| Turnip's Story - CLICK HERE for the Pet Manual Forum Home Page |
| jacquie, kylie & gilbert |
Since my Turnip boy is the force that drives me to reclaim this ferret group
for the good of ferrets, for those of you who haven't heard his story yet, I
will post it below. Surely you will understand when you know that this
little guy had not a chance to live, but people on APF guided me step by
step, sometimes thru the night (:thanks, Bev (tunnelrunner), wherever you
are!!) and I struggled minute by minute those first weeks to keep this
little one alive.
(Pic link beloe) Here's Turnip several months after being with me (when his
fur (he was bald when I first got him) and his new fur was comiing in -
notice the scar around his neck where the skin on his neck had literally
grown over a collar a previous owner left on him as he grew up - obviously
they never checked it or loosened it. I can only imagine all this little guy
went thru. I literally ferret-napped him from a pet store after talking
with the owner and telling him there was a ferret in his enclosure that
needed serious vet care. His reply to me was "I'm a merchandiser, not a
nursemaid". I said "you don't get vet care for the animals here?" He said
no, if they die, he writes them off as a business loss. At first I didn't
believe him, but as the truth sunk in, it was all I could do to fight back
the tears; I knew this ferret had no chance to live if left where he was.
I walked over to the ferret enclosure, picked the ferret out, and walked out
the door (so, I'm a thief, sue me). I spent over $1,000 on him in just a
matter of months, not counting the nights I sat up all night with him
GETTING ONLINE HELP FROM PEOPLE ON THE APF NEWSGROUP because I didn't have a
clue how to help him!
Here's his picture (and his story follows):
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v.../Turnipface.jpg
For those who already know the story, please forgive me while I tell
it one more time. I will never forget my precious little boy - stories like
this are why it is IMPERATIVE that we take this newsgroup back to talking
about FERRETS!!! I dedicate all my efforts to reclaim the newsgroup in
Turnip's memory.
TRIBUTE TO TURNIP
There was something about the look in his eyes that I couldn't just
walk
away from. He had been abandoned at the pet shop by his previous
owners
months ago. I brought him home with me because he was very, very sick,
nearly bald and I knew he was going to die. I didn't want him to die
alone
in there with no one to love him.
I took him to THREE different vets the first day as each of them tried
to draw blood -
but not even one drop would come out, even hisjugular in his neck!!
They poked and poked and couldn't even get enough blood
from him for a blood test (thus he was named Turnip - 'you can't get
blood out of a turnip').
One by one, each vet had said basically "take him home and make him
comfortable and prepare for his passing",
They told me not to get my hopes up, that he probably wouldn't make it
thru the night.
The last vet we saw gave him subQ fluids and I remember how 'squishy'
Turnip felt in my arms - just a
pathetic little handful of tiny bones and water I could feel sloshing
around inside his empty body cavity;
he had no strengh at all and no muscle tone, barely any movement -
except those sad, sad eyes that
keep looking at me begging for someone to love him. He was just so
weak.
I wrapped him in a warm blanket and put him on my lap, got online,
found APF and began frantically
begging for help.....the information I received literally lsaved
Turnip's life. They told me exactly
how to give fluids with a syringe, told me to get baby food and a/d
(the vets didn't even suggest that
because they thought Turnip would just die), rocked him all night long
and talked to him
while staying in touch online with people who literally saved Turnip's
life by sharing their
knowledge and experience with me.
Turnip and I trudged along through a whole pharmacy of medications,
nearly
constant injections for nausea and diarrhea, and subcutaneous fluids
to keep
him from dehydrating, all kinds of diagnostic tests, and finally, a
diagnosis- then adrenal surgery. After feeding him by hand and
medications
every few hours around the clock, lots of kisses and rocking and
holding -
and one day it seemed like he was transformed from a sickly, frail
little
guy at 1.8-lbs to a hearty, healthy, roly-poly 4-lb ball of energy and
orneriness. That sad look in his eyes that had haunted me now turned
to a
big happy grin that followed me from room to room all day.
His favorite activity was to follow me around the house, walking
between my
feet each and every step I took, while at the same time trying to look
up at
me as if to ask "where are we going mommy?". He didn't want to let me
out of
his sight. He loved his new home and his new mommy more than anything
in the
world. As soon as I would sit down, or even stand still for a minute,
he
would belly-flop down hard on my foot and let out a big sigh as if to
say
"whew, I'm pooped!" but when I got ready to walk again, he'd jump up
and
continue to walk between my feet with all the energy in the world. He
rode
on the vacuum cleaner when I vacuumed; giggled as he learned how to
'unmake'
the bed as quickly as I could make it; tunneled underneath piles of
clothes
I would try to fold; grab my sock and try to pull me away to play when
he
thought I had been working too hard. His idea of 'going for a walk'
was for
me to carry him to the corner (three houses away), put him down; then
he
would run hard and fast straight to the front door of our house! He
wasn't
interested in being anywhere but home and and not interested in being
with
anyone but mommy.I don't think he ever saw a 'toy' before he came
here. When
I would toss him a little ball or a toy he would grab it, roll over on
his
back and giggle so hard and get so excited that he would forget what
he was
doing for a minute or two!
He loved to stand up on his stepstool at night
while I took my bath and would beg to come in and soak in the hot
bubblebath
with me. He went from not really liking baths when I first brought him
home,
to total trust - laying on his back totally relaxed, floating in the
hot
water with his little paw wrapped around my index finger. He thought
that
just looking in mommy's eyes was all the 'life preserver' he needed.
Those happy
little eyes would look up at me with such trust - such total
contentment.
