7½

Every time Nyssa goes to the vet I get to hear a dire prognosis. She wasn't expected to live to see her seventh birthday. Of course she did and it was a cause for celebration. Six months have gone by and Nyssa is still here, defying the conventional vet wisdom that she should have died already. As I've said before I sometimes think Nyssa is too stubborn to die.

Anyway, when you have an old, sick ferret you start counting half years much as we do for small children. Nyssa is 7½ years old today. Happy (half) Birthday, Nyssa! Here's hoping you defy the dire news again and again. I'd love to celebrate your eighth :)

Below is a photo from April that I hadn't posted anywhere yet. If you saw Nyssa today (or even look at the photo in my post of July 6) you can see the toll lymphoma is taking on her. She is much thinner, barely more than skin and bones, today. Having said that Nyssa still fiercely protects her beloved stuffed doggie, still loves to explore (sometimes at great length), is more affectionate than ever, still likes to run through the tunnels now and again, and still fends off challenges (mainly from Zephyr) to her role as ferret in charge, the dominant alpha. She rarely shows signs of being uncomfortable or in pain. Her quality of life remains good despite the lymphoma and that, really, is all I can ask for.