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]