Ferrets Unlimited Ferret Shelter 

Northern Ohio's No-Kill Ferret Shelter

New Amazon Standard 

Ferrets, Rabbits and Rodents: Clinical Medicine and Surgery (Ferrets, Rabbits & Rodents)

by Katherine Quesenberry, James W. Carpenter

Amazon Price: $62.96 (as of 07/25/2008)

Ferrets for Dummies

by Kim Schilling

Amazon Price: $19.99 (as of 07/25/2008)

Curious Lives: Adventures from the Ferret Chronicles

by Richard Bach

Amazon Price: $10.85 (as of 07/25/2008)

My Ariel 

My Baby, the Love of my Life

Ariel's Song,"BrightEyes", by Michael Batt, sung by Justin Hayward. When the player comes up, click on the "play" button next to the song.

Ariel was a very special ferret. Besides just being the sweetest little ferret I've ever met, she was a trooper, dealing with several devastating illnesses, with grace and strength. As ill as she was, with her heart problem, her adrenal disease, kidney failure, and a nasty cancer we didn't even know about, she never once cried, never once whimpered. I love her so much, and my life will never be the same without her by my side. She was my best friend in the world, and I feel lost without her. I love you, my Baby Girl, and I miss you more than I can say. Please wait for me at the Bridge, Sweetie - we'll be together again someday. :-(....

Ariel had a heart condition that is completely undocumented as occuring in ferrets - supraventricular tachycardia. Our vet is preparing to write up her case to submit to veterinary medical journals, so that other vets and ferret owners can recognize this disease in their ferrets, go through the correct tests to diagnosis it, and save the lives of these ferrets, for only a few dollars a month worth of medicine. Ariel lived for approximately 4 years with this condition. Her death at just short of 7 yrs of age was *not* a result of her heart condition, but from other illnesses, several of which we didn't even know she had until after her death.

Some of the symptoms Ariel displayed that pointed to her supraventricular tachycardia:

* sudden fatigue during play
* nose, ears, and gums turning almost white
* loss of appetite and weight loss

Test Findings:
* heartbeat that spiked at 380 beats per minute (a normal ferret's heartbeat, depending on activity level, is between 180 - 250 bpm)
* irregular heart rhythm
* x-rays show heart enlargment. Echocardiogram with doppler studies show that the heart is not actually damaged, but is simply gorged with blood, because the heart is pumping blood in so fast, it doesn't have time to pump out the blood from the previous beat.

Ferret owners, make sure you become familiar with your ferrets' behavior patterns, so that you might also recognize any ailments your ferret might develop, in a timely manner! Supraventricular tachycardia is fatal if untreated, but is completely controlable with the proper medicines!

Reader Feedback 

LinTK Liz: I'm so sorry to hear about your baby! I don't know where you live, or who your vet might be, but there are treatments available, that don't cost that much. During the past month, my Oberon has been diagnosed w/ Dialated Cardiomyopathy. His heart was beating slowly & w/ great difficulty, & he had a lot of fluid built up in his lungs & elsewhere. It crept up on him so quickly that it surprised all of us. We though he had pneumonia at first. But now, we have him on Lasix & Pimobendan, & he's doing *so* much better now, it's almost a miracle! Oberon will be 7 at the beginning of this July. We got him as a baby on the day after 9/11. Please, if you haven't done so, ask your vet about this. Oberon was diagnosed w/ an xray & blood work, as well as a thorough exam. There may be some meds out there that can help your baby feel much better. I wish you luck! Posted March 30, 2008

Liz

im srry to hear of that.
right now my ferret is dying..
shes breathing and her heart is a little slow.

Posted March 30, 2008

genglo Hi Lin. I didn't know you were on Squidoo! I'm so sorry to hear about Ariel. I know how hard it is. I've been wanting to create a memorial for my Cupcake, but every time I start, I fall apart and have to stop. Take care, Julie Posted April 18, 2007