I'm a long time lurker in admiration of the talent of this group. Anyway, a friend of mine recently lost nearly everything she owns in a fire, including clothes and a sewing machine. I'm looking for recommendations of a good and reasonably priced machine I can send down to her. (I have a Brother of some sort, but I'm not 100% happy with it [probably because of user error].) Does anyone have any suggestions?
Skipper had been on a downward spiral this past month. Despite how hard he had fought to live and how hard I fought to make sure he lived, he was giving up and I knew it.
When I awoke yesterday morning at about 6AM, Skipper was laying, halfway in his litterbox (He was ALWAYS very good about using his box, even when he was sick) as if he had made an effort to use it but didn't quite make it. I opened his ferretnation cage and kneeled down and he lifted his head to look up at me, then slowly got up and very weakly dragged himself over to me and bent his head down low, leaning it against my chest. I knew at that point that day was going to be the day. I contacted my vet as soon as they opened and they wanted to see him as soon as possible. Due to the fact I don't have a car and the vet is way to far for me to walk (especially in this freezing New England weather), I had to wait for my mom to get off work to bring me. While I waited, I made Skipper as comfortable as possible.
When she finally did get out and we went to the vets, we met up with a different doctor since Skipper's regular doctor was in surgery. She examined him and after running some tests, she found that Skipper also had adrenal in addition to insulinoma. She said she could operate on him and see if that helped. I turned and looked down at him, laying there with his labored, tired breathing. I asked her what the chances of Skipper ever returning to normal was, and she said very slim. She then said she could up his medication. In one final last attempt to give Skipper the chance to live, I went with this.
It was no longer then 2 minutes of us getting home that I gave him his medicine and he promptly puked EVERYWHERE within minutes of taking it. His body was shutting down. I called my vet back and this time spoke to his regular vet who told me we were running out of options and at this point he was on the path of no return. With a heavy heart, I packed Skipper back up and called my mom who came down to pick me up and drive me back out there.
When I got to the vets, they had JUST closed, so there was no one in the waiting room, thank God. I had never sat with an animal while it was being euthanized before, but because of the promise I had made Skipper that I would be with him to the very bitter end, I wanted to stay with him. Still I was a bit scared on what to expect. I had heard horror stories about animals convulsing and having their hearts explode. I told my vet all this and she shook her head and told me it was nothing like that and was very peaceful, she would give him a shot in his abdomen and as his body absorbed that, he would just get sleepy and drift off, sort of like with anesthesia.
Skipper, who was wrapped in my sweater, allowed her to give him the shot. She then left the room for a few minutes to give me time alone with him as he drifted off. I sat there on the bench, cradling him like I had done a million times before, and softly sang the song Time After Time as I watched the rise and fall of his body. And then it stopped.
A few minutes passed and the vet came back in and checked for his heart beat and said he was gone. I gave her my sweater to keep him wrapped in, and left.
When I got home, it felt very surreal to think Skipper was just a memory now and it was just Tiki and Sobolan. All of Skipper's toys, food, treats, and his huge ferretnation were sitting there with no ferret to happily use them. What I'm going to do with them now, I don't know. My mom told me I should just toss the cage incase it's contaminated. He had CANCER, not the ebola virus! I'll hang onto it for now and see what happens in the future. I might move my rats into it if I can find a manageable way to keep it clean with them. If enough time goes by though, I may end up donating it to a ferret rescue.
As far as ferrets go, I think Skipper was it for me. I'll always love and respect the animal, but they are a heartbreak waiting to happen. And still yet, on that same note, I know if I could do it all over again, I would in a heart beat. I not only got the opportunity to know and love an amazing ferret, but was known and loved by one in return.
And now that he's finally resting in peace, I can as well.
The past few posts I've made leading up to this one have been me pretty much contemplating what the "right" move was in Skipper's best interest. A few days ago, I made a post about "when do you know when it's time to let go". In truth, deep down I knew the answer and I knew it was time. I saw it in Skipper's eyes, as he had made it evident that as much as he loved me and he loved life, he had fought the good fight and was tired of it all and ready to face the great beyond. The problem was, I wasn't ready, and I made the mistake of listening to everyone else trying to tell me that he still had a chance and that insulinoma was something he could live with for years to come. That may be so, but Skipper was done with it. His fight was over. I heard him, I just didn't want to believe it.