In 3-1/2 short years of living with and loving Turnip, he taught me so
much:
- When it took so long to get a diagnosis because there were so many
things
wrong with him, it taught me to be tough - and if I don't succeed at
first - don't ever give up;
- The tons of poop and vomit that I cleaned up time after time (even
the time
he projectile-vomited all over the kitchen table during a meal when I
was holding him in my lap)
and the many times I had to give him shots for nausea and subcutaneous
fluids (even though I was
deathly afraid of needles) taught me that I can do things I could
never have
imagined doing -sometimes several times a day!
- The times he would rally and
get spunky for a few minutes and play with me when I thought he was at
death's door in those early days taught me that there are bright spots
in
even the worst of days;
- The love in his little eyes when he would look up at
me while I was rocking him taught me that it really does feel better
to give
than to receive;
- For all the prayers I prayed that God would help me find a
good home for him (when I first brought him here "temporarily") taught
me
that God politely listens to our prayer requests, then gives us
exactly WHAT
we need, WHEN we need it, whether we think we want it or not;
- All the times that he needed more care and love and nursing than I
thought one person
could possibly give taught me that giving love away causes it to
multiply
within myself and there is ALWAYS more where that came from;
- The way he looked at me like I was the most important person in the
whole wide world
taught me that there is really nothing more satisfying in the world
than
loving others and being loved in return;
- For all the times I 'had' to do
things for him when I just wasn't in the mood taught me that what I
get out
of any relationship is directly proportional to what I give to it;
- Turnip looked
at me with the same sweet eyes when he was skinny, scabby and bald
(and nobody
wanted to touch him) as when he had a big beautiful thick coat(that
everybody wanted to hug) and taught me that beauty really IS only skin
deep
and what's underneath is REALLY important stuff;
- And all the joy and
happiness, laughter and tears he brought into my life taught me that
LOVE is
really all that counts in this world- period.
Watching Turnip live every day to the fullest was a great reminder for
me to
do the same...
Thank you my sweet, chubby, smiling little Turnip...for
teaching me how to live.
_________________
jacquie, kylie & gilbert
with Loki, Morgan & Turnip watching over us from the Rainbow Bridge
--
"It is not happiness that makes us grateful but gratefulness that makes us
happy." - Br. David Steindl-Rast
http://www.gratefulness.org
|
|
|
| Nanny |
I loved Turnips story ! And you didn't steal, you saved :-)
Nanny
"jacquie, kylie & gilbert" <nospam@nospam.net> schreef in bericht
news:JLiMe.6042$Wi6.5602@newsread2.news.pas.earthlink.net...
> Since my Turnip boy is the force that drives me to reclaim this ferret
> group for the good of ferrets, for those of you who haven't heard his
> story yet, I will post it below. Surely you will understand when you know
> that this little guy had not a chance to live, but people on APF guided me
> step by step, sometimes thru the night (:thanks, Bev (tunnelrunner),
> wherever you are!!) and I struggled minute by minute those first weeks to
> keep this little one alive.
>
> (Pic link beloe) Here's Turnip several months after being with me (when
> his fur (he was bald when I first got him) and his new fur was comiing
> in - notice the scar around his neck where the skin on his neck had
> literally grown over a collar a previous owner left on him as he grew up -
> obviously they never checked it or loosened it. I can only imagine all
> this little guy went thru. I literally ferret-napped him from a pet
> store after talking with the owner and telling him there was a ferret in
> his enclosure that needed serious vet care. His reply to me was "I'm a
> merchandiser, not a nursemaid". I said "you don't get vet care for the
> animals here?" He said no, if they die, he writes them off as a business
> loss. At first I didn't believe him, but as the truth sunk in, it was all
> I could do to fight back the tears; I knew this ferret had no chance to
> live if left where he was. I walked over to the ferret enclosure, picked
> the ferret out, and walked out the door (so, I'm a thief, sue me). I
> spent over $1,000 on him in just a matter of months, not counting the
> nights I sat up all night with him GETTING ONLINE HELP FROM PEOPLE ON THE
> APF NEWSGROUP because I didn't have a clue how to help him!
>
> Here's his picture (and his story follows):
>
> http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v.../Turnipface.jpg
>
> For those who already know the story, please forgive me while I tell
> it one more time. I will never forget my precious little boy - stories
> like this are why it is IMPERATIVE that we take this newsgroup back to
> talking about FERRETS!!! I dedicate all my efforts to reclaim the
> newsgroup in Turnip's memory.
>
> TRIBUTE TO TURNIP
>
> There was something about the look in his eyes that I couldn't just
> walk
> away from. He had been abandoned at the pet shop by his previous
> owners
> months ago. I brought him home with me because he was very, very
> sick,
> nearly bald and I knew he was going to die. I didn't want him to die
> alone
> in there with no one to love him.
>
> I took him to THREE different vets the first day as each of them
> tried to draw blood -
> but not even one drop would come out, even hisjugular in his neck!!
> They poked and poked and couldn't even get enough blood
> from him for a blood test (thus he was named Turnip - 'you can't get
> blood out of a turnip').
> One by one, each vet had said basically "take him home and make him
> comfortable and prepare for his passing",
> They told me not to get my hopes up, that he probably wouldn't make
> it thru the night.
>
> The last vet we saw gave him subQ fluids and I remember how 'squishy'
> Turnip felt in my arms - just a
> pathetic little handful of tiny bones and water I could feel sloshing
> around inside his empty body cavity;
> he had no strengh at all and no muscle tone, barely any movement -
> except those sad, sad eyes that
> keep looking at me begging for someone to love him. He was just so
> weak.
> I wrapped him in a warm blanket and put him on my lap, got online,
> found APF and began frantically
> begging for help.....the information I received literally lsaved
> Turnip's life. They told me exactly
> how to give fluids with a syringe, told me to get baby food and a/d
> (the vets didn't even suggest that
> because they thought Turnip would just die), rocked him all night
> long and talked to him
> while staying in touch online with people who literally saved
> Turnip's life by sharing their
> knowledge and experience with me.
