Mojo has Crossed the Bridge

We had to help Mojo cross the bridge this morning. He went downhill really fast. Yesterday morning he only ate a third of his usual morning soup. By the evening, he wouldn't eat at all, and I was having to help him into the litterbox and clean him up afterwards. He cried when he tried to move, and I think the mass might have been pressing on internal organs.

He spent the evening lying in my arms while I told him all about the Rainbow Bridge, and how happy and healthy and pain free he would be there. I was almost hoping he would pass in the night in his hammock, surrounded by his friends. But he was always such a fighter, and when I woke up he was still with us. He was in even worse shape, and so I took him to the vet.

It was very fast. He drifted off in about 2 seconds, and it was very peaceful. He just sighed a final time and was gone. I took a lock of his hair, and we're going to have him cremated privately so we can get his ashes back.

Mojo, I miss you so much, and your friends do too. We'll never forget you. You were so strong and brave. Dance on, chunkybutt. You are so loved.

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ferret, ferrets, Rainbow Bridge

Mojo update

There has been no change in Mojo so far. He does seem a little more tired, but I'm not sure if that's an effect of the medicine (Piroxicam)or the progression of his condition. He is also eating slightly less (25 cc's of duck soup in a sitting compared with 30 cc's), but again, I don't know if that's the medicine or his condition. Dr. Edling did say the medicine was hard on some ferret's systems, but that is why he's also on the Ranitidine to protect his stomach. He's being a real champ about taking his medicine though. Totally different than Cheeba or Jebabba, who both act like I'm trying to kill them when I get near them with a dosing syringe. He doesn't seem to be in pain though, so I'm glad we put him on the medicine.

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ferret, ferrets, Piroxicam

Some overdue pictures

It's been a while since I posted pictures, and some of these are from our last snowfall, so that gives you can idea of how long it's taken me to put these up!

Apparently Cheeba loves snow!


Jebabba had a good time too.


Cheeba sleeps like only a ferret can!


Sophie looking regal



Today's ferret tip is about fleas - can't remember if I did this one before, but it's an important one and it's that time of year so here goes: It's much easier to prevent fleas than get rid of them. You can treat ferrets with Advantage - 1 drop per pound of body weight. Round up for half pounds. So if your ferret weighs 2 lbs, it gets 2 drops. If it weighs 2 1/2 lbs, it gets 3 drops. It's simple and much easier than treating the whole house!

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ferret, ferrets, Ferret Tips, Fleas

Dare I Hope...?

We're going to be putting Mojo on piroxicam - the shelter where I adopted him from has had luck in the past with this drug prolonging the lives of ferrets with carcinomas. It's an anti-inflammatory, and it should help with any pain he's having. At the very least it should make him a little more comfortable, even if it doesn't keep him around longer. That's all I can hope for at this point.

Cheeba is back on ulcer meds. He's started grinding his teeth, and I saw a pretty dark poop yesterday. He's just happy because it means he gets Gerber Chicken & Chicken Gravy Baby food three times a day! It's somewhat difficult giving him the carafate, as it can interfere with the pred. So I have to give the carafate either 1 hour before or 2 hours after the pred. So far so good though!



Today's ferret tip is make friends in the ferret community, and not just so you get more Christmas cards! Knowing more people that have ferrets means that you have more knowledge at your fingertips. There is always something about your ferrets that you can learn, and, as with Mojo, sometimes it can really help you and your fuzzies out! Don't know where to start? Check out TheFerretStore.com Forums.

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ferret, ferrets, Ferret Store Forum

Mojo will be leaving us soon

Last Monday at Mojo's monthly Lupron appointment, Dr. Edling did an ultrasound because I wanted to see why his stomach felt hard and how his prostate cysts were doing. She found a large abdominal mass. I went back on Wednesday to have it aspirated, and she found it was completely solid. She took some samples, and I was hoping that it would be something like lymphoma.

It's not.

It's a carcinoma, and based on the location, she thinks it might be related to his adrenal disease. It can't be removed because of where it is and because of his heart murmur. She would usually prescribe pred to help make him feel better (it wouldn't actually affect the size of the carcinoma), but in his case she's concerned that it might have negative effects on his prostate issue. She gave him about a month, unless the mass comes through the abdominal wall in the meantime. This would cause bleeding into his abdomen, a drop in blood pressure, and he would pass away. She said this shouldn't be painful for him.

So all we can do now is love him and spoil him rotten for the time we have left with him. He's sleeping in my lap even as I type this. That's all he does anymore - sleep. But he still pigs out on duck soup, and he still has that old Mojo look in his eye, so I know he's fighting it.





Today's ferret tip is to take your ferret to the vet regularly. If you don't know what's normal in your ferret's system, you won't know what's abnormal!

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ferret, ferrets, Lupron, Carcinoma, Lymphoma, Ferret Tips