It's been roughly 4 hours now since I had to make that heart wrenching decision for Skipper, his trust, as always, placed totally in my hands. And let me tell you, I've had to lead entire store seminars at my work, but those weren't even a smidgen close to the pressure I felt today when making that decision. And yet, if it hadn't of been for Skipper, I probably wouldn't have been as highly regarded to hold all those small animal seminars to begin with. When it came right down to it, Skipper had always lived to serve me, so now it was my turn to serve him. It was this fact that drove me to make my decision to free him from the horrendous, painful life that was no more joyous and grand, and never would be again. Skipper had reached a point of no return, and while I'm damn well suffering for the decision I made now, I know I served him well, because no animal will ever suffer in my care.
It's coming on roughly 5 years now that Skipper came into my life. At work, I often watch as young people come barreling through the front doors, quivering in excitement as they come racing up to me, announcing they want to buy a ferret, and I can't help but smile. I smile because I remember feeling the very same way on that unforgettable August day I carried Skipper home in the pouring rain as a tiny kit, 5 years ago. Truth is, nobody wanted me to get him. I was nagged on all sides, family, friends, boyfriend, co-workers to reconsider getting a ferret. They smell, they are dirty, they are mean, they shit everywhere, etc. I didn't care. For as long as I can remember, I had always wanted one, and now that I was old enough and had done my research, I was determined to get one, no matter what people thought.
Skipper, right from the very beginning, was a very sweet and cuddly baby with a very loving demeanor. Very quickly he was able to turn some of the most negative, anti-ferret people around, one of them being my own mother. I forced her to hold him in the car one afternoon while I ran into a store to pick something up, and when I returned, she had taken on an entirely different attitude towards him and ferrets in general. Skipper often accompanied me at work, and on trips to nursing homes and made just about everyone who came in contact with him melt with his loving charm and charisma. He was able to reignite the love with one women who's heart had turned cold towards ferrets due to a very negative experience she had had with one previously by simply reaching out and gingerly licking her hand. He amused everyone who he met just about with his cheekie antics and mischievous but loving nature.
I loved skipper with a vicious intensity from the very first day he came into my life, and he returned that love with a fierceness of his own that only seemed to grow as the years went on, but it wasn't until he was diagnosed with insulinoma that our love really began to flare. I had made him a promise that I was with him to the very bitter end and that I would do everything in my power to ensure he lived as long and as happy of a life as possible and that I would NEVER abandon him, no matter how bad things got. And I kept that promise to him all the way up to the moment he took his very last breath in my arms.
I would like to thank all of you in this community who have grown to know and love Skipper over the years, and who have mentored and guided me in both the good times and the bad, leading me to become what I consider to be a responsible, compassionate ferret owner who served Skipper well all the way to the very end. Your wisdom has also aided me in my job as a small animal care specialist, and will remain with me forever.
And lastly, I love you, Skipper. But you already knew that <3
In Loving Memory Of Skipper July 12, 2004 - January 7, 2010
Skipper is gone, free of all pain and anguish caused by his insulinoma and adrenal. I will come up with a better memorial later. Right now, I need to go lay down before I pass out again...
In just a matter of a few hours, Skipper took on a sudden and harsh change for the worst. I have no clue what brought this on, but only serves as a reminder of the harsh reality of how delicate ferrets are. I contacted my vet and we'll be leaving in about an hour when my mother get's off work (I have no car and am at her mercy since his clinic is 2 towns over).
I've been up since 6:00AM, unable to sleep because Skipper isn't feeling so hot. His BG (blood glucose) is apparently low this morning for some reason. This has been an up and down thing since he's been diagnosed with Insulinoma despite my regularity with his medicine and care. I was told it's normal, but there are days when it becomes very taxing, for the both of us and there are days when I can't help but wonder if all of this is worth it to him. But just when I feel I'm ready to give in and really start to consider weather or not it might be more humane to just have him put down instead of having him ride this roller coaster of hell, I keep going and push him to keep going as well. And somehow in the end, I'm able to stabilize him and all is well again for a while.
Sometimes, in times like today, I can't help but wonder if I'm doing something wrong. Insulinoma is suppose to be a manageable illness. I've been told by my vet that Skipper is a good candidate for surgery, and while I've thought about this, what's the point paying $300 (Not that money is an issue, I'd pay $5,000 if it would cure him and bring things back to normal again), putting him through the misery of surgery, only to have the tumors return? Prednisone for a while was doing it's job, but sometimes I wonder if it's enough. I can't help but feel like Skipper was diagnosed to late, considering he was having these episodes for months before his vet officially came to the conclusion that it was insulinoma. I've heard there are other medicines out there that are used to help deal with insulinoma, and that prednisone isn't the one and only option.