>
> Turnip and I trudged along through a whole pharmacy of medications,
> nearly
> constant injections for nausea and diarrhea, and subcutaneous fluids
> to keep
> him from dehydrating, all kinds of diagnostic tests, and finally, a
> diagnosis- then adrenal surgery. After feeding him by hand and
> medications
> every few hours around the clock, lots of kisses and rocking and
> holding -
> and one day it seemed like he was transformed from a sickly, frail
> little
> guy at 1.8-lbs to a hearty, healthy, roly-poly 4-lb ball of energy
> and
> orneriness. That sad look in his eyes that had haunted me now turned
> to a
> big happy grin that followed me from room to room all day.
>
> His favorite activity was to follow me around the house, walking
> between my
> feet each and every step I took, while at the same time trying to
> look up at
> me as if to ask "where are we going mommy?". He didn't want to let me
> out of
> his sight. He loved his new home and his new mommy more than anything
> in the
> world. As soon as I would sit down, or even stand still for a minute,
> he
> would belly-flop down hard on my foot and let out a big sigh as if to
> say
> "whew, I'm pooped!" but when I got ready to walk again, he'd jump up
> and
> continue to walk between my feet with all the energy in the world. He
> rode
> on the vacuum cleaner when I vacuumed; giggled as he learned how to
> 'unmake'
> the bed as quickly as I could make it; tunneled underneath piles of
> clothes
> I would try to fold; grab my sock and try to pull me away to play
> when he
> thought I had been working too hard. His idea of 'going for a walk'
> was for
> me to carry him to the corner (three houses away), put him down; then
> he
> would run hard and fast straight to the front door of our house! He
> wasn't
> interested in being anywhere but home and and not interested in being
> with
> anyone but mommy.I don't think he ever saw a 'toy' before he came
> here. When
> I would toss him a little ball or a toy he would grab it, roll over
> on his
> back and giggle so hard and get so excited that he would forget what
> he was
> doing for a minute or two!
>
> He loved to stand up on his stepstool at night
> while I took my bath and would beg to come in and soak in the hot
> bubblebath
> with me. He went from not really liking baths when I first brought
> him home,
> to total trust - laying on his back totally relaxed, floating in the
> hot
> water with his little paw wrapped around my index finger. He thought
> that
> just looking in mommy's eyes was all the 'life preserver' he needed.
> Those happy
> little eyes would look up at me with such trust - such total
> contentment.
>
> In 3-1/2 short years of living with and loving Turnip, he taught me
> so much:
>
> - When it took so long to get a diagnosis because there were so many
> things
> wrong with him, it taught me to be tough - and if I don't succeed
> at first - don't ever give up;
>
> - The tons of poop and vomit that I cleaned up time after time (even
> the time
> he projectile-vomited all over the kitchen table during a meal when I
> was holding him in my lap)
> and the many times I had to give him shots for nausea and
> subcutaneous fluids (even though I was
> deathly afraid of needles) taught me that I can do things I could
> never have
> imagined doing -sometimes several times a day!
>
> - The times he would rally and
> get spunky for a few minutes and play with me when I thought he was
> at
> death's door in those early days taught me that there are bright
> spots in
> even the worst of days;
>
> - The love in his little eyes when he would look up at
> me while I was rocking him taught me that it really does feel better
> to give
> than to receive;
>
> - For all the prayers I prayed that God would help me find a
> good home for him (when I first brought him here "temporarily")
> taught me
> that God politely listens to our prayer requests, then gives us
> exactly WHAT
> we need, WHEN we need it, whether we think we want it or not;
>
> - All the times that he needed more care and love and nursing than I
> thought one person
> could possibly give taught me that giving love away causes it to
> multiply
> within myself and there is ALWAYS more where that came from;
>
> - The way he looked at me like I was the most important person in the
> whole wide world
> taught me that there is really nothing more satisfying in the world
> than
> loving others and being loved in return;
>
> - For all the times I 'had' to do
> things for him when I just wasn't in the mood taught me that what I
> get out
> of any relationship is directly proportional to what I give to it;
>
> - Turnip looked
> at me with the same sweet eyes when he was skinny, scabby and bald
> (and nobody
> wanted to touch him) as when he had a big beautiful thick coat(that
> everybody wanted to hug) and taught me that beauty really IS only
> skin deep
> and what's underneath is REALLY important stuff;
>
> - And all the joy and
> happiness, laughter and tears he brought into my life taught me that
> LOVE is
> really all that counts in this world- period.
>
> Watching Turnip live every day to the fullest was a great reminder
> for me to
> do the same...
>
> Thank you my sweet, chubby, smiling little Turnip...for
> teaching me how to live.
> _________________
> jacquie, kylie & gilbert
> with Loki, Morgan & Turnip watching over us from the Rainbow Bridge
>
>
> --
> "It is not happiness that makes us grateful but gratefulness that makes us
> happy." - Br. David Steindl-Rast
> http://www.gratefulness.org
>
|
|
|
| Julianne |
Thank you for sharing your story, and for sharing your home with
Turnip.
Julianne
|
|
|
| Sanguine |
Wonderful story. Turnip was so lucky to have you.
|
|
|
| Jason and Holly Harper |
Ya know, Jacquie, you should really look at getting Turnip's story published
in Ferrets magazine. I think it's a wonderful story and could teach others
what ferrets give back to us. Just a thought.
Holly
"jacquie, kylie & gilbert" <nospam@nospam.net> wrote in message
news:JLiMe.6042$Wi6.5602@newsread2.news.pas.earthlink.net...
> Since my Turnip boy is the force that drives me to reclaim this ferret
> group for the good of ferrets, for those of you who haven't heard his
> story yet, I will post it below. Surely you will understand when you know
> that this little guy had not a chance to live, but people on APF guided me
> step by step, sometimes thru the night (:thanks, Bev (tunnelrunner),
> wherever you are!!) and I struggled minute by minute those first weeks to
> keep this little one alive.
