RIP Puckwudje

[talon]

Our 9 year old ferret, Puckwudje, died this morning.

He was alive when I left for work. Barely, but he took his ferretone happily enough that I thought he'd have a few more days with us.

Last Monday, he was looking ragged and had runny sticky poops so I took him to the vet. The vet said he had intestinal cancer and maybe a couple of weeks to live. As long as he was eating, drinking, and pooping, he should be fine. I had some pain meds for him and those made him a bit friskier. Once he started refusing to eat or drink would be the time to take him back to be euthanized.

I guess he decided he didn't want to wait.

He died sometime between when I went to work and when my daughter got up to go to work.

He was a character, as most ferrets are. He loved his ferretone. He was very fond of playing with the cats and the cats adored him. He liked to bite Itzl's ears so we had to watch carefully when the two were awake and out at the same time.

He loved the snow, boinging about and tunnelling. He loved his rice box, where he dug and played happily. He loved his little jars of baby food, the chicken was his favorite, but he also liked veal a lot. He wasn't very snuggly, like Doc was, because he always wanted to be doing something. He was a very wiggly weasel.

I'll bury him when I get home tonight, with a bottle of ferretone and a jar of baby food, under the forsythias I just planted.

Dogmatyx is the next elderly pet we have. I always thought Dogmatyx would die before Wudje - he's so old for an Irish Wolfhound (12 years), but things don't always go as expected. Dogmatyx may live for another year or two. Or even three. I kind of dread the grave I'll have to dig for him - he's huge.

Wudje was old for a ferret. Most live about 6 years. He had a long and happy life, filled with kitties, toys, ferretone, and treats. And his end was mercifully quick.