A former FML subscriber has asked me to post this in the hope that
someone out there may be able to elp.

Marilyn,

Could you please do me a HUGE favor and post this to the FML????? (You
still subscribe don't you?) Dante and I would REALLY appreciate it!!!
Lately, it doesn't appear that he's responding all that well to the
drugs he's being given for his cardiomyopathy (enlarged heart). Of
course I've always known Dante has a HUGE, loving heart but in this
instance it's not good b/c it's keeping him from being able to be more
active and will definitey shorten his life span over time.

Our vet has heard of a new drug (pimobendan) being used to treat this
condition in dogs and some cats and she's looking into seeing if it's a
good choice for ferrets but the drug is currently not really approved
for use in the U.S. so it might not be available to her. She doesn't
think it's been used on any ferrets yet but is being used on dogs in a
study at the Univ. of Georgia.

So, I'm hoping to find out if there's anyone out there in the ferret
community who has heard of the drug and if their vet has any further
information about it. Worth a shot and it's for your favorite, precious
little fur nephew so I just knew you'd be willing to help :-)

THANKS SO MUCH!!!! We love you!!!!! :-) Jen and Dante O'Doodle

Here's the post:
(subject line: Seeking info. on "Pimobendan" drug used to treat
cardiomyopathy)

I'm looking to find out if anyone in the ferret community has heard of
a drug called pimobendan? It is approved for use in Canada, Mexico,
Australia, and some countries in Europe for treating congestive heart
failure (dilated cardiomyopathy) in dogs but has never been licensed in
the United States to treat this condition in either dogs or people.
Although it's not currently available for use in the U.S., pimobendan
is currently undergoing Food and Drug Administration (FDA) review here
and has been succesfully used at the Univ. of Georgia Teaching Hospital
for at least four years to treat congestive heart failure in dogs.

Link to article:
<http://www.vetmedpub.com/vetmed/article/articleDetail.jsp?id=378905&pageID=1>

Numerous studies have shown that treatment of cardiomyopathy with
pimodendan has been most successful when used in conjunction with
enalapril and furosemide (Lasix) - two drugs that are already being
used to treat cardiomyopathy in ferrets.

Well, my precious, 8 yr. old furkid Dante "the wonder ferret", was
diagnosed with cardiomyopathy several months ago and unfortunately his
enlarged heart has not responded as well as we would have liked to the
enalapril/furosemide medications. So our veterinarian said she wanted
to investigate the possible use of pimodendan on Dante for his
condition and is going to be doing some research on the drug first, to
see if any medical professional has used pimobendan yet on any ferret.

If you have *any* information whatsoever that you could pass along to
me, I (we) would be most grateful! We're going to contact the vets at
the Univ of Georgia Department of Small Animal Medicine & Surgery who
conducted the pimobendan studies on dogs and we would also like to
consult with Dr. Williams if he can be reached.

Please feel free to cross-post this request. Thank you very much!

Jennifer Brown and Dante  :-)

[Posted in FML 5763]