Joan at [log in to unmask] wrote:
>As for heartworms, (I apologize if anybody's babies have had them)
>HAS anybody had heartworms in their ferrets? I asked my Vet this...
>and she honestly said no, she has never come across any!

Yep! Sure have. The next question you should ask your vet (if you
didn't) was how many times she has tested a ferret for HWs. My bet is
NONE. Deborah Kemmerer Cottrell, DVM, in Florida, has seen many cases
of HWs in ferrets, since she tests for them. I lost a young, otherwise
very healthy little boy to HWs a couple of years ago, despite our best
efforts. He was dumped on a shelter and came in positive for HWs. How
did we know? He was tested. His life was needlessly cut short.

You have to weigh the risks of the illness/parasites/disease against
the treatment options. In the case of HWs, few ferrets survive once
infected. Wouldn't it be best to prevent them if you can?

I live in Florida and we treat year-round here.

You may want to print this link and share it with your vet.

http://miamiferret.org/fhc/heartworm.htm

Katharine

[Posted in FML 5667]