From:
Shelley Knudsen
Date: 2001-11-06 21:32:00 UTC
Subject: Arrghh!!! Frustrating AV node block problems!
Hello,
I recently wrote to the FHL and FML to tell of my ferret Taz's
seemingly miraculous recovery from 3rd degree AV node block.
I say seemingly miraculous because everyone that I talked to
said that it pretty much never happened, and I got no response
from any vets on the FHL, so I would assume no one on here had
any idea either. Anyway, I was listening to Taz's heart
tonight, and it sounded like it did the Thursday and Friday
after I ended up doing CPR on him, it is cycling between
single and double beats, averaging about 100bpm. I am going
to try to get him in for another ECG tomorrow, and I would
like to get him back on an antibiotic.
Again, does anyone have any ideas as to what could be causing
this? If it was by chance caused by some form of
endocarditis, and the Clavumox corrected it the first time, is
it possible that because he was only on the Clavumox for two
weeks, and I stopped it right as his heart was starting to
speed up, that the infection could have returned, if that was
it? Another suggestion to me was lymphoma that could be
moving around, has anyone heard of or had any experience with
that in the heart? He is still on 3mg of prednisone a day,
but nothing else.
This is getting frustrating, too many ups and downs, with no
reasons or solutions. Taz was doing so well this past week
and a half, he had more energy, and was up and around more.
But I don't want to go ahead with pacemaker surgery if this is
something that can be corrected medically, or something that
would cause other problems anyway (like lymphoma). If anyone
has any ideas, one way or the other, please let me know.
Thank you,
Shelley Knudsen
Class of 2004 KSU Veterinary College
ferrets@kansas.net sknudsen@vet.ksu.edu
http://www.tcgcs.com/~ferrets
785-565-9041 cel402-984-4217
"There ain't no limit in this life to how far you can get,
but if you're going all the way, you gotta break a sweat."
- Chad Brock