DIP Rosa

[smokeyoshi]

Dar24 found Rosa on petfinder. We'd never had an albino, but we had heard that they could be difficult, or at least different. Well, Rosa was at a shelter in south Florida and was a biter. Dar and I love challenge ferrets and we had the room and time to give her to bring her out of her shell. It was a 7 hr round trip to the shelter. At the time, we were in tight financial means but the members of HFF pitched in to help pay the adoption costs. Dona, the shelter mom, waived the adoption fee for her, so the donations from this awesome group paid for the fuel for the 7 hr round-trip.

Rosa bit my forearm good the first time I handled her, but she also gave me kisses, so how could I say no.
Heck, my first ferret Bella bit my ear the first time I ever held a ferret, and that's what got me hooked.

It took a while to break her of lick lick chomp, well, I never really did, but she never bit Dar...so I figured it was her weird way of showing me affection. C'est le vie. She was mostly a loner, not associating much with the other ferts, but loved me and gave kisses whenever I held her.

Rosa had a tumor on her ear when we took her home that eventually had to be removed, which left her with a notch. Last year she started showing signs of adrenal and she got a suprelorin implant. 8 months later she started getting covered with tumors. The past week, she gave a light kiss or 2 but didn't eat much but treats. When I held her, which I never could for long, she shivered.

The vet said last month we should do a Tenn Panel and treat for adrenal, but these tumors are too aggressive to be just adrenal disease, and she's just done. I'll miss her kisses terribly.

IMG_0091_zpse0d29760 by
IMG_0095_zpsc6f246aa by
DSCF3115 by unclejoe1158, on Flickr
achoo1_zpsjcpghvy8 by unclejoe1158, on Flickr
face by unclejoe1158, on Flickr
rosa7.9.14.1jpg by unclejoe1158, on Flickr

[huronna]

I'm sorry for your loss. Funny how many of us only have or have had one albino,
Rosa was a beauty, biter and everything.
You did the right thing. Not the easiest by any means, but always done with love and care.

RIP Rosa

[smokeyoshi]

When the vet saw how bad she was 3 weeks after her last visit, she said the same thing. Even if was only adrenal, I don't think there's anyway an implant would have reversed it that quickly. I could have done the TN Panel for $300, a biopsy for $140, and they both would have taken at least a week to get results, and the $214 implant, and she'd still be gone.
She had another sore on her back that was getting as bad as the one on her armpit, and 3 weeks ago it was not even a centimeter round. She was starting to smell like rotting flesh. It was awful, my poor Rosa.

[dee517]

I am so sorry that Rosa is no longer with you. She could not have had a better home. She was a beautiful little albino girl. You took her in knowing she would be a challenge. You not only met the challenge but you taught her to love. I know how much it hurts to loose a little one that you have given so much of yourself to.