>
> (Pic link beloe) Here's Turnip several months after being with me (when
> his fur (he was bald when I first got him) and his new fur was comiing
> in - notice the scar around his neck where the skin on his neck had
> literally grown over a collar a previous owner left on him as he grew up -
> obviously they never checked it or loosened it. I can only imagine all
> this little guy went thru. I literally ferret-napped him from a pet
> store after talking with the owner and telling him there was a ferret in
> his enclosure that needed serious vet care. His reply to me was "I'm a
> merchandiser, not a nursemaid". I said "you don't get vet care for the
> animals here?" He said no, if they die, he writes them off as a business
> loss. At first I didn't believe him, but as the truth sunk in, it was all
> I could do to fight back the tears; I knew this ferret had no chance to
> live if left where he was. I walked over to the ferret enclosure, picked
> the ferret out, and walked out the door (so, I'm a thief, sue me). I
> spent over $1,000 on him in just a matter of months, not counting the
> nights I sat up all night with him GETTING ONLINE HELP FROM PEOPLE ON THE
> APF NEWSGROUP because I didn't have a clue how to help him!
>
> Here's his picture (and his story follows):
>
> http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v.../Turnipface.jpg
>
> For those who already know the story, please forgive me while I tell
> it one more time. I will never forget my precious little boy - stories
> like this are why it is IMPERATIVE that we take this newsgroup back to
> talking about FERRETS!!! I dedicate all my efforts to reclaim the
> newsgroup in Turnip's memory.
>
> TRIBUTE TO TURNIP
>
> There was something about the look in his eyes that I couldn't just
> walk
> away from. He had been abandoned at the pet shop by his previous
> owners
> months ago. I brought him home with me because he was very, very
> sick,
> nearly bald and I knew he was going to die. I didn't want him to die
> alone
> in there with no one to love him.
>
> I took him to THREE different vets the first day as each of them
> tried to draw blood -
> but not even one drop would come out, even hisjugular in his neck!!
> They poked and poked and couldn't even get enough blood
> from him for a blood test (thus he was named Turnip - 'you can't get
> blood out of a turnip').
> One by one, each vet had said basically "take him home and make him
> comfortable and prepare for his passing",
> They told me not to get my hopes up, that he probably wouldn't make
> it thru the night.
>
> The last vet we saw gave him subQ fluids and I remember how 'squishy'
> Turnip felt in my arms - just a
> pathetic little handful of tiny bones and water I could feel sloshing
> around inside his empty body cavity;
> he had no strengh at all and no muscle tone, barely any movement -
> except those sad, sad eyes that
> keep looking at me begging for someone to love him. He was just so
> weak.
> I wrapped him in a warm blanket and put him on my lap, got online,
> found APF and began frantically
> begging for help.....the information I received literally lsaved
> Turnip's life. They told me exactly
> how to give fluids with a syringe, told me to get baby food and a/d
> (the vets didn't even suggest that
> because they thought Turnip would just die), rocked him all night
> long and talked to him
> while staying in touch online with people who literally saved
> Turnip's life by sharing their
> knowledge and experience with me.
>
> Turnip and I trudged along through a whole pharmacy of medications,
> nearly
> constant injections for nausea and diarrhea, and subcutaneous fluids
> to keep
> him from dehydrating, all kinds of diagnostic tests, and finally, a
> diagnosis- then adrenal surgery. After feeding him by hand and
> medications
> every few hours around the clock, lots of kisses and rocking and
> holding -
> and one day it seemed like he was transformed from a sickly, frail
> little
> guy at 1.8-lbs to a hearty, healthy, roly-poly 4-lb ball of energy
> and
> orneriness. That sad look in his eyes that had haunted me now turned
> to a
> big happy grin that followed me from room to room all day.
>
> His favorite activity was to follow me around the house, walking
> between my
> feet each and every step I took, while at the same time trying to
> look up at
> me as if to ask "where are we going mommy?". He didn't want to let me
> out of
> his sight. He loved his new home and his new mommy more than anything
> in the
> world. As soon as I would sit down, or even stand still for a minute,
> he
> would belly-flop down hard on my foot and let out a big sigh as if to
> say
> "whew, I'm pooped!" but when I got ready to walk again, he'd jump up
> and
> continue to walk between my feet with all the energy in the world. He
> rode
> on the vacuum cleaner when I vacuumed; giggled as he learned how to
> 'unmake'
> the bed as quickly as I could make it; tunneled underneath piles of
> clothes
> I would try to fold; grab my sock and try to pull me away to play
> when he
> thought I had been working too hard. His idea of 'going for a walk'
> was for
> me to carry him to the corner (three houses away), put him down; then
> he
> would run hard and fast straight to the front door of our house! He
> wasn't
> interested in being anywhere but home and and not interested in being
> with
> anyone but mommy.I don't think he ever saw a 'toy' before he came
> here. When
> I would toss him a little ball or a toy he would grab it, roll over
> on his
> back and giggle so hard and get so excited that he would forget what
> he was
> doing for a minute or two!
>
> He loved to stand up on his stepstool at night
> while I took my bath and would beg to come in and soak in the hot
> bubblebath
> with me. He went from not really liking baths when I first brought
> him home,
> to total trust - laying on his back totally relaxed, floating in the
> hot
> water with his little paw wrapped around my index finger. He thought
> that
> just looking in mommy's eyes was all the 'life preserver' he needed.
> Those happy
> little eyes would look up at me with such trust - such total
> contentment.
>
> In 3-1/2 short years of living with and loving Turnip, he taught me
> so much:
>
> - When it took so long to get a diagnosis because there were so many
> things
> wrong with him, it taught me to be tough - and if I don't succeed
> at first - don't ever give up;
>
> - The tons of poop and vomit that I cleaned up time after time (even
> the time
> he projectile-vomited all over the kitchen table during a meal when I
> was holding him in my lap)
> and the many times I had to give him shots for nausea and
> subcutaneous fluids (even though I was
> deathly afraid of needles) taught me that I can do things I could
> never have
> imagined doing -sometimes several times a day!
