>... i have a question about heartworm.  are ferrets susceptible to them?
>i had thought they were, so i took murphy to the vet and she said that the
>ONLY animals they can kill are dogs.  she said they can get into a cat or
>a ferret, but because it's not the optimum host, they can't reproduce or
>something?  anyway, she STRONGLY urged me NOT to get the heartgaurd
>preventative...
 
Hi,
 
Hmmmmmm, it might be time to consider another vet.  Heartworms are known to
infect cats and ferrets.  The mosquito which is infected bites the dog, cat
or ferret and the larvae get into the dog, cat or ferret's bloodstream.
The problem is not the larvae.  The problem is when the larvae develop into
adults.
 
Dogs, cats, and ferrets all have been known to die from heartworm
infestations.  It only takes one heartworm to kill a ferret.
 
The cat and ferret may not be good enough hosts to allow the heartworm to
breed, but they are good enough to allow the larvae to grow into adults and
therefore potentially kill the host cat or ferret.
 
You definitely should be giving your ferret a heartworm preventative.
 
Kim
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[Posted in FML issue 3088]