Laurel, You said your ferret was diagnosed with Kidney problems and dilated cardiomyopathy? These are usually genetic defects.It shouldn't make a difference if the ferret was deamed healthy at the time of purchase as sometimes health problems like these don't show up till between 2-3 years of age. Genetic defects can and are sometimes missed by a vet when a ferret is very young. Vets are only human and we ALL make mistakes and miss things. Did you notify this reputable ferret breeder about this? If not, you should. This is why a buyer and seller of privately bred ferrets should keep in comtact with each other the entire life of the ferret. This way, the breeder can document any health problems that arrise in their lines and if it occures more than a couple of times, the parrents should be altered. Also, I dissagree with your statement on not revieling the name of the breeder. If there are definate problems with this breeders lines and the breeder is not owning up to it, the public has a right to know about it. Debi [Posted in FML 5706]