We are a bit late posting this, as we have had very limited access to the web for a couple of weeks, and typing up a respectful epitaph on a tiny smartphone just did not seem fitting. We were supposed to be going away on Holiday on Friday 31st of May, but things went wrong. Among other things, Suz's day off was cancelled, and she had to go into work. As some of you know, we have been worried about Ruffle's failing health for a while, but on Friday Night, she took a turn for the worse. We decided to stay at home Saturday, honestly expecting her to pass away in the morning, but like the little fighter she always was, she hung in there. Saturday afternoon we went through what our options were, and seriously doubted if we were being cruel not taking her to the vets, or if we were only thinking about taking her to the vets as we did not want another ferret to die while we were away from home. These decisions are so hard, and the extra outside pressures really do not help you think straight in these situations. We opted to see how she was Sunday Morning, and if necessary postpone the holiday a couple of days.
About Our Ruffle…
One night in late October 2009 we got one of those phone calls we seem to get from time to time.. They usually start along the lines of... "You don't know me, but I have found a ferret"... Only this time was a little different... it was my Mum calling me, to say that my Uncle, who is a grounds keeper at a Cemetery in Thanet had found a box on one of the grave stones, and inside was a scared little ferret, and would we take it on.
We drove down and picked up a tiny albino jill who was in a bit of a state, and was taken off to the vets the following morning for a check over and antibiotics for very bad cystitis. Just a week before she arrived, Twirl had been dropped off here via another of those same phone conversations, and who was also in a poorly state. We introduced the two so they could look after each other, and a friendship was formed. We called her Ruffle, and as time went on she learned to trust us, and stop biting although she did remain a monster to people she did not know.
She was always a sickly ferret, having many trips to the vets for lumps and bumps, many of which needed surgical operations to remove, but somehow she became one of the many characters we seem to have had here, and was very attached to Suz, nearly always to be found in the kitchen at Suz's feet when she was cooking, waiting for a treat or two to "accidentally" drop.
One day in 2011, one of the lumps on her neck/top of her head needed to be removed, and she went back to the vets for the operation, but this time, something went wrong. Just after they brought her round, her blood glucose levels dropped dangerously. She had a course of Prednicare and AB's, and seemed to be ok for a week or so but then started to have very bad fits. We rushed her back to the vets, and to be honest We expected the worst, but after keeping her in for observation, and several conference calls between various vet experts over what the cause could be, she was treated simultaneously for Epilepsy, stroke, and Meningitis, but still did not seem to be responding very well, despite all the medication... after a week with no real improvement we were advised that we might have to make the decision that the kindest thing would be to have her put to sleep. After a long heart to heart with our vet, we all decided that as she was not in physical pain, and we still had a couple of weeks worth of medication already purchased, that we should continue and either let nature take it's course naturally, or re-evaluate once they needed renewing. We did our best, getting up in the middle of the night to give her, her medication, and she did her part, trying very hard to start to recover, abate very slowly. She would still have the odd fits, and often stumbled around, unable to even make it to the litter tray with out help, but as the days ticked by, she seemed to recover more and more, and as each medication finished, we stopped it, to see if it was actually having any affect, only keeping her on the anti-fit one for longer, until it was decided to reduce it down over a week or two, and keep our fingers crossed.
After all this, we usually referred to her as our "Grand old Ferret", as this last lot of problems had cost us over £1000, and during one of our little heart to hearts, I told her that she better hang around for a few years now, as she owed us a lot of cuddles and kisses for spending all that money on her.
After all this, the vet was not keen on doing any more operations on her, but she had other ideas, still getting her lumps and bumps. We decided to live with them, but unfortunately, the lumps had other ideas, and we had the heartache and worry of having to have yet another operation to remove a very large growth, as it had turned septic. Luckily she recovered from this with no bad effects, much to everyone's relief.
At Christmas, she was diagnosed with Adrenal, and had the implant, but this did not really have the effect we have seen on other ferrets, and she slowly looked older and older. She was still eating (she had always had a huge appetite), and would do a wander round the garden most days, plus climb up for a cuddle when ever the opportunity arose, but she spent most of her time sleeping, and was becoming more and more incontinent. Over the last week, we kept wondering if we should be taking her to the vets to be put to sleep, but to be honest after all her other problems, I wanted to let her live it right to the end, as long as she was not in pain.
We spent most of Friday night up with her, but she hung in there, and all day Saturday. By Saturday Evening, We were thinking that we were being cruel, and perhaps we should take her to the vets, Early Sunday morning, I was sat down with her, and told her that she had more than paid back the debt, so could go in peace if she wanted to, and told her that her little friend Twirl and also Revel was up at the bridge waiting for her. Mentally, I decided that we would take her to the Vets in the morning, if she was still here, but some time between 5am and 8am, she left us to go and play with her friends. She was always a funny little girl, enjoying Suz company more than the other ferrets, and will be very sorely missed. Sweet Dreams Ruffle, I am so glad you will be forever lump free from now on and can rest in peace next to Twirl and Revel in the garden..
