Hi all.
I'm in dire straits. Scooter, my sable male (little boy) was diagnosed
with this condition on Tuesday of last week. First a run down of the
history, so to speak. He has recently within the last month been prone
to sleeping on the floor in full light and view. I kick myself for not
thinking something was wrong. He's always been very tired and lethargic,
but when he plays he plays fairly normally. He has often enjoyed lying
down on the floor whenever he has been walking. I post this in hopes that
others might catch heart disease before it is too late, which might be the
case with Scooter. Anyway last sunday night I noticed he could move his
hind limbs. I had already made an appointment for him to see the vet for
his annual shots, so I moved it to Tuesday. Later it seemed that although
his forelimbs seem to be totally functional, his tail and hindlimbs seem
totally paralyzed. I'm not sure if this is due to cardiomyopathy, or not.
But it is part of his symptomology. He's had severe difficulty using the
bathroom as expected, his poop was green and loose but still had shape,
this was on monday and tuesday I think, before he stopped eating
completely. This went on for a few days until I noticed and started force
feeding him dook soup (see questions below). Now it is brown but blobish.
The most characteristic symptoms he has been showing is: Increased
breathing rate, increased heart rate (vastly & noticably increased),
severe fatigue. Don't know if eating & paralysis is due to it or not.
On Tuesday, as mentioned, i took him to the vet. It was a fun trip, Daisy,
my other basket case, had an acute reaction to the rabies/distemper shots -
i really recommend waiting 15-20 min after shot before leaving clinic, as
these acute reactions can be fatal if not immediately attended to. She
vomitted and had severe diarrhea, but is fine now. Anyway, that's a side
note. They took an xray and sonogram of Scooter and found an enlarged
heart and decreased contractility, which is basically how hard the heart
squeezes (pumps, contracts). The vet diagnosed it as cardiomyopathy, but
didn't rule out heartworm.
It is now monday of next week, i am to see the vet tomorrow. Heart rate
and respiration is down due to a vasodilator & anti-edemic drug the vet
gave him. Other problems still persist. He's not eating, he's not mobile
at all. Weight loss continues when not forcefeed.
Questions:
1) How much and how often am I supposed to feed him? I made a mix of
dry food (what he normally eats), ferretone, 1 A/d can of (wet) food, and
1 8 oz cup of adult nutrient supliment (ensure or equiv). I feed him
currently 2x or 3x a day, about 3-4cc, depending on how much he will take.
How much will fill the stomach? How often do you all feed? He was 1.8 kg
before these problems, which i think is 3 lb. But don't quote me on that :)
2) Anyone who has gone through this cardiomyopathy in ferrets before? Is
it terminal or not? What few indications I can find is that it is
generally not immediately fatal.
3) Is there therapy I can try to restore the hind leg movement? I tried
putting him in the bathtub as some sort of water therapy, but I admit I'm
making it up as I go along.
4) What are symptoms of heartworm disease in ferrets? Is it common?
Should I give them the pill medicine 1x a month? The vet office seems to
promote them but it also seems like a giant ad for the company, and I don't
know the value of this in ferrets. Of course if it is heartworm disease
and if i could have prevented I will feel even worse.
Anyway, that's it, sorry for the length but I thought it would help others
in a similiar situation. Any more facts / updates I will post here. He's
still hanging in there and I hope this continues. I was very doubtful
yesterday but now I am having more hopes.
-Rob
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Robert Dejournett [log in to unmask]
Graduate Student
Graduate School of Biomedical Science
University of Texas Houston
[Posted in FML issue 2681]
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