From:
Sukie Crandall
Date: 2002-09-24 21:25:59 UTC
Subject: update on Sevie (Complete A/V Heart Node Block being treated)
To: ferrethealth@smartgroups.com
Message-Id: <p05111706b9b684a4d7da@[10.0.1.25]>
For those who don't know: Seven of Six is an adult adoptee of unknown
age of at least 5 years who is not considered a surgical candidate
any longer from vet recommendations. (Opinion varies on this point,
but with her multiple problems the chances of her waking from the
sort of surgery even a new style pacemaker would need are quite low
versus her right now having no pain and being happy, so it could be
different for a larger ferret in her or his prime and without other
medical problems for whom a pace maker could be worth the risks
involved.) She has had a Level Three (Complete) A/V Heart Node Block
for around 3 months now. Normally, a ferret would have been expected
to not last as she has done with treatment, so only one consulting
veterinary cardiologist was used to treating this which allowed her
to be saved for a while rather than getting a mercy shot or no
treatment. After being revived she was begun on meds and is
currently on Aminophylline and Enacard, and is very happy, but she is
starting to slow down some and is occasionally slightly pale. She
still is not having bouts of full syncope with actual fainting but
she is having staring times when she seems slightly dizzy and those
could be from either her heart problem or from lowering blood sugar.
A medication substitution was being considered but she was worse with
reduced levels of that med. Tomorrow she has follow-up blood testing
for glucose level in case her insulinoma is starting up again and
complicating this and will have yet another EKG (ECG) followed by
further consultations because some other specialists are following
her, too, which is good. Then we'll go from there. This is a
terminal condition, but with a year for a ferret being like 10 for a
human we've given her the equivalent of around three years for a
human and it has been time without pain. To keep her stress down she
even has one of her meds that is in tiny amounts compounded with cod
liver oil which she loves, even though Steve absolutely hates fish
and even though even for sardine lover like me the scent is
over-powering. (It is so sweet how Steve is happy to give it to her
because it helps her, despite how he hates the odor. He even lets
her kiss him in thanks.)