From:
"jenferretgirl"
Date: 2010-02-18 01:16:01 UTC
Subject: [ferrethealth] Re: DMK Ferret with congestive heart failure
To: ferrethealth@yahoogroups.com
Hi Eleanor. I'm sorry to hear about Uno. I have had experience with ferrets and heart disease. My boy, Stasiu, was diagnosed in July 2007, put on Lasix and Enacard and passed in Sept 2007.
Currently, my baby, Kyle was diagnosed with cardiomyopathy and congestive heart failure in Oct 2009. He also has insulinoma and adrenal disease and is on lasix and Enacard for his heart. I have not heard about the new cardiac med you mentioned.
Kyle has pretty bad hind end weakness which is probably a combo of the insulinoma and Cardiomyopathy (he is on proglycem and pred for insulinoma bc we have been have difficulty stabilizing blood sugar). Per my vet and other stuff I have read online, circulation is compromised and therefore can cause the weakness in back legs. I notice too, Kyles ears and feet feel cold - caused by poor circulation from his heart disease. The past week I have been noticing him kinda sniffling and sorta licking his lips. I thought he may have a cold. I took him to the vet on Tuesday and he was found to have an increase in the amount of fluids in lungs. She increased his lasix which helps to get the extra fluid out of his system. From what I read, the ferret can also get a pot belly from fluid pooling in the abdomen. Kyle is sleeping a lot now. He doesn't get up and explore much anymore. But I have to say, with all his co-morbities, i'm surprised and happy he has made it this long. I'
ve read to keep their stress level as low as possible. I also supplement him with soup twice a day. I've read that ferrets start to really show symptoms later in the disease. I just make sure he gets his meds, watch for increasing weaking to extremities, shallow/rapid breathing and increased lethargy and anorexia and keep stress levels low and lots of fluffy warm stuff available for sleeping and napping. Hope this helps. good luck to you and keep us posted.
[See past posts such as
http://ferrethealth.org/archive/YPG1467
BTW, ferrets do NOT get colds. They get
more serious things like bacterial sinus
infections, influenza and worse. See
expert refs on this by searching for posts
that have
colds
in the body and are from addresses containing
williams
-- Moderator]
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