• Cause: acquired cardiac disease is relatively common in ferrets and most often affects middle aged to older individuals; dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM), valvular heart disease and hypertrophic cardiomyopathy are seen most often. Congenital disease may happen, few reports exist.
• Signs: often non-specific and dependent on time of presentation, can range from lethargy and inappetence to dyspnea and collapse.
• Diagnosis: auscultation during full physical examination, ECG, ultrasonography, echocardiogram. Thoracic radiography may be helpful.
• Treatment: depends on type of cardiac disease.
• Prognosis: guarded to poor if presented with symptomatic cardiac disease; guarded with congenital defects.

Presenting signs

• Lethargy.
• Weakness and/or hindlimb weakness.
• Coughing or ‘gagging’.
• Weight loss despite good appetite.
• Exercise intolerance.
• Anorexia.
• Intermittent inappetence.
• Dyspnea.
• Tachypnea.
• Cyanosis and/or cold extremities due to poor perfusion.
• Dependent edema with heart failure.
• Pulmonary edema with heart failure.
• Jugular vein distension with right-sided heart failure.
• Pulse deficits, eg femoral.
• Abdominal distension, ‘pot-belly’ appearance due to ascites with right-sided heart failure.
• Auscultation of the heart sounds muffled with pericardial effusion.
• Heart murmurs common with dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM), congenital heart disease and valvular insufficiency.
• Auscultation, ECG may show arrhythmias. Ferrets may normally have a pronounced sinus arrhythmia.
• May be asymptomatic.
• Cardiac problems found on routine physical/radiographical examination, eg cardiomegaly on x-ray or an audible heart murmur.
• Sudden death in an animal affected by heartworm Dirofilariasis.

Acute presentation

• If congestive heart failure (CHF):
  • Collapse.
  • Weakness.
  • Cyanosis of mucus membranes.
  • Cool extremities.
  • Dyspnea, tachypnea.

Geographic incidence

• Worldwide.
• Occurrence of DCM in ferrets may be decreasing in the United States.
• Heartworm disease in ferrets is endemic to some areas of the United States.

Age predisposition

• All ages affected but most often presenting in middle-aged individuals.
• Valvular heart disease affects middle aged to older individuals and if untreated may lead to CHF.
• Congenital disease is not a widely recognized problem in the species, few reports exist:
  • Tetralogy of Fallot has been described in a 6-year-old albino, female ferret.
  • Tetralogy of Fallot has been described in a 5-month-old intact male ferret.
  • Ventricular septal defect has been described in a 4-year-old, neutered male ferret.

Gender predisposition

• In the author’s experience, male geriatric ferrets are more often affected.

Cost considerations

• Examination.
• Radiography, ultrasonography, ECG.
• Complete blood counts, serum chemistries and urinalysis. Cytology, culture of fluid obtained if pericardial effusion.
• Medications.
• Intensive hospitalization for stabilization of compromised patients.
• Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for heartworm:
  • False negatives may occur in animals carrying a low burden of parasites.
  • Negative results should not be considered exclusive of the disease.

Special risks

• Draining of pericardial effusion requires anesthesia.