From:
Caitlyn Martin
Date: 2011-08-31 04:22:50 UTC
Subject: Re: [ferrethealth] Congestion - need help to open nasal passage
To: ferrethealth@yahoogroups.com
Hi, Sharon and everyone else,
> I have copied the following since this question is in reference to the same
> ferret who was started on Lasix (furosemide) at a dose of 0.2 ml (twice a
> day) 8/2 and then Enacard (Enalapril Maleate) 1 ml on 8/19 once everyday.
This sounds like treatment for either cardiomyopathy, congestive heart
failure or both. What is Augustus being treated for?
> I stopped the Enacard after five days because his heart seemed to be beating
> very hard, what I would call pounding so I thought he was having a bad
> reaction to it.
Did you discuss this with your vet? Enalapril is used to strengthen
the heartbeat when ferrets have one of the conditions I mentioned.
I'd be concerned about stopping it rather than, perhaps, adjusting the
dosage downward to one Augustus can tolerate.
>
> His breathing became worse and labored and on the visit Monday 2 oz. of
> fluid was drawn from his chest. According to the vet who was not my regular
> ferret vet the fluid was from the heart problems when checked.
That is typical of cardiomyopathy and it's why a diuretic is given.
Furosemide is that diuretic.
>
> I was concerned something else was also going on because of his stuffy nose
> which is causing problems with eating. After checking here I asked the vet
> about what I read had been used for congestion but she said because of the
> heart problems those should not be used. One of those was Theophylline
> (Aminophylline).
My Zephyr, who has third degree A/V node heart block, cardiomyopathy
and congestive heart failure is being treated with aminophylline,
metapreterenol, furosemide and enalapril. From that I've learned that
the purpose of aminophylline or theophylline is to speed up a slow
heart rate. That's why Zephyr gets it. It isn't for sinus
congestion. Could you have confused this with another drug your vet
mentioned? Aminophylline is part of Zephyr's treatment for the A/V node heart block. Does Augustus have this condition as well?
I should also point out that the two drugs are not exactly the same.
According to our vet, aminophylline is a salt of theophylline, so they
are related but not identical.
>
> I would appreciate any info on how to get him opened up and clear up his
> nose while not affecting his heart problems. Also is there anything safe to
> just put on his nose to help it since the skin seems so dried out?
Be careful. What you think is sinus congestion may be something else,
something far more serious. When Zephyr's heart issues are bad she has problems breathing from the fluid build up. It sounds like sneezing or stuffy nose but it isn't. When it gets really bad it looks like an asthma attack but it isn't that either. Zephyr can end up also vocalizing in a way that sounds like a baby crying. When this happens our vet has us give her an emergency dosage of furosemide. It takes just a few minutes to get her breathing back to normal.
I really, really urge you to discuss this with your vet. Treating for
sinus congestion may be the wrong way to go. That may not be the
issue at all. Your vet may want to X-ray Augustus to see if there is fluid in his lungs. That's how congestive heart failure was diagnosed in Zephyr.
You mentioned dry skin. Furosemide dries out everything. That's it's
purpose. You need to watch for signs of dehydration in Augustus.
Make sure he gets plenty of water. Our vet also likes us to give
Zephyr plenty of Bob Church's Chicken Gravy which has a high water
content as well as high nutritional value. See:
http://www.trifl.org/gravy.shtml If you let Augustus get too
dehydrated you risk kidney damage. Our vet has said that in cases
like Zephyr's we are doing a balancing act between stopping the fluid
buildup in and around her lungs and dehydrating her. She also said
that when the breathing gets really bad it's common practice to
"shrivel up" (meaning dehydrate) a ferret to get the breathing back to
normal and then to give fluids to treat the dehydration.
>
> I was asked by the vet to see if there was any reference to using
> Spironolactone for ferrets but checking here the post were from 2007 and
> didn't contain a dosage. Does anyone has any experience with it?
Not yet, but I likely will. Spironolactone has been used in ferrets.
Our vet has said that when Zephyr stops responding to furosemide or
when a reasonable dosage isn't enough then we will add spironolactone
to her cocktail of medications or possibly use it instead of furosemide. I'm not sure which. We never had to go down that road
with Podo, my other ferret who had cardiomyopathy in the last year of
his life. Furosemide and enalapril worked like a charm for him.
The usual disclaimer applies: I am not a vet. I don't even play one
on TV. I just have a ferret who is probably being treated for similar
conditions than your Augustus and I had another with heart disease a
few years ago.
All the best to you and to Augustus,
Caity and the dynamic duo (Zephyr and Chin Soon)
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