Even Worse than the Dark.... Rain

Okay - so maybe I am raising  a bit of a baby....Winston does hate the dark but even more that little piglet hates the rain.

He might be okay if it's misting or even sprinkling if he is playing in the bushes or laying close to the house where the eaves protect him from the rain.  But - if it is actually raining - holy heck - he runs for the door and cries to get in.  He thinks he might melt.

Once he gets inside he makes a bee line for the sofa - proceeds to flop down and rub his back against the back of the sofa.  For goodness sake - he can't have rain drops on his back....

After the rain it a whole other story....it's swampy and muddy and all sorts of pig fun out there....

Afraid of the Dark

The weather here has been dreamy - cooler and breezy.  To say the least - the little piglet (ha - all 85 pounds of him) is loving it outside.  Yesterday afternoon I had to run out and Winston did not want to come inside.  Since we have outdoor cameras to monitor I decided it would be okay to let him stay outside to play.

I checked in on him every 30 minutes or so - he was grazing, napping, hanging out in his tent, etc.  It was all good until I got delayed....I was gone far longer than I thought I would be.  The little bubby - well - he is afraid of the dark.  Don't tell him I told you - he would be embarrassed - he tries to be a tough pig.  He hates being outside in the dark and when we go out for the last potty break I have to go with him - he will not go by himself.

As the evening wore on I was getting more and more worried.  After a speedy drive home we walked in the door just as the last little bit of light was going.  He was so relieved to see us.  I got him in and fed him and then shortly after I went in to tuck him in.  He was so happy to snuggle and get some loves.  Poor little guy - I felt so guilty.  I am glad we made it home before it got too dark - the thought of him feeling scared makes me sad.  Yes - he is spoiled and I am over protective - isn't that how it should be.

Madison's Trip to the Vet

So - I didn't get the post done last night - things in our world are just too busy!  UGH.  So here are the details about what happened yesterday.

Madison went to the vet yesterday because she was experiencing a pretty significant hair loss.  There are several reasons ferrets lose their hair.  I have posted in the past about photosynthesis and natural light exposure and how it impacts ferrets - especially in relation to their seasonal coat change.  I was hopeful that this was what Madison was experiencing.  One of the other reasons ferrets lose their hair is adrenal disease which is incredibly common in ferrets.  So - I decided I should take her in to find out for sure.

The vet agreed that she is going through a pretty significant coat change.  She did not present the classic symptoms of adrenal disease but she did have a couple of key indicators.  Hair loss on the tail and some black heads on her tail as well.  So - we talked through the options.

Adrenal disease is frustrating in that there is no real super for sure way to tell if a ferret has it.  Blood testing is not super accurate because the hormone levels in the blood fluctuate wildly.  Ultrasound is fine if the tumor is large enough and in a position to be seen but it doesn't take a giant tumor to cause issues - so again - not super accurate.  It used to be that the treatment options were surgery to remove the adrenal gland - typically on the left side (I think) because the right side is near important veins that could cause major complications.  Or - they would do injections once a month or quarter depending on what the ferret needed.  Thankfully - nowadays they have a handy dandy implant that they can put under the ferret's skin - very similar to a microchip you would use on a cat or dog.  This implant is a slow release of medication - lasting about 18 months to 2 years.

The way I understand it is that the implant has the synthetic version of the hormones that the adrenal gland produces.  The body recognizes that the hormones are present - and in essence 'shuts off' the adrenal gland so it doesn't produce crazy amounts any more.  It keeps things very level.  Madison should be a bit less itchy, her hair should grow back and she should not have any side effect from the implant itself or the medication it releases.

The other discussion that we had was proactively placing the implant in the other ferrets to keep them from experiencing the issues from adrenal disease.  I think its a great idea and have scheduled an appointment for them in November - the hubs is not on board so far.  We will see if I can convince him.

The last thing to mention is that there is still a chance for the need for surgical intervention - the implant controls the symptoms but the tumor(s) can still grow - so if things get too big there is still a chance that surgery would be necessary.

All in all Madison seems happy and like she is feeling good today.  I kept her with me for most of the night last night so she got some rest.  She is back with the rest of the gang and doing well.  I will try to get a pic of her "wound" later today....

2016 Zoo Christmas Ornament

A few years ago we started the official Zoo Christmas Ornament - we have done bears, stockings hanging by the fireplace, a long stocking with the names in the stripes, a quilt with the names in the squares and this year - PENGUINS!!

