way. We cherish
memory as the only certain immortality,
never fully understanding the necessary plan."
from 'Separate Lifetimes' (an incredible book).
"The Once and Again Prince" (a short story in the book) By Irving Townsend
Posted by: Sue | October 05, 2007 at 04:15 PM
I am so sorry about your sweet Ziggy...he will be at the Bridge waiting for you, for sure. We are ferret people, presently owned by 15 of the dear little wonders, all adopted from the local shelter. When our first fuzzbabe died the grief was so awful we decided that all that love should be lavished on a homeless ferret in his memory, to honor his life. From there we have brought home another and another, selecting those who are not likely to be adopted - the ill or elderly or abused. Eleven have passed on to the Bridge, but though we grieve we know they had the best this world could offer before they left us. The fifteen here are the joy of our lives. By the way, the abrupt jump or bounce is normal for ferrets, they do it when they cannot contain their happiness. Another thing...Ziggy may have looked at you the way he did because he had poor or no vision. They manage really well so their humans don't always know. It's a common thing though. You can be happy inside for all you gave Ziggy...his memory will be giving back as long as you live. Do consider taking a fuzzbabe from your local ferret shelter.
Blessings, SueJ
Posted by: Sue | October 05, 2007 at 04:01 PM