>
> - The times he would rally and
> get spunky for a few minutes and play with me when I thought he was
> at
> death's door in those early days taught me that there are bright
> spots in
> even the worst of days;
>
> - The love in his little eyes when he would look up at
> me while I was rocking him taught me that it really does feel better
> to give
> than to receive;
>
> - For all the prayers I prayed that God would help me find a
> good home for him (when I first brought him here "temporarily")
> taught me
> that God politely listens to our prayer requests, then gives us
> exactly WHAT
> we need, WHEN we need it, whether we think we want it or not;
>
> - All the times that he needed more care and love and nursing than I
> thought one person
> could possibly give taught me that giving love away causes it to
> multiply
> within myself and there is ALWAYS more where that came from;
>
> - The way he looked at me like I was the most important person in the
> whole wide world
> taught me that there is really nothing more satisfying in the world
> than
> loving others and being loved in return;
>
> - For all the times I 'had' to do
> things for him when I just wasn't in the mood taught me that what I
> get out
> of any relationship is directly proportional to what I give to it;
>
> - Turnip looked
> at me with the same sweet eyes when he was skinny, scabby and bald
> (and nobody
> wanted to touch him) as when he had a big beautiful thick coat(that
> everybody wanted to hug) and taught me that beauty really IS only
> skin deep
> and what's underneath is REALLY important stuff;
>
> - And all the joy and
> happiness, laughter and tears he brought into my life taught me that
> LOVE is
> really all that counts in this world- period.
>
> Watching Turnip live every day to the fullest was a great reminder
> for me to
> do the same...
>
> Thank you my sweet, chubby, smiling little Turnip...for
> teaching me how to live.
> _________________
> jacquie, kylie & gilbert
> with Loki, Morgan & Turnip watching over us from the Rainbow Bridge
>
>
> --
> "It is not happiness that makes us grateful but gratefulness that makes us
> happy." - Br. David Steindl-Rast
> http://www.gratefulness.org
>
|
|
|
| Paul E. Jamison |
Thank you for sharing Turnip's story. It was wonderful.
Paul
--
"Who reads, learns, lives the Ferret Way becomes keeper
of light, ennobling outer worlds from one within."
- a prophecy from the Ancients
|
|
|
| jacquie, kylie & gilbert |
Except that over the years, I think surely everyone must have heard the
story and be sick of seeing it by now. :-) Thanks so much for the
compliments tho.....
jacquie
"Jason and Holly Harper" <jhharper@tm.net> wrote in message
news:7doMe.1542$nL3.104032@newshog.newsread.com...
> Ya know, Jacquie, you should really look at getting Turnip's story
> published in Ferrets magazine. I think it's a wonderful story and could
> teach others what ferrets give back to us. Just a thought.
>
> Holly
>
> "jacquie, kylie & gilbert" <nospam@nospam.net> wrote in message
> news:JLiMe.6042$Wi6.5602@newsread2.news.pas.earthlink.net...
>> Since my Turnip boy is the force that drives me to reclaim this ferret
>> group for the good of ferrets, for those of you who haven't heard his
>> story yet, I will post it below. Surely you will understand when you
>> know that this little guy had not a chance to live, but people on APF
>> guided me step by step, sometimes thru the night (:thanks, Bev
>> (tunnelrunner), wherever you are!!) and I struggled minute by minute
>> those first weeks to keep this little one alive.
>>
>> (Pic link beloe) Here's Turnip several months after being with me (when
>> his fur (he was bald when I first got him) and his new fur was comiing
>> in - notice the scar around his neck where the skin on his neck had
>> literally grown over a collar a previous owner left on him as he grew
>> up - obviously they never checked it or loosened it. I can only imagine
>> all this little guy went thru. I literally ferret-napped him from a pet
>> store after talking with the owner and telling him there was a ferret in
>> his enclosure that needed serious vet care. His reply to me was "I'm a
>> merchandiser, not a nursemaid". I said "you don't get vet care for the
>> animals here?" He said no, if they die, he writes them off as a business
>> loss. At first I didn't believe him, but as the truth sunk in, it was all
>> I could do to fight back the tears; I knew this ferret had no chance to
>> live if left where he was. I walked over to the ferret enclosure, picked
>> the ferret out, and walked out the door (so, I'm a thief, sue me). I
>> spent over $1,000 on him in just a matter of months, not counting the
>> nights I sat up all night with him GETTING ONLINE HELP FROM PEOPLE ON THE
>> APF NEWSGROUP because I didn't have a clue how to help him!
>>
>> Here's his picture (and his story follows):
>>
>> http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v.../Turnipface.jpg
>>
>> For those who already know the story, please forgive me while I tell
>> it one more time. I will never forget my precious little boy - stories
>> like this are why it is IMPERATIVE that we take this newsgroup back to
>> talking about FERRETS!!! I dedicate all my efforts to reclaim the
>> newsgroup in Turnip's memory.
>>
>> TRIBUTE TO TURNIP
>>
>> There was something about the look in his eyes that I couldn't just
>> walk
>> away from. He had been abandoned at the pet shop by his previous
>> owners
>> months ago. I brought him home with me because he was very, very
>> sick,
>> nearly bald and I knew he was going to die. I didn't want him to die
>> alone
>> in there with no one to love him.
>>
>> I took him to THREE different vets the first day as each of them
>> tried to draw blood -
>> but not even one drop would come out, even hisjugular in his neck!!
>> They poked and poked and couldn't even get enough blood
>> from him for a blood test (thus he was named Turnip - 'you can't
>> get blood out of a turnip').
