Death and Disappearing Ferrets
Sep. 30th, 2007 01:59 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
grrgoylHoo boy, rough weekend at work. I had my first death Friday night (well, first witnessed death). A 5-month-old Boston terrier puppy named Sally. She wasn't right, anyone could see that. Slept face down with her head shoved in a pillow at a painful-looking angle. The diagnosis on her chart was the unhelpful but common disease "ADR" (Ain't Doing Right). Then I heard her whining and looked in to see her stretched out on her side and retching. I called the doctor on the case, Dr. E (who is the head medical director of the hospital as well). From the sound of her voice, despite being only 11 p.m., I either woke her or she was a bit tipsy. Long story short, by the time she slurrily drawled out a course of action, poor Sally had joined the choir invisible.
I've never seen a dead animal before, at least not one that I had to touch. I was strangely unmoved by it -- she just looked like she was sleeping (except for the tongue lolling out). Cleaning her up and bagging her, wearing rubber gloves and a surgical mask, I felt a little like Dexter, with the same clinical detachment. I felt some guilt, like I could have done more to save her, but apparently her death came as a surprise to no one but me.
Last night I had a cat, Maggie, who was remarkable only for the fact that the owner had had her for 16 years and never realized she was a he. This fact was only discovered when they tried to place a urinary catheter. This job just gets stranger and stranger.
But back on Friday night, Saturday morning I came home exhausted after only getting a 15-minute nap all night. I stumbled through the front door at my usual 5:30 a.m., my arms loaded with large items like a 12-pack of toilet paper, cat litter and laundry detergent. All the animals were arranged to greet me in their usual welcoming committee formation. I did my usual dance to avoid stepping on anyone, put down my groceries, and fell into bed.
At 9 a.m. our doorbell was rung. Tery peeked out to see who it was, but didn't open it. They rang a second time more insistently, and that time she pulled the door open to reveal a man standing there holding Gideon. !!!!!! He said he had found him wandering around and remembered we had "strange animals." (Hey! We don't keep boa constrictors, for heaven's sake!) We thanked him profusely and took our little boy back inside, trying to imagine the journey that must have commenced after I locked him outside 3-1/2 hours previously. We're extremely lucky to have him back, and plan to get the guy a grocery gift certificate in thanks.
For Gideon's part, he just ambled into the bedroom as if nothing at all amiss had happened, ate some, and crashed hard for the rest of the day.
Duncan Munchkin seemed happy to have him back. We had to admit that had it been him, who is getting better but still holds the crown as the most badly behaved ferret we've ever had, the temptation would have been strong to deny ownership. Oh, and we have to call him "Duncan Bearclaw" now because he's becoming quite a bruiser, and pound-for-pound is more muscular than me.
On the downside, I will now have to suffer at least a few months of having to provide physical proof to Tery that everyone is inside and accounted for after every shift. C'est la vie.
I've never seen a dead animal before, at least not one that I had to touch. I was strangely unmoved by it -- she just looked like she was sleeping (except for the tongue lolling out). Cleaning her up and bagging her, wearing rubber gloves and a surgical mask, I felt a little like Dexter, with the same clinical detachment. I felt some guilt, like I could have done more to save her, but apparently her death came as a surprise to no one but me.
Last night I had a cat, Maggie, who was remarkable only for the fact that the owner had had her for 16 years and never realized she was a he. This fact was only discovered when they tried to place a urinary catheter. This job just gets stranger and stranger.
But back on Friday night, Saturday morning I came home exhausted after only getting a 15-minute nap all night. I stumbled through the front door at my usual 5:30 a.m., my arms loaded with large items like a 12-pack of toilet paper, cat litter and laundry detergent. All the animals were arranged to greet me in their usual welcoming committee formation. I did my usual dance to avoid stepping on anyone, put down my groceries, and fell into bed.
At 9 a.m. our doorbell was rung. Tery peeked out to see who it was, but didn't open it. They rang a second time more insistently, and that time she pulled the door open to reveal a man standing there holding Gideon. !!!!!! He said he had found him wandering around and remembered we had "strange animals." (Hey! We don't keep boa constrictors, for heaven's sake!) We thanked him profusely and took our little boy back inside, trying to imagine the journey that must have commenced after I locked him outside 3-1/2 hours previously. We're extremely lucky to have him back, and plan to get the guy a grocery gift certificate in thanks.
For Gideon's part, he just ambled into the bedroom as if nothing at all amiss had happened, ate some, and crashed hard for the rest of the day.
Duncan Munchkin seemed happy to have him back. We had to admit that had it been him, who is getting better but still holds the crown as the most badly behaved ferret we've ever had, the temptation would have been strong to deny ownership. Oh, and we have to call him "Duncan Bearclaw" now because he's becoming quite a bruiser, and pound-for-pound is more muscular than me.
On the downside, I will now have to suffer at least a few months of having to provide physical proof to Tery that everyone is inside and accounted for after every shift. C'est la vie.
