Ross and Marie,
 
I have a 5 1/2 y.o.  with cardio right now.  Luckily on her we caught it
early enough so that she too will have some quality time left with us.
 
Claudia has always had a heart murmur, which was the first warning sign
years ago.  It apparently got a lot worse in the last year, and when she had
her adrenal surgery in November, Dr. Charlie Weiss thought it had progressed
in cardio, *but she had no fluid buildup in the lungs.* This was important,
because once the fluid begins to build up, it's a losing battle.
 
Anyway, Claudia is on a daily dose of furosemide (aka Lasix -- a diuretic)
and Lanoxin, a medicine to help her heart pump more efficiently.  She has a
check up with Dr. Weiss once a month, and Xrays once every other month.
When we need to up her meds a bit, he does a CBC.  He says in her condition
she could last another year or maybe even two.
 
Regular check ups are important to detect any changes.  The meds are
critical.  If you can work out a schedule with your vet and make sure your
ferret gets its meds, you can probably look forward to quite a bit of time
left with him/her.
 
Amy & Dave (and their gaggle of giggling ferrets)
RIP Ian and Elektra
[Posted in FML issue 1612]