From:
"Shelley Knudsen"
Date: 2002-11-17 20:22:40 UTC
Subject: Ferret hearts w/insulinoma
To: "Ferret Health List" <ferrethealth@smartgroups.com>
Message-ID: <003001c28e77$2ace22c0$a62bfea9@sknudsen>
Hi,
I have posted about this subject before, as I have a ferret, Taz, that was =
diagnosed a year ago with AV node block (heart rate was about 70 beats per =
minute), who also had severe insulinoma at the time. At the time I was try=
ing to find a link between the insulinoma and the AV node block, but was un=
successful. However, I now have a second ferret with advanced insulinoma, =
Target, who when I was just doing a routine listen on yesterday, who has no=
w developed the same thing. His ventricular heart rate is about 70, and I =
could hear his atria beating away at about 200 in the background (I've gott=
en pretty good at listening to ferret hearts since Taz). However, AV node =
block is supposedly incredibly rare in ferrets. I could not find anything =
at all in the literature, or from my queries on this list or an exotic vet =
list a year ago. But yet, I now have two ferrets with the same thing.
So, I am asking again, if anyone on this list (other than Sukie, who I know=
has the same problem with Sevie) has noticed slow heart beats in ferrets w=
ith insulinoma. You can listen to ferret hearts pretty easily without a st=
ethescope to at least get a heart rate, if you just hold their left side up=
to your ear, you can hear the heart beating. Normal should be about 200-2=
50 beats per minute, with some speeding up and slowing down corresponding w=
ith their breathing. If anyone on this list has a ferret with a heart rate=
less than 100, I would really like to hear from you, as since I now have t=
wo ferrets with this same "rare" condition, I kind of want to know why, and=
if it is more common than currently thought, and if there is a link. In m=
y experience, many non-ferret vets do not do a thorough enough physical exa=
m on ferrets, and so many ferrets may not even have their heart listened to=
when going to the vets.
Thanks,
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