Is it time to let go?

[jerkk]

Hello all,
I have a vet appointment for my 6.5 year old ferret today at 5pm.
He has what we suspect to be a fibrosarcoma that we decided not to operate on and has been growing for a few months.
Long story short, he got VERY sick very fast, with a congested nose. He was put on antibiotics 4 days ago, which seemed to help a little bit.
He does not want to eat or drink, and I have had to syringe feed him small amounts of food and water, which he is now resisting. He tries to drink water but cannot seem to get his tongue out of his mouth.
He has almost been drooling on himself, as if he his weak and having trouble swallowing- and he is having issues controlling his bowel movements and I have been bathing him in warm water twice a day.
I personally feel like it is time to let go. We know he has cancer, and this is his second time being sick in the span of a month or two and needing antibiotics. 
He also seems to have weakness in his paws/toes, as they kind of curl under him instead of being splayed out.
The thing is, I have had a vet tell me a few days ago that he "looked good" which I absolutely do NOT agree with at all. 

He is already on steroids and pain medicine (which I am out of because the pharmacy messed up and didn't give me the right amount, but insists that they gave me a 90 day supply).

I am worried that the other vet I am taking him to will try to tell me that because he is trying to drink water, moving around a little, and seems mostly alert, that "we can try something else".

I was wondering what you guys thought. I feel like it is time, but I do not want to euthanize him unnecessarily.

He is better than he was a few days ago so the antibiotics have helped, but I think there is something else going on that cannot be helped. I am really frustrated that the vets I am taking him to keep telling me that he is okay, and it's starting to make me second guess myself.

Any advice is appreciated. 
Thanks

[unclejoe]

I have been there many times and for us, when they lose bowel control is a sign that it's time. I know how hard it is. We let Miss Prissy go like that for months as she lost weight, fur and her eyesight, but she just kept on going. She didn't deserve to live like that. She was the only ferret we've had that made it 10 years, but we should have done something sooner.
I feel for you.

[jerkk]

Apr 26, 2021 10:26:44 GMT -5 unclejoe said:

I have been there many times and for us, when they lose bowel control is a sign that it's time. I know how hard it is. We let Miss Prissy go like that for months as she lost weight, fur and her eyesight, but she just kept on going. She didn't deserve to live like that. She was the only ferret we've had that made it 10 years, but we should have done something sooner.
I feel for you.

I am sorry you had to deal with that as well, it is sad how sick ferrets are especially here in the states. I think you are right, it is hard to advocate for euthanasia for your own pet when the vet is so used to working with people that want to hold onto their pets as long as they can even if they are suffering. 

[Corvidophile]

It sounds like it is time. With the lack of mouth control he may well choke on his own spit. I’m really sorry. Sometimes vets are too used to people paying anything for a little more time, but in my opinion the quality of the time is poor.

[jerkk]

An update for everyone: He was euthanized today, it was really hard but the vet I took him to that euthanized my last ferret agreed with me that it was time. That was oddly relieving to hear. He even told me that at this point, diagnostics would confirm what we already knew, and that he didn't even recommend an xray to see what was going on.
He had fluid in his abdomen, usually a sign of liver failure. I was told he was extremely nauseated which is why he wasn't eating or moving his tongue/drooling.
He said upon palpitation of the abdomen, it was clear he was in a lot of pain.
The vet also said that it is very possible another type of cancer not associated with his current tumor could've caused this, but that he was very clearly not feeling well and didn't have much longer to live. The vet actually owned ferrets in the past so he was very knowledgeable about them. He took the time to make sure that I knew what was going on and gave me options, most of which were end of life situations.
That is my last ferret, I put away all of the ferret supplies, it's sad seeing the dinning room without their cage.
DIP Chompy, I wish it didn't end this way.

[Corvidophile]

I’m glad you found someone understanding, it makes it easier. So sorry to hear about his passing but I’m glad he was clearly looked after. Rest In Peace.

[unclejoe]

I'm sorry for your loss, but you did what was needed, end his pain. DIP Chompy. (Love that name)

[Charlie]

So sorry for your loss. You did the right thing even though it was the hardest decision you had to make. DIP little Chompy.

[abbeytheferret6]

I am so sorry. May your heart smile in time thinking about your baby.
DIP little one.

[unclejoe]

Hi jerkk I don't know if you intend to stick around, but I wanted to add a couple things.
Dar24 and I have had 30 ferrets combined, and we are on our last 2. They are very special creatures, and we were both warned going in over 15 years ago that they will bring joy and heartache. We lost 5 last year, Abita, MOgli, ZoeZoe and Yoshi to age related conditions and Goober who shadowed one of us out the door one day. Our current 2 are around 3 years old, so if we are very fortunate they will be with us another 4 years. We are both getting older but I can't imagine packing up and getting rid of all of their stuff. Having followed your posts, you were a great ferrent, but unfortunately they all leave us eventually. I just wanted to say that it was good having you and we all wish you the best.