Goodbye Nyssa (1998-2006)

In recent days Nyssa was suffering. Sunday she stopped eating on her own. On Sunday night she was miserable and spent a huge part of the night asleep on my lap. She looked to me for comfort. I called and left a message for her vet, Dr. Sarah Wolfe. I coped the best I could. On Monday she perked up, started eating gravy and kibble again, and seemed better, but her rear legs could still barely hold her and she kept falling over. She was so very, very skinny. Dr, Wolfe called to see how she was doing. Since there was some improvement we decided to wait until her Wednesday vet appointment to make any decision.

Last night though Nyssa was still eating she was miserable again. She once again went to sleep with me on the couch. When she did get up and eat she couldn't stand long enough to finish and kept falling over, getting up, eating a bit, and falling over again. I decided I had finally reached the point where I was no longer extending her life but rather I was extending her suffering and death. I had to love her enough to let her go. Today at Dr. Wolfe's office I did just that.

Nyssa was eight years old. She lived 19 months with lymphoma and fought for her life every single day. Even today at the vet's office she was alert and wanted to get out and explore. She just didn't have the strength to do it any more.

When Nyssa was just four months old she had an intestinal blockage. I nursed her through it and we managed to get it to pass without surgery. At that time she really bonded to me. I fell asleep watching her at one point and woke up to her licking my face. She's been super close to me ever since and she was very special to me. As much as I love the other ferrets and as much as this was expected I am going to miss Nyssa terribly.

Today was the end of an era. The last ferret from my original 1998 group is gone.


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