>> One by one, each vet had said basically "take him home and make
>> him comfortable and prepare for his passing",
>> They told me not to get my hopes up, that he probably wouldn't make
>> it thru the night.
>>
>> The last vet we saw gave him subQ fluids and I remember how
>> 'squishy' Turnip felt in my arms - just a
>> pathetic little handful of tiny bones and water I could feel
>> sloshing around inside his empty body cavity;
>> he had no strengh at all and no muscle tone, barely any movement -
>> except those sad, sad eyes that
>> keep looking at me begging for someone to love him. He was just so
>> weak.
>> I wrapped him in a warm blanket and put him on my lap, got online,
>> found APF and began frantically
>> begging for help.....the information I received literally lsaved
>> Turnip's life. They told me exactly
>> how to give fluids with a syringe, told me to get baby food and a/d
>> (the vets didn't even suggest that
>> because they thought Turnip would just die), rocked him all night
>> long and talked to him
>> while staying in touch online with people who literally saved
>> Turnip's life by sharing their
>> knowledge and experience with me.
>>
>> Turnip and I trudged along through a whole pharmacy of medications,
>> nearly
>> constant injections for nausea and diarrhea, and subcutaneous fluids
>> to keep
>> him from dehydrating, all kinds of diagnostic tests, and finally, a
>> diagnosis- then adrenal surgery. After feeding him by hand and
>> medications
>> every few hours around the clock, lots of kisses and rocking and
>> holding -
>> and one day it seemed like he was transformed from a sickly, frail
>> little
>> guy at 1.8-lbs to a hearty, healthy, roly-poly 4-lb ball of energy
>> and
>> orneriness. That sad look in his eyes that had haunted me now turned
>> to a
>> big happy grin that followed me from room to room all day.
>>
>> His favorite activity was to follow me around the house, walking
>> between my
>> feet each and every step I took, while at the same time trying to
>> look up at
>> me as if to ask "where are we going mommy?". He didn't want to let
>> me out of
>> his sight. He loved his new home and his new mommy more than
>> anything in the
>> world. As soon as I would sit down, or even stand still for a
>> minute, he
>> would belly-flop down hard on my foot and let out a big sigh as if
>> to say
>> "whew, I'm pooped!" but when I got ready to walk again, he'd jump up
>> and
>> continue to walk between my feet with all the energy in the world.
>> He rode
>> on the vacuum cleaner when I vacuumed; giggled as he learned how to
>> 'unmake'
>> the bed as quickly as I could make it; tunneled underneath piles of
>> clothes
>> I would try to fold; grab my sock and try to pull me away to play
>> when he
>> thought I had been working too hard. His idea of 'going for a walk'
>> was for
>> me to carry him to the corner (three houses away), put him down;
>> then he
>> would run hard and fast straight to the front door of our house! He
>> wasn't
>> interested in being anywhere but home and and not interested in
>> being with
>> anyone but mommy.I don't think he ever saw a 'toy' before he came
>> here. When
>> I would toss him a little ball or a toy he would grab it, roll over
>> on his
>> back and giggle so hard and get so excited that he would forget what
>> he was
>> doing for a minute or two!
>>
>> He loved to stand up on his stepstool at night
>> while I took my bath and would beg to come in and soak in the hot
>> bubblebath
>> with me. He went from not really liking baths when I first brought
>> him home,
>> to total trust - laying on his back totally relaxed, floating in the
>> hot
>> water with his little paw wrapped around my index finger. He thought
>> that
>> just looking in mommy's eyes was all the 'life preserver' he needed.
>> Those happy
>> little eyes would look up at me with such trust - such total
>> contentment.
>>
>> In 3-1/2 short years of living with and loving Turnip, he taught me
>> so much:
>>
>> - When it took so long to get a diagnosis because there were so many
>> things
>> wrong with him, it taught me to be tough - and if I don't succeed
>> at first - don't ever give up;
>>
>> - The tons of poop and vomit that I cleaned up time after time (even
>> the time
>> he projectile-vomited all over the kitchen table during a meal when
>> I was holding him in my lap)
>> and the many times I had to give him shots for nausea and
>> subcutaneous fluids (even though I was
>> deathly afraid of needles) taught me that I can do things I could
>> never have
>> imagined doing -sometimes several times a day!
>>
>> - The times he would rally and
>> get spunky for a few minutes and play with me when I thought he was
>> at
>> death's door in those early days taught me that there are bright
>> spots in
>> even the worst of days;
>>
>> - The love in his little eyes when he would look up at
>> me while I was rocking him taught me that it really does feel better
>> to give
>> than to receive;
>>
>> - For all the prayers I prayed that God would help me find a
>> good home for him (when I first brought him here "temporarily")
>> taught me
>> that God politely listens to our prayer requests, then gives us
>> exactly WHAT
>> we need, WHEN we need it, whether we think we want it or not;
>>
>> - All the times that he needed more care and love and nursing than I
>> thought one person
>> could possibly give taught me that giving love away causes it to
>> multiply
>> within myself and there is ALWAYS more where that came from;
>>
>> - The way he looked at me like I was the most important person in
>> the whole wide world
>> taught me that there is really nothing more satisfying in the world
>> than
>> loving others and being loved in return;
>>
>> - For all the times I 'had' to do
>> things for him when I just wasn't in the mood taught me that what I
>> get out
>> of any relationship is directly proportional to what I give to it;
>>
>> - Turnip looked
>> at me with the same sweet eyes when he was skinny, scabby and bald
>> (and nobody
>> wanted to touch him) as when he had a big beautiful thick coat(that
>> everybody wanted to hug) and taught me that beauty really IS only
>> skin deep
>> and what's underneath is REALLY important stuff;
>>
>> - And all the joy and
>> happiness, laughter and tears he brought into my life taught me that
>> LOVE is
>> really all that counts in this world- period.
>>
>> Watching Turnip live every day to the fullest was a great reminder
>> for me to
>> do the same...
