This is just to let you know that Cody was released from his pain today.

The last few days especially have been rough beyond words. As you know Cody has been in a lot of pain for a long time. It was thought at first that it was from his greatly enlarged spleen. Then the doc thought it was because he had to so much cutting & stitching, etc inside of him, that his healing would take longer. I could understand the healing but not the continued pain he was in. After a week of the pain not letting up I took him back to the vet. I was assured that it was all due healing process. When he had his staples out, he was in a lot of pain, it was contributed to some of them having started to grow in. His pain never let up.

Believing the vet thought I was being overly protective & perhaps someone who really didn't know about ferrets, maybe he thought I was new to ferrets, I don't know, but he wasn't listening to me. Finally taking Cody to Laura to look at for herself & get another opinion, she saw that he wasn't doing good, heard the pain. At this point he was showing no signs of improvement from the surgery, in fact he was getting worse. He was immediately whisked off to the vet. I think it made an impression on the vet to see someone with me who he knew, knows ferrets & knows what she is talking about. Thank you Laura. He ordered an x-ray. They clearly showed a big problem. I don't know the medical terms but the tissue between the lungs is suppose to paper thin & Cody's was an inch thick. Plus he had some form of Lymph cancer on his lungs & by his heart. Cody was terminal. The only reason the vet could come up as to why Cody still had the most pain when he peed, was that when he pushed it might have caused pressure to be put on his heart & lungs, which in turn hurt him. I know this last week when I picked him up, no matter how gentle I was, when there was pressure on his chest, he moaned.

Thanks to a wonderful lady, who sent a mix of essences for Cody, to help him, his pain did ease up some. But it never went away. I increased the dose plus was giving him every kind of herb that I thought would help him as far as tranquilize him so he didn't hurt so much. It would maybe work for a short time, like over night or at the most a couple of days before he was worse.

I talked to him constantly about the Bridge, about how much I loved him, about the fact that he would finally be free of the pain & meet the War Weasels that went on before him & his old cagemate Tommy, how it was ok to go. The little stinker wouldn't listen! When he came here, he was a trouble maker, a ferret with a big chip on his shoulders & a hurt in his heart from being separated from his buddy. He beat up every one in the group I wanted him in, any chance he got. What a War Weasel! Finally got him to stop biting me & after about a year & gallons of Ferretone, he finally got along with the others in his group. I had told him that this would be his forever home & that he was never ever going to leave here. Well he believed it & took it to heart apparently, because he sure as hell didn't want to leave!

Yesterday was bad, he had more pain. I gave him everything I could think of, even human things, trying to get him to let go, if nothing else he should have slept clear through today, he was so limp, but he wasn't out. Every time I went near his cage & looked in on him, his head came up & he looked at me & I knew he wanted me to pick him up. As soon as I got a chance I held him for a long time before having to put him back to care for others. He was stretched out on my chest, between my breasts, his heart was beating against mine, his head on my shoulder in the crook of my neck. My tears were splashing on him & I was begging him to let go & go to the Bridge & he brought his head up & licked my tears away, as if telling me it was ok.

So I had to make the decision for him, it was time to help him go. He didn't deserve to be in that kind of pain any longer, but he just didn't want to go. Dr. Mike agreed that he should be let go since he was in so much pain. He gave him a shot that he said would knock him out & send him to la la land where he wouldn't feel a thing. Yet when it had taken effect, when the doc picked him to give him the mercy shot, Cody moaned. I think it shocked the doc to hear him. I believe at that moment Dr. Mike realized the extent of the pain that Cody has been in, he said with the drug he shouldn't have felt a thing.

After Cody got the mercy shot, he still fought to live, he simply would not let go. The doc peaked in when he thought Cody would be gone, I shook my head indicating that Cody wasn't gone yet. He came in & stroked him & said he was still fighting, he told Cody it was ok to go & that soon he would be feeling like a kid again. His voice caught & I know there was tears wanting to come. I can honestly can say I have never seen a vet show that much emotion, when it came time to helping a little one go. I believe that Cody touched him rather deeply. Cody's fighting spirit & determination, in spite of what had to be indescribable pain.

