Had to euthanize my ferret today

[Anarchrusty]

Jesus fucking christ, I wasn't gonna get it let it get to me, especially on a forum, but it just happened. I was planning on keeping it to myself and just have a couple of pints to ease the pain, but now I'm fucking crying like a little boy.
This morning I had to put my friend to sleep. My dear betrusted ferret friend who has been with me for over eight years. He had insulinoma, which are small tumours of the pancreas. I know he has had a good life and that it was his time to say goodbye but I still feel like fucking crap. I feel guilty. I feel like I should have been able to let him live a hundred years. I know it's not realistic, and I know this is what happens to older ferrets but I still feel like shite.

God damn I loved the little guy. He was there when I came home from school and had had a hard day. When nobody liked me back then, he was always glad to see me.
He was there when I moved out of my parents', when I went to live abroad with my aunt and uncle.
I saw what a magnificent creature he was, how big and strong. I have seen him last month, when he was but a shadow of his younger appearance. He had lost weight substantially and was under surgery to remove the tumours, but it wasn't all good enough. So today I called my auntie to be with us as we said goodbye.

I feel horrible. I have all these funny memories running through my head but they just make me cry. Gonna miss ya buddy.

[Queercommie Girl]

That's horrible...:crying:

[Triple A]

Jesus fucking christ, I wasn't gonna get it let it get to me, especially on a forum, but it just happened. I was planning on keeping it to myself and just have a couple of pints to ease the pain, but now I'm fucking crying like a little boy.
This morning I had to put my friend to sleep. My dear betrusted ferret friend who has been with me for over eight years. He had insulinoma, which are small tumours of the pancreas. I know he has had a good life and that it was his time to say goodbye but I still feel like fucking crap. I feel guilty. I feel like I should have been able to let him live a hundred years. I know it's not realistic, and I know this is what happens to older ferrets but I still feel like shite.

God damn I loved the little guy. He was there when I came home from school and had had a hard day. When nobody liked me back then, he was always glad to see me.
He was there when I moved out of my parents', when I went to live abroad with my aunt and uncle.
I saw what a magnificent creature he was, how big and strong. I have seen him last month, when he was but a shadow of his younger appearance. He had lost weight substantially and was under surgery to remove the tumours, but it wasn't all good enough. So today I called my auntie to be with us as we said goodbye.

I feel horrible. I have all these funny memories running through my head but they just make me cry. Gonna miss ya buddy.

Its bad, over time people get :wub: with animals they have.
Must be a sad day for you knowing that and that Voeckler had a fall and Contador couldnt gain time :crying:

[Summerspeaker]

:crying: Sadness. My parents had one of the family cats I grew up with put to sleep just yesterday.

[Anarchrusty]

Thanx Iseul. This is actually the first time I had to loose someone to death and I never imagined it to be so hard. A cynic will say, ah it's only an animal, but first of all I really do love animals and second, he was much more than that. We have had so many memories together. I cannot begin to even tell them all.
Like that time I was at my (then) gf's appartment, when I was peeling onions for our meal and I tried to pet him. Normally he liked that, but I guess I startled him with the strong smell of onion on my fingers and he bit me straight to the bone! Fucking hurt like hell, but an hour later me and my gf were laughing our asses off.
Another time (same gf, same ferret) she took him up to kiss him, but she (we) had just smoked a joint and apparently he didn't like the stench and bit her right under the eye in the cheekbone and refused to let go. I had to prey my finger between his jaws.
Haha I can't recall the times he bit one of our friends, fucking psml. Not that he was a violent ferret, far from it. He was pretty docile, but he would make sure with his teeth that he didn't like anything. He was just very assertive and made his boundaries known as soon as anyone dared to cross them. I wish I could have done that, my life would have been so much easier :D

Skip in time. Me and my boyfriend at the time (I am bisexual, before you ask) were entertaining friends in high summer, when suddenly one of them asks if it was normal the ferret would walk over the ledge (bf lived high and had a window opened) and we both just FLEW over to grab him off it and bounced our heads haha. We were both hurt but the ferret was luckily save in our hands, his to be precise.

When I first had him, he was the one I could rely on. I was severely bullied in school and thought I had no friends, except for him. He was my pride and joy, and always was. In fact he will always be. I will never forget him. Almost nine years of my life he shared with me. That's almost have my age (am in my early twenties).

Jesus, I could write about him all night.

[Triple A]

:crying: Sadness. My parents had one of the family cats I grew up with put to sleep just yesterday.

Yesterday Shleck lost time when going down the mountain, still not enough tough as Evens gained 2 seconds. (;

[RedAnarchist]

Yesterday Shleck lost time when going down the mountain, still not enough tough as Evens gained 2 seconds. (;

Have a verbal warning for spamming.

[Nothing Human Is Alien]

That sucks. I had to do the same earlier this year.

Are you in the U.S.? If so, the ferret most likely came from Marshall Farms, which cranks out ferrets with bad genetic traits left and right. They have a much higher instance of disease because of it. The profit motive strikes again. :(

[Anarchrusty]

Have a verbal warning for spamming.



Wut? Have a heart mate, this is a thread by people that have lost a beloved pet. How the hell is this spamming?

:confused:

[Triple A]

Have a verbal warning for spamming.

I was trolling not spamming.:crying:

[Anarchrusty]

That sucks. I had to do the same earlier this year.

Are you in the U.S.? If so, the ferret most likely came from Marshall Farms, which cranks out ferrets with bad genetic traits left and right. They have a much higher instance of disease because of it. The profit motive strikes again. :(


I'm English but living in the Netherlands at the moment. My ferret came from some guy in Dorset back then.

