Abby Rainbow Bride

Abigail Cybil (Abby)

I was at Hooked on Fuzzies Shelter in Tucson around August 2003. This little girl had come in the shelter. Her name was Abby. She had ticks on her face and her body. I was there to help them remove the ticks. I fell in love with her right away. She was this DEW with a silver stripe on her "hip". I left without taking her because we had enough of our own... and she was a single. She was being loved there at the shelter by Don and Dawn. She gave Don a bath every morning.

Several months later(March 2004), I was talking to Dawn at the shelter and she wanted to know if I was interested in taking her in as one of my own..... I jumped at the chance. Shawns dad had passed away, my mom passed away and then Rocky (our single ferret who slept with me) passed away, and Mary had adopted our other boy who use to sleep with me too) so I felt that this was one of those things that was just meant to be. I knew she needed adrenal surgery and I knew that she would be free roam in the back part of the house. So I informed Shawn that she was coming. Of course after he met her he understood why� such a love.

She came in.... and had the first laser surgery by our vet in April. She flew through surgery. 6 years old and not a care in the world. She was such a love. She loved to give kisses... but preferred to give it to the men in her life... her daddy, Shawn. She �worked on� Shawn first. Made sure he was trained and ready to jump at her every command. She does this thing that we call the "playboy roll".   She will come up to you, roll on her back and look at you. This means she wants something.... normally treats. She got her
daddy trained. He would wake up and lay treats down for her. When he got home from work he would give her a treat... and when he went to bed, he would lay another out.   She gave him rewards by kissing him... or sleeping with him... She would steal my socks and run them to his room. She would stash treats and toys in his room.

Sleeping with Abby was such a treat. She has this scent that no other ferret has... I can't describe it... other than I love it.

Abby would sleep with me too... but in the mornings wouldn't look for treats... she would look for her mommy play time. Try getting panty-hose on with a ferret attached to them! I started keeping spares at work so when I went in with holes I could just change! She loved my bed�at least when I wasn�t in it. She would sleep spread eagle on her back under my blankie.

Abby loved to sleep with or near her daddy though. At night she would kiss him good-night and in the morning� she would kiss him good-morning.

Abby had been a happy, healthy girl. She never complaining about anything... and NEVER using the potty box. That was used for sleeping... not pooping in. She loved her soup and she loved us. She also loved plastic bags. Oh but not the ones from Walmart or Target� it had to be Kmart bags. They were softer!

About a week ago, she had this coughing fit for about 30 seconds. After it was over, she was fine. I figured she got a hold of some dog food again and inhaled it like she normally does. She was doing just fine, no problems.

October 15, 2004, Friday night, she had another one. Her whole body would tighten up and she seemed to be in pain. I put her in the sink with warm water. Gave her some hairball stuff. Thinking maybe a hairball or constipation... She calmed down. I dried her off and put her on my bed in my blankie. She was tired but ok. She went to sleep. The rest of the night she was fine.

Saturday morning I woke up to her coughing again. She didn't want to stay put. I woke up Shawn so that he could see her and what she was doing. I gave her some hairball stuff again... that calmed her down. I took her back to my room and laid down with her and called the vet. They were booked...but if it was an emergency then I could bring her in and wait. I made an appointment for Monday and decided to just watch her. I gave her some soup which-she ate all of it. After watching her lay there and having a hard time breathing for 1/2 an hour, I decided that she wouldn't last like this until Monday. I called them back and asked to come in.

Got to the vets and had to wait... one vet and they were booked. But they got me to a room and the tech took Abby for x-rays. By this time Abby is only moving to go pee and than back asleep in my arms. I heard the tech tell the vet "can't see the lungs". I knew what it was... The vet finally came in and said it wasn't good. She said Abbys lungs are filled with fluid and well... there wasn't too much they could do. She took me to look at the x-rays and explained what was going on. She took Abbys temp (normal). She told me that the best option for Abby would be to take her to Tucson (an hour away) to Valley Animal Hospital. That Abby may need to have her lungs drained... and on oxygen.

Dr. Lark called the vets down there to let them know I was on my way....I called Shawn... who was now at work. I called Chris (my fianc�e) because I couldn't drive there by myself not like this... and asked him to come with me... he left work. I called Hooked on Fuzzies Shelter to let them know what was going on. They were in Tucson and would be there if I needed them. Then I called Mary H. because I was a mess and crying.

As I tried to get home, Chris called me. There was a huge accident and the only way out of town was now blocked. We met at a restaurant and decided to go through Tombstone to get to Tucson... which is out of the way by about an hour....but there wasn't another option. I held Abby as Chris drove. She would get out of my lap to go to the floor to pee. Then back in my lap to
sleep.