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no subject
Date: 2007-10-01 02:02 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-10-01 11:34 pm (UTC)1st, finally
Date: 2007-10-01 02:17 am (UTC)Congratulations on getting Gideon back. It's horrible losing pets. Can you imagine if you'd woken up to find him missing? How long would it even take you to figure out he'd got out? As for the journey, he doesn't seem to have gone far at all. What's the point of escaping if you're just going to hover around the neighbor's door?
Do they really write "ADR" on the charts?
2nd
Date: 2007-10-01 03:39 am (UTC)Re: 2nd : (
Date: 2007-10-01 11:45 pm (UTC)Nothing strange about a constrictor, if we lived in Argentina or the marshes of Detroit. "Get along" is a relative term. Kitten Mitten plays with Duncan, whereas grumpy old Alsatia barely tolerates him. But eat, never. They're too large to be proper prey but not large enough to be a cat, so most felines aren't sure what to make of them. Dogs on the other hand would probably attack, esp a rat terrier.
It might have taken several more hours. Ferrets sleep about 20 hours a day, so to go for long expanses of time without seeing them is not at all unusual. Longer would have been much, much worse. We've lost ferrets before (my fault every time, I'm ashamed to say) -- one ended up at Denver Dumb Friends League where we retrieved him, another was discovered by the paper delivery lady who took him home until we contacted her (can't remember how we found out she had him). We're fortunate in that our ferrets are very sweet and socialized, so there's no confusing them for wild animals -- except Duncan.
Yep. Sometimes it's only temporary until lab work comes back, sometimes stupid owners bring them in for treatment but refuse to pay for lab work or other diagnostics. You have to write SOMETHING in there!
Re: 2nd : (
Date: 2007-10-02 12:05 am (UTC)20 hours a day? How have they managed to survive in the wild until now? It seems like they'd be seized up in the middle of a nap by some GIANT cats who know exactly what to make of them - dinner. What exactly is the "Denver Dumb Friends League"?
I get that you have to write something, but I'm wondering how you explain this to the owners. "See, it's cuz this cat ain't doin' right. Now we gonna take it in back and perform some doctorin'." :)
Re: 2nd : (
Date: 2007-10-02 12:14 am (UTC)Ahh, there you've struck on the biggest (and most dangerous) ferret myth: they can't survive in the wild. At all. No hunting skills whatsoever, and ridiculously near-sighted to boot. No actual genetic relation to the wild Black-footed ferret. They're really only designed for a life of luxury, which is what they get with us. Another interesting ferret fact: They were domesticated by the Egyptians before cats. And they used to be used to run electrical wire through planes because they love running through tight spaces.
DDFL is the local pound.
I don't believe the owners actually see that part. Or maybe they do. I'm not involved with that aspect of business.
Re: 2nd : (
Date: 2007-10-03 06:35 am (UTC)How on Earth did Gideon think he was going to get away, then? Likely he couldn't have survived past your block. They can't be very smart pets to have.
Um, that's a horrible name for a local pound. Why is PETA not on that?
Re: 2nd : (
Date: 2007-10-05 12:36 am (UTC)He didn't think he was getting away. They aren't the smartest, but they are inquisitive and give very little thought to their surroundings. But they are still great problem-solvers, even if the solution might result in their injury or death.
Not dumb as in stupid, dumb as in mute, dummy.
Re: 2nd : (
Date: 2007-10-10 05:14 am (UTC)Is a solution still a solution if it leads to death? That's almost an anti-solution.
Doesn't "mute" only apply to things that ought to be able to speak? Maybe not. I don't care about your dumb ol' "dumb" definition.
Re: 2nd : (
Date: 2007-10-11 03:31 am (UTC)I doubt any animal that strays from home does so with a long-range plan in mind. If you don't take it easy on my ferrets, I WILL bring Duncan Bearclaw to your house.
I didn't name the shelter. I doubt they'll be open to suggestions to change the name, so I'm not even going to try. Harumph.
no subject
Date: 2007-10-01 11:09 pm (UTC)I'm glad you have {OH! I just got it! "Munchkin"... "Bearclaw" HA!} Gideon back. I'm glad you decided to go to the door. When I found the neighbor's Shih Zhu (Shitzoo?) in the alley I called the number on her tag. The lady answered the phone like, "WHAT!??" I said, "um ... I have Phoebe. I mean, I found her. Should I bring her home?" And then, she was all like, "WHAT!!!?" again but for a different reason. I would have appreciated a grocery coupon. Next time I find a little freshly bathed doggie behind my house, I KEEP her.
no subject
Date: 2007-10-01 11:47 pm (UTC)That was very nice of you. She was a butthead for not rewarding you. Watch this space for possibly more on that, our benefactor is proving extremely hard to track down for a relatively small neighborhood.
i fail
Date: 2007-10-02 12:06 am (UTC)Re: i fail
Date: 2007-10-02 12:06 am (UTC)Re: i fail
Date: 2007-10-02 12:16 am (UTC)Re: i fail
Date: 2007-10-03 06:37 am (UTC)Re: i fail
Date: 2007-10-05 12:39 am (UTC)Re: i fail
Date: 2007-10-10 05:16 am (UTC)Re: i fail
Date: 2007-10-11 03:36 am (UTC)