Re the Spirolactone — have you read the article by Ron Hines – an American vet who seems to know a lot about ferrets? …

http://www.2ndchance.info/cardiomyopathyferret.htm

If you scroll down to the end, he talks about Spirolactone (Aldactone) and how, if it’s used together with Digitoxin, then the potassium levels need to be monitored.

When the Fluspex seemed to stop working, I took a copy of that article by Ron Hines to my vet and asked if we could give Kaos Spirolactone to help with the fluid retention. She said sure, and used the dosage which Ron Hines recommended.

But as Kaos was on Benazepril, I didn’t worry about checking her potassium levels then. My vet also said that Spirolactone was a “potassium friendly” diuretic, in that it didn’t leach the potassium out.

Kaos lost 200g when she was put on Spirolactone – her stomach still looked large but it wasn’t so tight and swollen, and she seemed quite perky so I was thrilled.

However I then came across a General Pet Site

http://www.vetmed.wsu.edu/ClientED/cardiacDrugs.asp

which said that if Spirolactone is used with Benazepril, then the potassium level has to be monitored! So I spoke to my vet and she said that we’d have to take 2-4ml of blood from Kaos to send off to be tested and that it’d have to be done under anesthetic.

I was worried about putting Kaos under in her condition but then my vet was on sick leave so we left it unresolved and by the time my vet got back to work, it was too late.

So – to be honest – I have no idea if the Spirolactone hastened Kaos’ death. It definitely helped with getting rid of the fluid when her diuretic stopped being effective.

Her big belly could have been the result of her organs swelling up, not just the fluid inside, and as I didn’t want to have an autopsy, I guess it’s impossible to say what caused her to go downhill.

I’m really sorry that I can’t give you a more definite answer – do you think your vet would be able to give you an idea as to whether the Spirolactone would help Shin if you show him that article by Ron Hines?

I’m not even sure we can get that Spirolactone in the USA, but in case we can… Was it definitely shown or at least “pretty certain” that the Spirolactone led to her sudden system collapse?

I’m not sure I want to risk using it if that’s the case.

Thank you.
And many thoughts to you and yours at this time.

At least she’s at peace now, playing with my other ferrets who’re all waiting at the Rainbow Bridge.

Thanks for your thoughts and prayers. I really hope she’ll pull through but feel very pessimistic it will happen.

I did get your advice about banana extract, yes, but couldn’t find it anywhere here. I checked all the health food shops in the vicinity and no one heard of such a thing.

We have (I think ridiculously) hard rules about health products and so many of the things you guys can get in the US or in Europe are unavailable here in Australia.

I can’t even get pedialyte from the chemist – I have to wait till my vet opens to get a packet of electrolytes so will be sending Philip there asap tomorrow morning.

At the moment I’m syringe-feeding her and giving her 2mls of water every hour – she’s fighting that and I sometimes wonder if I should just let her be but I know I’d never forgive myself if I didn’t try to keep her going.

The Slow K from the vet will take time to work – he said he couldn’t give a quick acting potassium boost as that would kill her – so according to the vet today, it will take about a day to start working. I hope I haven’t left it too late – but she didn’t show any symptoms of being unwell until last night so there was no way I could have foreseen this crash.

It always throws me at how quickly ferrets go downhill. You think you’ve got them on the mend and then suddenly something happens and within 24 hours they’re at death’s door. I hate that – I really do.