[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! > >Joan and 5 "good smellin' Fuzzies Joan, long before I had ferrts I was introduced to heartworms. My vet in Louisiana kept a jar with a FERRET heart totally infested with heartworms on a shelf in an exam room. We treat with Ivermectin. So, if your vet has never come across heartworm in ferrets, fantastic. But, unless the ferrets were tested for heartworm, HOW can she say this has never occurred? Ask her instead if she has ever tried to find them and if SHE were the patient, would she accept what she has done as proof that no ferrets with heartworm have ever crossed the threshold? NEVER be afraid to ask the vet for reasons they come to the conclusions they do. It does NOT mean you do not trust or doubt them, but that you are trying to understand why something is being done. I have had vets I trust tell me it was a gut feeling - and I can live with that. NOBODY knows everything and NOBODY is perfect, including the vet. A pedestal is a mighty lofty perch from which to fall and when you put someone up there and add a little agitation (stress, concern, fear), it is bound to happen. Better to help them stay grounded by treating them like the wonderful human trying to help your pet they are. -- renee :) It's amazing how much can be accomplished if nobody cares who gets the credit! Ferret Emergency Response, Rescue & Evacuation Team (F.E.R.R.E.T.) http://www.ferretemergency.org [log in to unmask] International Ferret Congress http://www.ferretcongress.org American Red Cross http://www.redcross.org [Posted in FML 5667]