We got to the vet in Tucson finally and sat in a room for some time. Abby just laid there... again only getting up to go pee. The vet came in and looked at the x-rays. Then told us the bad news... lymphoma. Advanced lymphoma. One lung looked completely filled... and the other one close to being filled.    Our only real option is to either help her cross over, or make her comfortable for a little while with medication.

I decided on the medication.... and called Shawn and informed him. Stunned at what was going on and how quickly it had happened... he agreed with medication for now. The vet came back in and decided to get another x-ray because the other ones weren't that good... and she wanted to see the whole body to make sure nothing else was going on.

When the vet came back she showed Chris and I the x-rays... it was bad...still. One lung was gone. The other just barley operating. Her heart was a little enlarged and pushed to the side due to the fluid. All of her organs were also pushed on one side. There was fluid all around. Her lymphoids were also swollen (I felt them with the docs help on the exam). We had some options but none too good. Send her home with predlisone and other medications... or set up an appointment with another vet to look at doing chemo on the cancer.

I am not a fan of chemo... and at her age... well I just didn't feel that would be in her best interest to put her through that... We again decided on the medications.... She got a shot of pred. and we were sent home with: theophylline exir (0.1 CC three times a day), predlisone (0.2 cc once a day) and baytril (0.35 cc twice a day).

We left the vets and went to see Dawn and Don from Hooked on Fuzzies Shelter. They got to hold her and talk to her and with me about what was going on. I got to see some of their new kids while Abby ran the whole house! By the time we left she was so tired... she got to go home in the sack from Dawns house... She was so happy in that thing that we didn't want to disturb her. Abby slept the whole way home. Never once waking up on the hour drive.

That night was spent worrying about her and checking on her all night. She slept in Shawns room. She ate her soup with medication and never complained. Saturday was the same the same. She has had about 5 bowls of soup and has wandered around the house a bit. We cleaned the back half and moved one of the shelter kids up front so that Abby (who for the last week has been having to share the back half with another single) could have the whole half and not have to be caged at all....just the way she likes it.

Sunday she did ok again� just slept a lot and was very tired. We took some pictures of her and she seemed pretty happy. We kept hoping for a miracle though we knew that the chances of that were slim.

Monday she surprised me� she came into the bathroom where I was getting ready. She wanted to play�. I tickled under her �armpits� and she started laughing. She rolled over and played with me. Then she went to get into the shower (another normal for her). But she couldn�t get her big butt in it. So I placed her on her towel in there� and she just looked at me. I took her out of it� and she went out of the room�down the hall and over to her daddies room to go back to bed. I gave her some soup and went to work. Shawn stayed home with her all day. She had an ok day, but Monday night was pretty rough. We had her on strong pain meds to help her relax but it never really knocked her out.

Tuesday morning, October 19, 2004, I was in my room getting ready for work. She came in, and saw that I was eating a soft oatmeal cookie� she took a bite.. decided she liked it and grabbed a huge chunk�out the room to daddies room to stash it!

Tuesday afternoon Shawn called me. She wasn�t doing good and we needed to help her. She was going to continue to fight and hurt. I called the vet and scheduled the appointment for 4:30 pm. Making an appointment to help your baby die is not the simplest thing in the world to do.

Shawn was already there when I got there. Abby was laying in a blankie all relaxed but scared. The vet gave her the first shot and she cried and jumped. Once it was in, Shawn held her and walked around with her. Talking to her. She knew his voice so well�. It helps calm her down.

The vet had wanted to do the last shot in her heart or liver. We said no. Find a vein or we go to another vet. I won�t take the risk of her screaming in pain from anything. The vet shaved her back leg and tried to get a vein there. She couldn�t get it. She wanted to try for the jugular but I didn�t want it there. So she tried the arm� where our previous vet did it all the time before without a problem. Right before she stuck the needle in� Abby stopped breathing� I started crying� Abby still had a heart beat. She got the needle in and was able to help her cross over�.

We sat with our baby for a little while. Talking to her and telling her how much we loved her. Our little girl�. Then I read the Rainbow Bridge Poem. Shawn and I both signed it and wrapped it with her in her blankie. Then we left the room�� She is to be cremated and brought home with our other babies.

On the drive home... there came this beautiful sunset. The clouds were in a straight line, and it went right into the sunset.... as though Abby were lighting up the sky herself. I was lucky enough to have my camera... and took a picture (see below).

This has not been an easy journey to make.. yet I am glad that I was able to make it... because without Abby in my life... I would have been lost so many times. She was with us a short time but even a day of knowing her was like knowing Heaven itself.

We will forever love and forever miss our Abby aka Abra-ka-dab-ra

Mommy and Daddy
(Joanne and Shawn)