Yes, ferrets can get heartworm and I'm told it is usually 100% fatal when
they do.  I tried Heartguard tablets first but that turned out to be a week
each month battle to get each ferret to eat a whole tablet (since the
medication may not be evenly distributed in the tablet & shouldn't be
split)... not to mention $20 for six tablet.... Now 20+ ferrets &
recommended for year round in this region.... Expensive.
 
There is a reasonable alternative:
 
Quoting from the article "Heartworm Disease in Ferrets" by Dr. Charles
Weiss
[...]
Prevention consists of monthly oral ivermectin, which can be administered
in the form of Heartgard (Merck & Co., Rahway, NJ) tablets or liquid
ivermectin compounded to yield a dosage of 0.006 mg/kg given orally every
month.  (This can be compounded by mixing 0.3cc of injectible ivermectin
with one ounce of propylene glycol for a concentration 100 mcg/cc.)  This
formulation is dosed at 0.1 cc/lb once a month.
 
 
Cut, paste & print this out & take it to any vet.  My local (non-ferret)
vet mixes it for me.  Its about 60ml and costs $7.50.  I have a digital
fish scale (from WalMart, $29.95) that I tie a string around to hang from
and air conditioning vent and hang a WalMart sack from the hook.  I weigh
each ferret to determine how much he/she should get.  (You could also run
by your vet's to weigh your fuzzy each month.) The formula for converting
pounds & ounces to decimal numbers (which the syringe is marked in) is to
divide the ounces by 16 and add that number to the pounds.  (Example: 1
pound 9 ounces = 1.56 decimal pounds.... Multiply 1.56 by .1 for the amount
to give..... .16)
 
Debi Christy
Ferrets First Foster Home
[Posted in FML issue 3088]