>>
>> Thank you my sweet, chubby, smiling little Turnip...for
>> teaching me how to live.
>> _________________
>> jacquie, kylie & gilbert
>> with Loki, Morgan & Turnip watching over us from the Rainbow Bridge
>>
>>
>> --
>> "It is not happiness that makes us grateful but gratefulness that makes
>> us happy." - Br. David Steindl-Rast
>> http://www.gratefulness.org
>>
>
>
|
|
|
| Jason and Holly Harper |
Ya never know Jacquie, and I'm certainly not sick of seeing the story. :)
Just remember there are a ton of people out there that read Ferrets magazine
that haven't been exposed to this group or others like it. :)
Holly
"jacquie, kylie & gilbert" <nospam@nospam.net> wrote in message
news:lvvMe.7443$WD.193@newsread1.news.pas.earthlink.net...
> Except that over the years, I think surely everyone must have heard the
> story and be sick of seeing it by now. :-) Thanks so much for the
> compliments tho.....
>
> jacquie
>
>
> "Jason and Holly Harper" <jhharper@tm.net> wrote in message
> news:7doMe.1542$nL3.104032@newshog.newsread.com...
>> Ya know, Jacquie, you should really look at getting Turnip's story
>> published in Ferrets magazine. I think it's a wonderful story and could
>> teach others what ferrets give back to us. Just a thought.
>>
>> Holly
>>
>> "jacquie, kylie & gilbert" <nospam@nospam.net> wrote in message
>> news:JLiMe.6042$Wi6.5602@newsread2.news.pas.earthlink.net...
>>> Since my Turnip boy is the force that drives me to reclaim this ferret
>>> group for the good of ferrets, for those of you who haven't heard his
>>> story yet, I will post it below. Surely you will understand when you
>>> know that this little guy had not a chance to live, but people on APF
>>> guided me step by step, sometimes thru the night (:thanks, Bev
>>> (tunnelrunner), wherever you are!!) and I struggled minute by minute
>>> those first weeks to keep this little one alive.
>>>
>>> (Pic link beloe) Here's Turnip several months after being with me (when
>>> his fur (he was bald when I first got him) and his new fur was comiing
>>> in - notice the scar around his neck where the skin on his neck had
>>> literally grown over a collar a previous owner left on him as he grew
>>> up - obviously they never checked it or loosened it. I can only imagine
>>> all this little guy went thru. I literally ferret-napped him from a
>>> pet store after talking with the owner and telling him there was a
>>> ferret in his enclosure that needed serious vet care. His reply to me
>>> was "I'm a merchandiser, not a nursemaid". I said "you don't get vet
>>> care for the animals here?" He said no, if they die, he writes them off
>>> as a business loss. At first I didn't believe him, but as the truth sunk
>>> in, it was all I could do to fight back the tears; I knew this ferret
>>> had no chance to live if left where he was. I walked over to the ferret
>>> enclosure, picked the ferret out, and walked out the door (so, I'm a
>>> thief, sue me). I spent over $1,000 on him in just a matter of months,
>>> not counting the nights I sat up all night with him GETTING ONLINE HELP
>>> FROM PEOPLE ON THE APF NEWSGROUP because I didn't have a clue how to
>>> help him!
>>>
>>> Here's his picture (and his story follows):
>>>
>>> http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v.../Turnipface.jpg
>>>
>>> For those who already know the story, please forgive me while I
>>> tell it one more time. I will never forget my precious little boy -
>>> stories like this are why it is IMPERATIVE that we take this newsgroup
>>> back to talking about FERRETS!!! I dedicate all my efforts to reclaim
>>> the newsgroup in Turnip's memory.
>>>
>>> TRIBUTE TO TURNIP
>>>
>>> There was something about the look in his eyes that I couldn't just
>>> walk
>>> away from. He had been abandoned at the pet shop by his previous
>>> owners
>>> months ago. I brought him home with me because he was very, very
>>> sick,
>>> nearly bald and I knew he was going to die. I didn't want him to
>>> die alone
>>> in there with no one to love him.
>>>
>>> I took him to THREE different vets the first day as each of them
>>> tried to draw blood -
>>> but not even one drop would come out, even hisjugular in his
>>> neck!!
>>> They poked and poked and couldn't even get enough blood
>>> from him for a blood test (thus he was named Turnip - 'you can't
>>> get blood out of a turnip').
>>> One by one, each vet had said basically "take him home and make
>>> him comfortable and prepare for his passing",
>>> They told me not to get my hopes up, that he probably wouldn't make
>>> it thru the night.
>>>
>>> The last vet we saw gave him subQ fluids and I remember how
>>> 'squishy' Turnip felt in my arms - just a
>>> pathetic little handful of tiny bones and water I could feel
>>> sloshing around inside his empty body cavity;
>>> he had no strengh at all and no muscle tone, barely any movement -
>>> except those sad, sad eyes that
>>> keep looking at me begging for someone to love him. He was just so
>>> weak.
>>> I wrapped him in a warm blanket and put him on my lap, got online,
>>> found APF and began frantically
>>> begging for help.....the information I received literally lsaved
>>> Turnip's life. They told me exactly
>>> how to give fluids with a syringe, told me to get baby food and a/d
>>> (the vets didn't even suggest that
>>> because they thought Turnip would just die), rocked him all night
>>> long and talked to him
>>> while staying in touch online with people who literally saved
>>> Turnip's life by sharing their
>>> knowledge and experience with me.
>>>
>>> Turnip and I trudged along through a whole pharmacy of medications,
>>> nearly
>>> constant injections for nausea and diarrhea, and subcutaneous
>>> fluids to keep
>>> him from dehydrating, all kinds of diagnostic tests, and finally, a
>>> diagnosis- then adrenal surgery. After feeding him by hand and
>>> medications
>>> every few hours around the clock, lots of kisses and rocking and
>>> holding -
>>> and one day it seemed like he was transformed from a sickly, frail
>>> little
>>> guy at 1.8-lbs to a hearty, healthy, roly-poly 4-lb ball of energy
>>> and
>>> orneriness. That sad look in his eyes that had haunted me now
>>> turned to a
>>> big happy grin that followed me from room to room all day.