Cody finally left for his great adventure of going to the Bridge. I know that he is caught up in a great celebration welcoming him & any others that came in at that time. I know that he is at last free of pain & will never suffer again. I hope that he now realizes why I wanted him to go & is happy. I will forever feel his heart beating against mine & his head resting in the crook of my neck.

Sadly,
Lynn & Clan War Weasels

PS: We thank everyone who sent prayers & healing thoughts Cody's way.

I would like to convey that if you feel something is wrong with your pet & are around it more than a vet is, don't give up trying to find out what is wrong, no matter how many vets you have to see & how far you have to go. I know that it is economically hard to see more than one vet, but you have to, for the sake of the animal, to at least try every option there is. Write the ferret lists & the FHL. And most of all if your ferret is in pain, & it doesn't stop, don't let it suffer, especially if it has a terminal disease. If it doesn't show you that it is ready to go, (there are signs they give) then you have to take matters into your own hands & help it go, no matter how hard it is on you, you know the pain that animal is in is worse than the pain you will feel by helping it go.

Dr. Edward Bach, the founder of the flower essence therapies, had his time here on earth from 1886 to 1936. He was a medical doctor who later developed an intuition for healing. He was upset at the remedies available for mankind and sought to develop a safe discipline that had no side-effects from it's use. He found that certain flowers in nature have a vibration to them, as do illnesses. What he sought to do was to find the corresponding flower for many illnesses. He found that much dis-ease comes from a dysfunctional mindset, so he sought to treat "the mentals" of disease. He found if you can assist at the mind-level then physical recovery will follow.

Today there are many different brands of flower essences being developed. The original 38 remedies that Bach developed are grown in England and are still made under Dr. Bach's name. They are available in health food stores, along with a guide to them. There are also specialists in this discipline.

Being a naturopath I have studied and loved this discipline. Here on our farm we make our own essences and are also researching new ones. The Flower Essence Society in Nevada City, California encourages learning and the research and development of new essences. Their website is www.flower society.org.

When I first learned of brave little Cody my heart told me to find his essences. We knew he was terribly ill and might not last too long. Our objective was to make any time he had here more tolerable and if he was to go, to help his spirit to let go. We made up The Cody Essence from 3 flowers:

* Angel's Trumpet - to assist and develop the ability to surrender to the spiritual process, especially to dying; to help the soul's ability to see and believe in non-physical worlds. This is used when there is a difficulty in letting go.

* Then we added Penstemon for animals who have been through surgery or for older animals in pain when there is extreme hardship and suffering. It gives them courage to accept this suffering.

* Lastly we added St. Johns Wort, a lovely little yellow flower used for fear of out-of-body states. It anchors inner light and awareness as their little souls begin their journey. It is often added to the lips when an animal is dying.

Because I have found that gems from the earth can also act as healers, we made The Cody Essence in the calming presence of the Angelite stone.

Cody's light has been memorialized in his essence which he leaves behind. But he doesn't need it anymore. What he does leave behind are footprints on our souls, admiration for his persistent little spirit, and a brighter star in the sky each night.

If your ferret needs The Cody Essence it is available from The Conley Farm free of charge. Simply contact Mary at: MedicineWoman76@aol.com.

Mary, just a thought.....you said that Cody was earthbound & that was why he had such a hard time letting go, perhaps you could explain that on Cody's page so others can understand it & know what is going on.

Explanation of an Earthbound Spirit...

When I say Cody's little spirit was earthbound, I meant that he felt bound to stay here. We bind ourselves to certain things on this earth in different ways. Fear of the unknown can bind us; love for those still here can bind us; and just the need to 'not go' can bind us here. I believe Cody had a very strong attachment to his family, and I do think animals are capable of great love and devotion. And, you shared that Cody he was a little warrior with a strong spirit who just wanted "to stay awhile." And you let him. That's a gift to him. Very often we think we know best, but it's the patient who knows the path their spirit wants to take.