Next friday, I'm taking Skipper in to be seen by his vet for an examination, and depending on her conclusion, we're going to decide what to do next. I'm hoping she can recommend me with some other form of care, to either add to his prednisone or in replace of it entirely. Something I haven't done that I should have done a long time ago is purchase a blood glucose counter. The only thing that's really kept me from putting it off is the fact that I'm going to have to quik him to get blood...I myself absolutely hate pain (I've been trying to work up the courage to get my ears pierced for years, but am to chicken shit out of fear of the pain). I don't know if I would be able to handle something like that. I guess if I absolutely had to, I would. It would give me a better idea on how he is doing on the inside.
I have to do something. Skipper wants to live, I want him to live, and he very damn well should be able to.
So my Sol Y Viento Online Manual Key came with an extra manual key wrapped in the package. I paid the price for only one, and I'm completely sure that it is a separate and individual manual key that I do not need. I paid $46.50, and I'm willing to sell it for $30. Anyone interested?
i've been watching this community for quit some time now, but never really have taken the time to post something so here my first post! ^^ i've been doing quit some t shirt(and more, i also sew thing myself) surgery now, and wanted to show this one, i only used a scissor for it so it's quit easy to make when you don't have a sewing machine.
here's the before pic (2005) as you see its way to loose around my waist. i think i haven't worn it ever again after this photo, until i found out i could make something out of it (and i stopped wearing pink, now this is the only thing pink that i have left haha): ( clickety click for the result! ^^ )
Where'd the memories go? =( I used to come on here a looong time ago and recently got the web back. I was just wondering what happened to the memories. I used to refer to them a lot and was wondering if they got redirected somewhere?
in between starting and finishing this, I sewed an entire quilt by hand. you'd think this would get done. now I have a sewing machine! mum got me one for christmas. So this may be the last thing I ever hand-sew!
Saw this in another community and thought it should be shared! If anyone knows someone who can help, please pass the link on. Both these poor animals look way too thin.
nashville.craigslist.org/pet/1535422351.html
x-posted to ferretish, ferretattitude, and ferretlovers
Not long after posting my last entry last night, I went to bed and Skipper crawled in with me on his own free will (I normally cage him at night but haven't been lately). Skipper has ALWAYS been an extremely snuggly, affectionate ferret, even when he was a tiny baby. He just loves people.
I have been lurking about this site for a wee while and finally plucked up the courage to post something (if I'm doing it right that is, im knew to this live journal stuff, so the LJ cut thingy confused my teeny brain:S) ive had a sewing machine for a while but haven't made much wearable stuff, until now that and ive just finished uni so not really had much time to make anything...
There's nothing goin' on here anymore, eh? That kind of sucks.
The kick ass bands noted in the subject are performing at the House Of Blues in Orlando on Wednesday, February 10th. I'm looking for a ride to this amazing show --- would rather not buy a bus ticket just for this, especially as I'm taking the bus down a week later to see Flogging Molly and Against Me! (2/17 and 2/19). Happy to chip in for gas & tolls of course!
Doors are 6:30/show 7:30, so we'd need to leave by 2-3pm.
Preferably we'd head back the same night or else crash in O-town for the night before heading back.
I had a basic medium tshirt from the art institute of chicago I finally got around to messing with... I absolutely adored the shirt design but I don't wear tshirts. (especially ones that are large on me) anyway, I took it in, changed the neckline to a more scoopish one, and added some bunching to the sleeves.
The question is unbelievably old, perhaps as old as time itself. And with as many individuals as I've loved and lost in my life, both human and animal, I always thought I knew the answer: when they tell you. But tonight as I took the photo above of Skipper, I asked myself that very question, and I found myself speechless, both verbally and mentally.
Skipper is a very special animal to me, not only in the fact that he's the first ferret I've owned (and possibly ever will own), but because him and I have both been through so much together these past 4 1/2 years. Through hardships, dog attacks, failed relationships, grief, situations long felt to be life certainties suddenly changing, somehow, so long as we had each other, everything worked itself out in the end.
Skipper and I are approaching the one year anniversary of the day he was diagnosed officially with Insulinoma. I was so determined to see him through it, yet with each and every day I watch him as he loses more and more weight, his eyes go blind, and as he struggles to his feet to greet me, and I can't help but feel/know that this is a battle we can't win, no matter how much we love each other. When it comes right down to it all, Skipper is my rock, the one thing in my life that centers me and keeps me focused on what's really important when everything else is so messed up. My love for him, for all my animals, is savagely intense, perhaps even eclipsing the love I feel for some of the people in my life.
And while no animal will ever suffer in my care, I'm bracing myself for that quickly approaching time, because I'm going to suffer greatly.
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