It's bigger than I expected and will definitely have to live on the lower branches of the tree - but I love it!!

Recap of Our Week

Things around here have been busy!  I haven't been blogging or taking cute pictures - just running like a crazy person, having fun with my friend while she was visiting and getting lots done!

So - updates:

Winston - he did so well with his Auntie - he still tried to be a pink turd but she was having none of it.  It really goes to show that if someone takes a dominant stand with him he can be well behaved.  He has had some lovely cooler days so lots of outside time.  All in all - the piglet is doing just great.

Emma - she loves her Auntie as well and she got to see her grandma (my mom) and her pup Quincy as well.  She had lots of play time, attention and treats - spoiled pup!  She is tucked into her bed tonight and happy and worn out pup.

Kitties - All the kitties are doing just great - still needing to get them into the vet.  Soon I promise! Everyone is happy and healthy and doing well.  They have been enjoying the outside playspace.

Ferrets are doing great as well - just one small area of concern...  Miss Madison is having a bit of hair loss.  It's a fairly bare tummy and very thin on her sides.  I am kind of leaning towards a significant coat change - we had some major changes in the boys when they went from winter coats to summer coats.  It's that time of year again and I think (at least I am hopeful) that she is shedding her coat in prep for her winter coat.  I did, however, make her an appointment to see the vet on Tuesday.  There is a disease called Adrenal disease that is quite common in ferrets.  It can be treated with medication or surgically and is very treatable if caught early.  Seeing that Maddie just had a full blood workup about 7 weeks ago it would be very early.  Either way I just want to be sure.  I have to travel later in the month and I want to be sure she is fine so I don't have to worry even more than I already will....  I will keep you posted on what we find out.  She has none of the other symptoms of Adrenal disease so I am really hoping she is good to go....pet parenthood is hard sometimes.

So - this week has been great - critters enjoyed the extra attention!  Tomorrow it's back to work and back to our regular routines.  There is something kind of comfortable about that somehow.

A New Methodology

So - my best friend is in town this week for a visit.  We are having much fun!  It's fascinating to watch her interact with the pig.  She definitely has found a way to deal with him that works!

When new people come around Winston likes to send them a message that he is top hog around here and he can be a bit of a pink turd.  He approaches them and then tries to lunge and head swipe so he can try to establish dominance.  Today when he tried his approach, my friend put her hand on the top of his head and pushed.  She used a firm voice and told him 'No' and 'Be nice!'.  At first he didn't know what to do.  He tried to wait her out but she didn't give in.  Pretty soon he turned around and walked away.  Over the course of the last couple of days he still approaches her but if she holds out her hand it stops him in his tracks.  There were a couple of times that he flopped down next to her chair and let her rub his belly.  All in all their interactions are going just great!

It's amazing how different he is when he can sense fear - he is such a bully if he thinks he can get away with it!  As for my other furries - they are getting spoiled with attention from their Auntie....they love her!

General Updates

Here it is - September the 3rd and I haven't blogged at all this month.  August was a terrible blogging month - just too much going on.  Life gets in the way sometimes.

So - a quick look back at August -  it was a pretty good month.  Critter health was great this month - everyone is feeling good!  Woot!  We traveled in August which is always a bit stressful for the critter mom mostly.  Winston did pretty well - once he figured out I was gone and he was relying on someone else for food and cookies he was a pretty nice boy.  Emma was well behaved but melancholy while we were gone - she hates it when we are away from her.  The ferrets were great - very social.  The kitties did well too - Phoebe, who hid every time we tried to practice giving meds, decided that once I was gone she was going to be the pet sitter's BFF.  All in all things went well.

As we look at September - its gearing up to be a crazy critter month.  My BFF is coming to town today.  The critters love their Auntie so they will be very excited once she gets here.  We will have a nice leisurely week this week.  I am traveling for business later this month - not looking forward to being away from my babies again.  Hubs will be here so he can take the morning and evening shifts and pet sitter will be in throughout the day to let the dog and pig out for playtime and potty breaks.  I still haven't gotten the kitties in for their annual check ups - I have to get those scheduled but it will likely have to wait for my business travel to wrap up.  They are all doing well so its not super pressing.

All in all - August was good - and September will be too!