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At Petsies, we’ve noticed that more and more people are getting pet lookalikes made of their emotional support and therapy animals. These lovable companions are becoming increasingly popular, as it’s been proven that they positively influence humans’ health and wellbeing. While many people associate dogs with being support animals, many other animals have earned this title as well, including cats, rabbits, pigs, and even ferrets. There are a wide variety of reasons why people get an emotional support animal, from helping to alleviate panic attacks to alerting them when their blood sugar is low. We recently came across an inspiring individual and the story behind his unique emotional support animal.
How it began:
While we have made many Petsies of therapy dogs, cats, pigs, and even bunnies, we finally received our first Petsies order for an emotional support ferret. Order submissions for ferrets are pretty rare so our team was excited to start working on this Petsie.
We learned that our customer, Ceejayy Murphy, first got his ferret, Fanto, six years ago. Fanto was meant to be Ceejayy’s emotional support animal, as Ceejayy suffers from Gastropareies, Lupus and Chronic Lymes, and Autoimmune Disease. Little did Ceejayy know, they’d both become each other’s support.
A twist of fate:
Unfortunately, in 2014, Fanto’s health began to decline. After a misdiagnoses from one vet, and thousands of dollars later in medical bills, Ceejayy discovered that his pet had Adrenal Gland Disease, which is a cancer in the adrenal glands. Because of this, Fanto struggles to walk, and has recently gone blind. One of the side effects from Fanto’s medication caused him to develop Degenerative Joint Disease. As a result, he uses a wheelchair to get around. Because it took so long to get a correct diagnosis for Fanto, it is very hard to properly treat him.
But Ceejayy is willing to go to any length to keep his beloved friend and emotional support animal comfortable and healthy. Like many animal lovers, household animals become family members, not just pets. Even though Ceejayy has his own illness to take care of, he prioritizes Fanto’s health above his own. They support each other through their illnesses.
“Without him, I just wouldn’t have the fight in me that he gives me”. -Ceejayy
A true plush lookalike
As soon as we saw the photos of Fanto, we knew his plush double was also going to need a wheelchair! This is not the first time we’ve accommodated a wheelchair accessory for a Petsie. Ceejayy was unaware that we’d take the extra step to make the wheelchair, and it was a big surprise! Needless to say, Ceejayy and Fanto were thrilled with the result.
In regards to Ceejayy’s medical expenses, he does have pet insurance for Fanto, but sadly most pet insurances do not cover cancer treatments for ferrets. A GoFundMe page has been set up for Fanto, to raise money for his extremely high medical bills.
Ceejayy is thankful for everyone’s help, and is hopeful that Fanto will continue to pull through. Our team fell in love with Fanto, and wishes him and Ceejayy the best!
You can get your own stuffed animal ferret or plush support animal, too! Just send us a photo and we’ll happily make you your own plush pet.
