Zephyr!

My friend Pam, who is watching Ella and Zephyr for the next couple of weeks until they move into my home , took an absolutely adorable picture of Zephy that I just have to share:

I can't wait until she gets here. If Nyssa and Lady Ayeka hang in there it's going to be wild with six little ferret girls bouncing around my little place.

Lady Ayeka doing better

The new medication regime has definitely helped Lady Ayeka. Her energy is way up and she is playing for two hours or more on most nights now. Her diarrhea is intermittent now and she is having many more normal poops. It's great to have her almost back to her old self. I really had no real hope that she would actually get better based on my previous experiences with lymphoma. Kudos to Dr. Robert Rosing at Miamitown Animal Hospital in Cleves, OH. I seem to have found a ferret vet who knows his stuff and really could help Ayeka. Thanks also to Lori Sies who runs the shelter in the area and first recommended Dr. Rosing.

Otherwise it's status quo. Chin Soon is becoming a real sweetheart, sometimes even offering kisses without nibbles now. It's nice to give a report where everything is pretty good for a change.

I can't wait until Ella and Zephyr arrive with my ex-housemate. I hope they give Chin Soon the hyper playmates she needs.

Lady Ayeka and the new vet

Lady Ayeka has been having chronic diarrhea the last few days and has moaned or cried a few times when pooping so it was time to get her back the a vet. Our new vet is Dr. Robert Rosing of Miamitown Animal Hospital in Cleves, OH. My first impressions of him are very positive: he seems to be quite knowledgable and what he prescribed and suggested makes sense. Anyway, Ayeka starts a new medication regime tonight which hopefully will control her diarrhea again and allow her to use the litter pan without pain or discomfort.

The good news is that Ayeka is still amazingly playful. Both she and Nyssa had about two hours of very active play time last night. I am still hopeful that we'll have quite the birthday celebrations when they turn seven this spring.

Ella and Zephyr and an Ayeka update

Two new ferrets, Ella and Zephyr, will be joining my fantastic four in February. This pair belonged to Celia Wright, a wonderful, caring ferret owner who passed away early this year. She was a member of TriFL which is how I met her when I lived in North Carolina. I remember talking to her a year and a half or so ago about her ferret D'Weizel who was 10 years old at the time and had multiple health problems. She was still looking for ways to keep the little one happy.

Anyway, Ella and Zephie were her last two ferrets, both around two years old. One of them was found as a stray. They are both gorgeous and I am thrilled to be able to give them a great home. Chin Soon needs younger, more active playmates and I hope she'll get along with them.

Lady Ayeka's diarrhea has become chronic again. The night before last she cried when putting out awful, near-liquid poop. It was the first sign I had seen since she came to Cincinnati that she was having any pain. This morning there was a tiny spot of frank blood in her poop, probably from her oh-so-irritated rear. I made a Monday morning vet appointment. I just hope we don't end up with an emergency before then.

Ayeka was incredibly playful last night and she gave little Chin Soon a good thrashing in a wrestling match. Her stamina was as good as it's been lately with a solid hour and a half of play. So long as she seems to be happy I will keep looking for symptomatic relief for her. I don't think she's going anywhere anytime soon. At least I hope not.

Ayeka proves me wrong...

My little princess, Lady Ayeka, decided to make me pay for that post about her not doing well by being her old Energizer Ferret self. She ran for 2 hours 5 min. straight last night. Once upon a time that wouldn't have been all that much but in recent months it is the most energy and stamina we've seen from her. Ayeka pounced all the other ferrets and gave Nyssa a particularly good thrashing. She also rediscovered her love of my stairs. Ayeka also has rediscovered marinating and definitely wanted to wrestle with me.

Her poop remains the same: sometimes better, sometimes worse. All in all, though, she's doing better than I've seen since she got here. I'm going to wait a little on that vet appointment.

Obligatory cute new picture

Since I've been posting about Nyssa I feel obligated to include a cute picture of her:

This was taken a couple of weeks ago in North Carolina. Yes, I love my ferrets and yes, I spoil them rotten. :)

Better news, but still worried about Ayeka

Well... the ferrets are here with me now. I moved into a really nice place in the Mt. Adams neighborhood of Cincinnati. My ex-roommate helped me move and the ferrets came up to stay.

Nyssa is holding her own beautifully. She can still see. Nyssa was always really bonded to me and she is much more active here than in NC without me around. I think she was actually depressed about my not being there. Oh, she still has lymphoma, but the pediapred has brought down her once swollen lymph nodes. She has less stamina that she used to but otherwise is her old self.

Lady Ayeka is also holding her own but I am a bit concerned about her right now. Her diarrhea is chronic again, a result of her lymphoma which is in her GI tract. I'm going to make an appointmnet with a new vet (for us) to see if a change in meds can at least control her symptoms. Mostly she still has a good quality of life. She loves having stairs to run up and down as does Chin Soon. It's something we didn't have in NC.

It's hard to believe but Nyssa and Ayeka will be seven this spring.