I'm not sure whether to get an echocardiogram done on a ferret because
of his condition (he already has a HUGE, round heart and has gotten
even rounder :( , and we found out he had congestive heart failure when
we noticed lethargy and raspy breathing). So we are not sure if he has
hypertrophic or dilated cardiomyopathy as of this moment.

He is on furosamide now, and his lungs are clear of fluid now vs before
we started it. His dose is 0.25ml every 12 hours, and he has lost
weight and is now dropped to 1.1 kg. The strength is 10mg/ml. I have
read that long term, you should lower the furosamide to 1-2mg/kg every
12 hours - his current dose is 2.5mg every 12 hours. Should I consider
reducing it by a bit? And that was a dose for when he weighed more. I
will ask my vet but also wanted to get opinions.

The vet is also suggesting Pimobendan - the only reason I am hesitant
is because we can even have him survive the anesthesia they say they
require for the echo. I am concerned about if it's hypertrophic vs
dilated cardiomyopathy - has anyone here used this drug? I am getting
pricing on it being compounded tomorrow.

[P.S.] I forgot to add, he was also placed on Enalapril at a dose
of 0.25ml every 24 hours, 2mg/ml strength. His heart still
enlarged/rounded quite a lot in just a week after being given these
doses. I'm not sure if adding the Pimobendan is a good idea - the vet
wants to try though. Unfortunately this is only my 2nd (known) ferret
with chronic heart failure. Any input would be wonderful.

[Posted in FML 7707]