http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/ferrethealth/message/1418 >I am surprised that this "heart supplement" was the only thing used to >treat your 2 ferrets with dilated cardiomyopathy. Lets look at those >ingredients to understand the logic behind their use. > >1) Taurine is an amino acid. A deficiency in taurine can cause dilated >cardiomyopathy in cats. In cats when you supplement with taurine, the >cat improves rapidly and in 2-4 months the heart is back to normal. It >was originally speculated that taurine was the cause of dilated >cardiomyopathy in ferrets also, but ferrets just do not improve when >taurine is supplemented. The recommend dose was 250 mg of taurine per >day. It is safe to use taurine, but it usually does not improve the >dilated cardiomyopathy. > >2) L-carnitine is a vitamin like nutrient which plays a crucial role >in fat and carbohydrate metabolism. Carnitine deficiency has been >associated with dilated cardiomyopathy in dogs (Boxers and Doberman >pinchers). Unfortuantely dogs usually do not improve with carnitine >supplementation. Carnitine is safe to use, but it is expensive and >usually does not improve the cardiomyopathy. The recommended dose for >dogs is 150 mg/kg to 250mg/kg per day. > >3) Co-Q10 is an antioxidant that seems to help people with >atherosclerosis and heart attacks. Ferrets do not normally have >athersclerosis or ischemic damage like people with heart disease >do. Plus there is no evidence that Co-Q10 helps veterinary patients >(ferrets, dogs, or cats). Thus its use is questionable. > >4) Lycopene is a carotenoid and an antioxidant found in red tomatoes. >Lycopene is often recommended for people (males) to help lower the risk >of prostate cancer. It has no role in dilated cardiomyopathy. It has >very questionable use for male ferrets with adrenal gland disease and >secondary prostatic enlargement. In makes no sense to use in a female >ferret because they have no prostate. > >5) Saw Palmetto is another product that is used in humans with prostate >problems. It is speculated that saw palmetto prevents the conversion >of testosterone to dihydrotestosterone (DHT). DHT is the hormone that >causes the prostate to enlarge. However a study done in dogs with >benign prostatic enlargement showed no improvement with saw palmetto >use. Thus its use in ferrets is also very questionable. If you have a >male ferret with adrenal gland disease and an enlarged prostate then >use Propecia (or Proscar). This is a human medication which prevents >the formation of DHT, and it does work in dogs and ferrets. Again no >reason to use this in a female ferret. > >6) Vitamin E is an antioxidant that is sometimes recommended for people >with a history of heart attacks. It helps to decrease blood clots and >helps with vasodilation. Vitamin E is fat soluble vitamin, so you have >to be careful with supplementation of a good diet to avoid any side >effects from too much vitamin E. Currently vitamin E is only >recommended for animals with liver disorders. (Remember melatonin is >also a potent antioxidant, and it is actually 4 times stronger than >vitamin E.) > >7) Omega 3, 6 and 9 fatty acids. There is research showing omega 3 >fish oils to be beneficial in people with heart disease. It helps to >prevent the weight loss that is often associated with heart disease, >and it helps to lower inflammation. However the omega 6 oils increase >inflammation in general, so it makes no sense to use omega 6 oils. >Omega 9 oils are common in canola and sunflower oil. They are low in >cholesterol and have zero trans fats. They are good for cooking, but >there is no reason to use them as a supplement. I would use just the >omega-3 fish oil and leave out the omega 6 and omega 9 oils. Omega 3 >fish oils also help out with kidney disease in older ferrets. Remember >a lot of ferret foods (Totally Ferret, Marshalls, etc.) already have >fish oil in them and in a balanced ratio with the omega 6 oils. >Likewise some of the kitten foods (Iams and Eukanuba) already have >fish oil in them. > >I know when there is a bad disease such as dilated cardiomyopathy there >is often a feeling of "I have to do something" to treat the ferret. >However taurine, carnitine, and Co-Q10 are not cures in ferrets. It is >recommended in cats to use the standard therapy with taurine, and the >same with dogs with suspected carnitine or taurine deficiencies. Thus >it would be better to start your ferrets on an ACE inhibitor, diuretic, >and a heart contraction strengthener as the standard therapy and to >use taurine, carnitine, omega 3 fish oils and maybe Co-Q10 as the >nutritional supplement. In addition if your male ferret has a prostate >problem secondary to the adrenal gland disease then use Propecia, and >melatonin along with the Lupron depot. Melatonin can also reduce the >size of a prostate. > >Hope that helps clear up some of the confusion, >Jerry Murray, DVM brought to the FML by FHL co-moderator, Sukie (not a vet) Current FHL address: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ferrethealth Recommended ferret health links: http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/ferrethealth/ http://ferrethealth.org/archive/ http://www.afip.org/ferrets/index.html http://www.miamiferret.org/fhc/ http://www.ferretcongress.org/ http://www.trifl.org/index.shtml http://homepage.mac.com/sukie/sukiesferretlinks.html [Posted in FML 5536]