[RedAnarchist]

Wut? Have a heart mate, this is a thread by people that have lost a beloved pet. How the hell is this spamming?

:confused:

He posted about something completely off-topic.

[Anarchrusty]

He posted about something completely off-topic.


I just read his reply that he was trolling. I didn't realise that. Sorry for the inconvinience.

Back to the thread though about losing your beloved pets.

[Triple A]

I just read his reply that he was trolling. I didn't realise that. Sorry for the inconvinience.

Back to the thread though about losing your beloved pets.

Not really trolling I just like to go into random threads and talk of random things and people use to have funny reactions.

[praxis1966]

Not really trolling I just like to go into random threads and talk of random things and people use to have funny reactions.

Don't take this the wrong way because I'm really not trying to be an ass... Just consider RA's warning a reminder to keep the random one-liners in Chit-Chat where they belong.

Now please, can we all just get back to discussing Anarcrusty's sitch? I for one didn't know ferrets could have so much personality as I've never owned one. The way you talk about that little guy is the same way I talk about my first dog, a golden retriever the family acquired when I was around the age of 10. Like your ferret, she was there for me during those awkward teen years...

I guess what I'm trying to say is that I empathize with your situation. Non-pet people think we're nuts to grow so emotionally attached to our animals, but I understand.

So sorry for your loss. :(

[Nothing Human Is Alien]

Yea, they have a lot of personality... more than any other pet I've had, including dogs.

[Anarchrusty]

Don't take this the wrong way because I'm really not trying to be an ass... Just consider RA's warning a reminder to keep the random one-liners in Chit-Chat where they belong.

Now please, can we all just get back to discussing Anarcrusty's sitch? I for one didn't know ferrets could have so much personality as I've never owned one. The way you talk about that little guy is the same way I talk about my first dog, a golden retriever the family acquired when I was around the age of 10. Like your ferret, she was there for me during those awkward teen years...

I guess what I'm trying to say is that I empathize with your situation. Non-pet people think we're nuts to grow so emotionally attached to our animals, but I understand.

So sorry for your loss. :(


Thank you for your very kind words. Yes, ferrets actually are very intelligent beings considering their stature. They are predators by nature, they are the domesticated offspring of the European Polecat (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/European_Polecat) and it will amaze you at how much they will develop into a personality of their own. I have become aquinted to other ferret lovers through the years and you won't believe at how different they can be.
Of all the ferrets I have known, most have similar traits: inquisitive, fearless, happy go lucky.
Most also have personalities, I believe modeled after the owners. Mine was mildmannered, passionate (especially about food), playful, leftwing (haha).

They are a fascinating breed.

[graymouser]

Ferrets are great critters but they are heartbreakers. Our ferret is on steroids for lymphoma and has had surgery for adrenal disease. Sorry for your loss.

[Anarchrusty]

Ferrets are great critters but they are heartbreakers. Our ferret is on steroids for lymphoma and has had surgery for adrenal disease. Sorry for your loss.



Do you have any advice for me, as I am planning to have more ferrets in the future (They are such a cute specimen haha). I think I have taken great care of him to the best of my knowledge. But I want to be even more THERE if you know what I mean.

[Nothing Human Is Alien]

Ferrets are great critters but they are heartbreakers. Our ferret is on steroids for lymphoma and has had surgery for adrenal disease.

Absolutely. I don't think I'll get another any time soon for that reason. Adrenal disease is a very common killer for ferrets, especially in the U.S. where the majority come from Marshall Farms.

[graymouser]

Do you have any advice for me, as I am planning to have more ferrets in the future (They are such a cute specimen haha). I think I have taken great care of him to the best of my knowledge. But I want to be even more THERE if you know what I mean.
Eight years is a pretty long life for a ferret, but to get there, make sure the breeder you get them from doesn't spay/neuter them too young. Jills (females) have to be spayed by a certain point in their lives if you aren't going to breed them but some do it too early and this has been linked to adrenal disease. Hobs (males) are slightly hardier, but that hasn't really helped in the case of our little guy.

Find a good vet, if the one you have isn't a specialist in exotics you may need to travel a little but it's important. Ferrets get weird diseases, you have to expect that. Don't feed them things that are too sugary, it can be bad for their system; we use mostly Bandits treats but we used to give our ferret raisins, which are not good for them. Also, ferret proofing your home is very important; ours only has a limited area to run in when we let him out - he has a very large house but only goes out to play once a day or so. Ferrets don't know what they're getting into.

Also, always good advice - give yourself a few weeks at least, if not a month, before getting another pet. You'll make better decisions then.

[Anarchrusty]

Also, always good advice - give yourself a few weeks at least, if not a month, before getting another pet. You'll make better decisions then.

I took your advice at heart. I still haven't a new one, and it's been 2 months now. Believe it or not, I am still heartbroken about my loss. Sure, the tears dried up after half a week orso, but the ache is still present.
I have decided to postpone a new ferret untill the pain has died down to a bareable minimum. It would feel as cheating your lover if I went too fast now.

[Lobotomy]

sorry about your friend man. I had to put down my kitty earlier this year. I still have the image burned into my mind of when they gave her the shots. her eyes were all dilated and her tongue hanging out... uuugh.

[Sentinel]

I had no idea you could have one of those as a pet. Having read some about them just now on the internet, I'd really like to have one.

I can't have pets unfortunately as I work on the sea. :(