I rarely write about my ferrets' birthdays. Sometimes, I don't even
write when one passes. But, in the next week I have 2 special birthdays
coming up.
The first is Saturday, May 21. My Sing Sing will turn 7 that day. The
reason this one will be special is that I know she will not be with me
much longer. She has lymphoma.
We discovered the lymphoma early in April, and started her on chemo
treatments right away. At that time she was not acting sick at all,
and the chemo did not seem to have any visible adverse effects.
Unfortunately, each treatment has caused her white cell count to drop
so low that we have had to skip every other treatment. As a result, it
does not seem to be very effective in fighting the cancer.
Although she is now slowing down, she is still somewhat active, and
still has a good appetite. She is suddenly looking very old in the
face, though. For now, she is getting spoiled, and will get lots of
love and attention until she is ready to leave me.
The second birthday I want to mention is Elvira, or Elly. Elly will
turn 8 on Friday, May 27. Now, that may not seem particularly
remarkable, but Elly was exposed to, and caught, ADV when she was only
2. I never expected her to live this long.
The years have taken a toll on her. While she was once a beautiful
black point with soft fluffy fur, she is now largely bald. About a year
ago she developed adrenal disease, and because of the ADV, we decided it
was not safe to attempt surgery. She gets both Lupron injections and
has a melatonin implant, but while that raises her energy level, it has
not helped her regrow her fur.
Additionally, she now has large cataracts on both eyes. She no longer
runs through the house, but toddles. Age and gravity have made her a
little saggy, too. She has body fat, but it has all been pulled to the
lowest point, so her back looks skinny, but she has a belly that hangs
down and sways from side to side when she toddles around.
While the years may have stolen her beauty, it has not crushed her
spirit one bit. She amy look frail and fragile, but she is far from
that. She gets up, and toddles around exploring. She will often come
by and nip gently at my ankle, to get me to pick her up and love her.
Sometimes she even tries to wrestle with her 2 six year old sons, Buddy
and Bo. Fortunately both boys are gentle with their mom. She never
ceases to amaze me with her ability to keep going.
So, this weekend and next weekend, there will be celebrating at our house.
--
Danee
International Ferret Congress Health Issues Coordinator
http://ferretcongress.org
ADV - If your ferret hasn't been tested, you don't know!
For more information visit: http://www.ferretadv.com
You can help fight ADV! Visit:
http://help4adv.terrabox.com/
[Posted in FML issue 4883]
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