>>>
>>> His favorite activity was to follow me around the house, walking
>>> between my
>>> feet each and every step I took, while at the same time trying to
>>> look up at
>>> me as if to ask "where are we going mommy?". He didn't want to let
>>> me out of
>>> his sight. He loved his new home and his new mommy more than
>>> anything in the
>>> world. As soon as I would sit down, or even stand still for a
>>> minute, he
>>> would belly-flop down hard on my foot and let out a big sigh as if
>>> to say
>>> "whew, I'm pooped!" but when I got ready to walk again, he'd jump
>>> up and
>>> continue to walk between my feet with all the energy in the world.
>>> He rode
>>> on the vacuum cleaner when I vacuumed; giggled as he learned how to
>>> 'unmake'
>>> the bed as quickly as I could make it; tunneled underneath piles of
>>> clothes
>>> I would try to fold; grab my sock and try to pull me away to play
>>> when he
>>> thought I had been working too hard. His idea of 'going for a walk'
>>> was for
>>> me to carry him to the corner (three houses away), put him down;
>>> then he
>>> would run hard and fast straight to the front door of our house! He
>>> wasn't
>>> interested in being anywhere but home and and not interested in
>>> being with
>>> anyone but mommy.I don't think he ever saw a 'toy' before he came
>>> here. When
>>> I would toss him a little ball or a toy he would grab it, roll over
>>> on his
>>> back and giggle so hard and get so excited that he would forget
>>> what he was
>>> doing for a minute or two!
>>>
>>> He loved to stand up on his stepstool at night
>>> while I took my bath and would beg to come in and soak in the hot
>>> bubblebath
>>> with me. He went from not really liking baths when I first brought
>>> him home,
>>> to total trust - laying on his back totally relaxed, floating in
>>> the hot
>>> water with his little paw wrapped around my index finger. He
>>> thought that
>>> just looking in mommy's eyes was all the 'life preserver' he
>>> needed. Those happy
>>> little eyes would look up at me with such trust - such total
>>> contentment.
>>>
>>> In 3-1/2 short years of living with and loving Turnip, he taught me
>>> so much:
>>>
>>> - When it took so long to get a diagnosis because there were so
>>> many things
>>> wrong with him, it taught me to be tough - and if I don't succeed
>>> at first - don't ever give up;
>>>
>>> - The tons of poop and vomit that I cleaned up time after time
>>> (even the time
>>> he projectile-vomited all over the kitchen table during a meal when
>>> I was holding him in my lap)
>>> and the many times I had to give him shots for nausea and
>>> subcutaneous fluids (even though I was
>>> deathly afraid of needles) taught me that I can do things I could
>>> never have
>>> imagined doing -sometimes several times a day!
>>>
>>> - The times he would rally and
>>> get spunky for a few minutes and play with me when I thought he was
>>> at
>>> death's door in those early days taught me that there are bright
>>> spots in
>>> even the worst of days;
>>>
>>> - The love in his little eyes when he would look up at
>>> me while I was rocking him taught me that it really does feel
>>> better to give
>>> than to receive;
>>>
>>> - For all the prayers I prayed that God would help me find a
>>> good home for him (when I first brought him here "temporarily")
>>> taught me
>>> that God politely listens to our prayer requests, then gives us
>>> exactly WHAT
>>> we need, WHEN we need it, whether we think we want it or not;
>>>
>>> - All the times that he needed more care and love and nursing than
>>> I thought one person
>>> could possibly give taught me that giving love away causes it to
>>> multiply
>>> within myself and there is ALWAYS more where that came from;
>>>
>>> - The way he looked at me like I was the most important person in
>>> the whole wide world
>>> taught me that there is really nothing more satisfying in the world
>>> than
>>> loving others and being loved in return;
>>>
>>> - For all the times I 'had' to do
>>> things for him when I just wasn't in the mood taught me that what I
>>> get out
>>> of any relationship is directly proportional to what I give to it;
>>>
>>> - Turnip looked
>>> at me with the same sweet eyes when he was skinny, scabby and bald
>>> (and nobody
>>> wanted to touch him) as when he had a big beautiful thick coat(that
>>> everybody wanted to hug) and taught me that beauty really IS only
>>> skin deep
>>> and what's underneath is REALLY important stuff;
>>>
>>> - And all the joy and
>>> happiness, laughter and tears he brought into my life taught me
>>> that LOVE is
>>> really all that counts in this world- period.
>>>
>>> Watching Turnip live every day to the fullest was a great reminder
>>> for me to
>>> do the same...
>>>
>>> Thank you my sweet, chubby, smiling little Turnip...for
>>> teaching me how to live.
>>> _________________
>>> jacquie, kylie & gilbert
>>> with Loki, Morgan & Turnip watching over us from the Rainbow Bridge
>>>
>>>
>>> --
>>> "It is not happiness that makes us grateful but gratefulness that makes
>>> us happy." - Br. David Steindl-Rast
>>> http://www.gratefulness.org
>>>
>>
>>
>
>
|
|
|
| BettyFuzzy@gmail.com |
You sound like a really nice caring ferret mommy. I'm glad to meet you.
|
|
|
| stargazer420 |
Jacquie~
I could never get tired of hearing Turnips story, it is a wonderfully
hopeful story. And I am so glad that APF was here for you when you
needed it the most, just like you and so many others were there for me
when I needed it, it just shows time and time again that ferret people
are the best!!
Even if that is hard to see through all the rubble sometimes:)
Hugs,
Lynlee
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
