Madison - November 6, 2011 - November 1, 2020 - RIP

On the eve of what would be her 9th birthday, I'll share the heartbreaking news that we lost our sweet girl Madison this past weekend. While her passing was not unexpected, it's taken me a few days to process. We were so fortunate to have such an extended amount of time with this sweet, joyful creature. Most ferrets pass during their 7th year, so the fact that we were able to enjoy her for so much longer is something I am so thankful for. I'm also thankful that she was a healthy girl, only suffering from adrenal disease that was basically a non-issue for her thanks to advances in veterinary medicine and an implant that kept the disease in check. Madison passed away in her sleep, in her favorite bed, sleeping in her favorite position, surrounding by her ferret and kitty siblings. I am grateful that she went peacefully and with no pain, and in these crazy COVID-19 times, that we did not have to take her in as we would not have been permitted to stay with her while they administered the necessary medications.

Madison was our second ferret. She came into our world four years after we had gotten our first, Clooney. He was very uncertain of exactly what this new critter was. I believe he thought he was a cat. Madison was a very vocal ferret and taught Clooney, who had never made a sound, that he had a voice. As our business of ferrets grew, Madison was most definitely the matriarch, accepting each new addition with open arms and loving each of them fiercely. She also had a very special relationship with our kitty Oliver and she was heartbroken when Oliver passed a couple of years ago.

She was an intuitive girl who could sense what you were feeling. There were always ferret kisses at the ready and when she was around, there was no way to be unhappy. She filled our lives with so much joy and I am so thankful she was a part of our little zoo. Rest in peace my sweet girl.

RIP Sweet Miss Violet - 2013 - 2020

I am so sad to share that over the weekend we lost our perfect Miss Violet. While this loss was not altogether unexpected, we are feeling at loose ends here. Violet was seven years and two months old. Getting a healthy ferret to the age of seven is sometimes a challenge and Violet had both insulinoma (a blood sugar disorder) and adrenal disease so her long life was more than we thought we would have with her.

Violet was a fiercely independent little girl. Despite that, she was always so cooperative for me when it came to taking meds or eating when asked. We used food to help keep her blood sugar stable between doses of prednisone so I was with her every four to five hours for the last two plus years. There were many late night/early morning feedings, many times of worry when she wasn't doing as well as I would have liked, but mostly many days of feeling like she was happy and active and doing well in spite of her illnesses.

I am thankful that her decline happened very quickly and that she only felt poorly for a matter of hours before she passed. The day before she was outside in the playspace soaking up the sun and playing with her siblings. I am also thankful that she passed peacefully in her sleep, at home, surrounded by her family.

I always feel like it is such a privilege to care for them as they get older, a way for me to give back to them for all the joy and happiness they have brought into my life. Saying goodbye is always so difficult. I hope my sweet girl is at the rainbow bridge, reunited with her littermate Finn, her brother Clooney and her sister Harlow having a ferret party free of any ailments or pain. Rest in peace my lovely girl.

One of my favorite shots of her

Posing

Violet and her littermate Finn

Gotcha day

Beautiful girl

Pig Mom Gets a Win - Tusk Maintenance

I have been working hard on coming up with ways to train Winston so that we can do his annual exam with no sedation and without flipping him on his back. Both of us absolutely hate the process and its stressful so I am motivated to come up with new ideas.

Around Thanksgiving I started working with Winston on the first item on the list - tusk maintenance. I ordered this lovely tool called Bark and Boop Dog Nail Grinder from Amazon ($21). This is basically a Dremmel but its much quieter which we needed because W hated the loud motor of the Dremmel tool. We started our training in very short spurts. It was literally getting him to let me touch his tusk with the tool at first. It would touch for a split second and then he would pull away. He didn't like the vibration it causes but over time he got more used to it.

Earlier this week, I was able to declare a win when I got out the tool and once I turned it on Winston flopped on his side (the position he takes for all maintenance activities) and he let me file for as long as I wanted. His tusks grow at very different rates - one is super long and one is just barely poking out of the side of his mouth. He lets me get both now - another win. He wasn't very excited about me accessing that shorter one at first.

Now, I will say, he is a very tolerant pig when it comes to maintenance. I clean his ears, eyes, snout, brush teeth, file hooves and clean out scent glands regularly. He loves the attention. So, it was just getting him used to this new thing. I still have a ways to go, filing down the longer tusk, but once its short like the other one, it will just be a part of his regular maintenance routine and I will be able to keep them from ever getting long again. He also lets me use the tool on his hooves which makes that maintenance task much faster than filing with a nail file.

So, step one in what the vet does for annual visit is off the list. I can do both myself and I don't need him flipped for trimming of hooves or using the gigli wire to cut back his tusks. Next, I am working on building him a chute - for lack of a better word. I am working on design now and have enlisted the hubs to help me construct. I will post about it once we have started the training, but, if it works like I want it to, the vet will be able to complete his physical exam and give injections without sedation or flipping. Fingers crossed.

Stay tuned for updates!!