From:
sukieferret
Date: 2002-03-23 22:09:00 UTC
Subject: Re: Congenital Heart disease in kit
> I have an 8 month old female kit named Sneakers. She was
>diagnosed with CHD just before Christmas.
Are her facial markings/ coloration bilateral, or is each side a
good bit different from the other? (That is important since very
unilateral coloration can indicate a form of aortic arch defect that
is bad,)
What type of congential defect is present?
> Should I be extremely cautious about diet/exercise?
How is her blood pressure? We tried diet alterations for one
who had very early cardiomyopathy and a heart tumor by
reducing salt (which is NOT easy to pull off) and it made no
difference, but if the blood pressure presents a problem for her
type of defect then it might be worth your vet asking a veterinary
cardiologist for advice on that point. I can tell you right off that
NONE of the foods we could find were low enough in salt in
relation to their nutritional values, and Tom Willard helped us go
through a lot of options, so finally Dr, Willard (the veterinary
dietician at Totally Ferret) told us how to make food with meats,
hard boiled egg yolks, and other nutrients designed for her
particular needs, and he did for free on his own time to help us;
he does that for people when the need is great.
Exercise, large temperature changes, and stress are all things
to try to control in a ferret with a serious heart problem. We used
to buy our's little tiny fur-covered mousies because they were
light to lift but they could beat them up to take out frustrations.
> Is there anything I can do to increase her chances of a normal
> life/lifespan?
> Any recommendations as to what I should do next (another
ECG, etc. -
> haven't done an ultrasound yet)
Might well make sense to have the ultrasound; they really help
know the details of heart problems and that allows for the most
precise medicating and understanding.
If follow-up EKGs are needed, then do them as needed. One of
our's (with damage to the ventricular rhythm portion of the heart)
needed them regularly and they made sense for her although
she hated them.
> Any future complications we may be facing due to this illness?
> Is this a birth defect?
At that age ( 8 months) my thinking would be inclined in that
direction.
> Absolutely anything anyone can tell me would be eternally
> appreciated.
Some of the cardiomyopathy info at
http://www.miamiferret.org/fhc
might generalize well enough to help you.
Good luck to her and to you.
>
> Oh yeah, she's deaf too.
What is her coloration like in relation to degree of pigment; many
with some types of pigment deprivation are deaf.
Be sure to let her breeders know.