Did you know you can get Emu eggs in the mail?!? LOL!

4-12-08

He’s gone.
Ebay died around 1:30 this afternoon. We went to a new vet this morning. The vet wanted to euthanize him~ but I began crying so the vet tried some more antibiotics and steroids. He didn’t believe Ebay would survive and tried to comfort me. The nice man actually hugged me. I’m embarrassed I became so emotional.

Ebay had pneumonia. Probably caused by aspirating some of the food I forced into him in the last two weeks. He was in bad shape and I should have let the vet euthanize him. It was stupid to let myself get so emotionally attached to him. I knew there was every good chance I could not raise him successfully. It was amazing he hatched at all~ and the reason I resisted so many suggestions I write a book about it is I knew very well that we had only proven that I could hatch an emu~ not that I could raise one. Well now we have proven that I could not raise him.

This mornings vet speculated that he probably has a genetic issue that was keeping him from fully absorbing the nutrients in the food he was eating. That’s why he did so well while young~ while he still had yolk to work with~ and began declining despite all medical care~ at this vet and the previous one (I know I didn't make an update here~ but this is the second vet we'd been to see with him~ I kept holding off updating hoping I could make another positive update). He took another Xray~ there was nothing blocking him up~ Ebay was just starving to death despite my forcing feed into him.

I probably should have gotten a necropsy done~ but it is Saturday and no vets are open till Monday. Scott and Will buried him shortly after he passed away while I cleaned up his kennel and threw out all his medications~ and I’m just going to move on and try not to think about it too much. I never should have let myself get emotionally attached to him. I knew it was a bad idea to start with and I should have stuck to it. It wouldn’t hurt so much now if I didn’t let myself think of him as a “pet.”

i am so sorry cheryl.... i was really hoping that he was in the clear... poor lil fella.

So sorry to hear this. RIP Ebay.

Cheryl, I am so very sorry for your loss. It's not sill that you became attached to him, you are a caring and wonderful mother, and that's what makes you so special. You love with your whole heart and there are many on this forum that could benefit from your motherly instincts.

You did something that you didn't know you could do and now have the experience that most of us will never have. Thank you for sharing this remarkable story with all of us.

Cheryl...

Virtual hugs to you. I'm so sorry for your loss. I never even met E-bay, and I cared, so... It's not too hard to get attached.

So sorry...

You are not being silly. You are a wonderful, caring and very very special person. There are not many people who would let an emu live in their kitchen, clean up after it and care for it as much as you did. You showed your great love for ebay and did all you could for him. You gave us all a great gift by letting us watch him go from an egg to a living little guy. I am so very sorry for your loss. He will be watching over you at the rainbow bridge and knows you where the best mother he could have ever asked for. We will all miss him.

*HUGS* I am sooo sorry to hear about little ebay. And you are on the wrong site to feel silly about loving an animal.

I always cry when I lose a pet. whether a gecko or a dog. big and small. Us animal lovers always understand.

I am great full though that you took plenty of wonderful photos so that you can always remember little ebay.

Cheryl,

Your husband is a very lucky man!

Best regards.

Dan G.

Cheryl, I am so sorry. I have truly enjoyed reading this entire thread and living your experience through you. Because of it I know I will never have an emu running around in my kitchen, but to have my dog chase a ball and run with one, how cool is that?!!
In years you'll still have the fun memories. Thank you for sharing and bringing us along for the ride, it was a great one!

Originally Posted by Cheryl Marchek AKA JM

I never should have let myself get emotionally attached to him. I knew it was a bad idea to start with and I should have stuck to it. It wouldn’t hurt so much now if I didn’t let myself think of him as a “pet.”

Cheryl, I don't know you at all and have not posted much here on Fauna, but I have clicked this thread every Monday at work for updates. As I read this latest post, I sit with tears welling up in my eyes and co-workers looking at me like I'm a lunatic. I agree with everyone - you did nothing wrong by loving Ebay. You did what all of us crazy dog/cat/snake/lizard/bird/etc/etc/etc men and women do - you raised a baby as best as you could and unfortunately Mother Nature had a different plan. Thank you so much for sharing Ebay's life with us. You let us all have a new pet vicariously and the experience of having an "emu in our kitchens".