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March 23, 2002 Shalimar is sponsored by Matthew and Shelley Mactyre. We are very fortunate to have come into contact with Shelley and Matthew who are very devoted ferret owners. Shalimar reminded them of their recently departed ferret, Gwen. Shalimar and her buddy, Shariff, were rescued them from a situation of neglect where they were infested with fleas and ear mites, given poor quality food and allowed no play time. They seemed to be adjusting well to shelter life and were playing with a group of other ferrets, when Shalimar suddenly went down hill. She was weak and unstable. Since she is five years old, we suspected low glucose, but were shocked to find out she has a heart rate of only 38 beats per minute (normal ferret heart rate is 180-250 beats per minute)! Her condition will not respond to medication and a pace maker is the only thing that could help her now. She is being hand fed and medicated to prevent fluid accumulation and she still wants to get out of her cage and explore, but she frequently "passes out" because of her low blood pressure. The episodes last from a few seconds to several minutes and are disturbing to witness. |