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Post by jenandkids on Apr 18, 2011 20:46:54 GMT -5
I was just reading up on heartworms in ferrets and it said as a preventative to use half a tablet of heartgard for cats. I naturally don't believe most of what
I find on most sites as many people that claim to be ferret knowledgable are actually not. This is one of the few sites I trust so is this something I should use on them?
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Post by Sherry on Apr 18, 2011 20:49:05 GMT -5
I'm not sure about the heartguard. I *think* some use revolution. Your vet would be the best one to ask, because it goes on body weight anyway.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 18, 2011 20:51:18 GMT -5
Revolution is safe for ferrets. Split a cat 5 lb tube between 2 ferrets.
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Post by jenandkids on Apr 18, 2011 20:59:18 GMT -5
Thank you. Is revolution relatively inexpensive? We can't afford to spend a fortune on one med when we have to save for future vet bills and fix our trailer.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 18, 2011 21:02:43 GMT -5
Depending on where you buy it and how many ferrets you have. A tube costs me $15, split that in 2. So $15 for every 2 ferrets per month (I skip winter months). Others with larger businesses use the dog version (same drug, different concentration) to save some money. Hopefully they will pop in and give you their input  |
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Post by acodlin on Apr 18, 2011 21:06:02 GMT -5
www.petshed.com/revolution.asp good site to buy revolution from. You give rougly 0.25 for 1.5 girl and 0.4 for a 3lb male. I can usually dose 3-4 ferrets with one 15lb tube.
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Post by jenandkids on Apr 18, 2011 21:09:43 GMT -5
$15 is tolerable. Thank you so much. I was starting to get nervous over how I was gonna get the girls to swallow pills. I couldn't see that going well. So I just use it on them like I would a cat?
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Post by miamiferret2 on Apr 18, 2011 21:11:52 GMT -5
I don't know about revolution. for heartworm prevention I have used ivermectin I get it from the vet. Not expensive at all. I pay about $25 for a bottle but it lasts a long time. It is a clear liquid and I give .05 ml once a month. I have used this for many years.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 18, 2011 21:59:35 GMT -5
Yes just apply like a cat. Make sure you get it on the skin and not just the fur. It also is a flea preventative so it kills 2 birds (and ear mites) with one stone
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Post by Deleted on Apr 18, 2011 22:14:55 GMT -5
Acodlin, how do you measure out the dosing? How much liquid is in one tube?
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Post by Deleted on Apr 19, 2011 9:32:03 GMT -5
Since both my ferrets are ~2 lbs, I split a Revolution kitten tube between them. Just a drop for each. I don't think the dosing needs to be extremely precise, just as equal as you can manage.
When I had three ferrets, I split a 15 lb cat dose between them.
Revolution *should* require a vet prescription because of the Heartworm prevention. Some sites seem to sell it without one -- not sure how that works.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 19, 2011 9:40:39 GMT -5
I've ordered from petshed.com and it's the same exact med. Over there you don't need a script, so you can order it online. I found a vet locally that let's me get revolution without going in for a visit/bring the ferrets in an charging me, and it's just as cheap, so I don't order it online anymore.
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Post by miamiferret2 on Apr 19, 2011 10:52:13 GMT -5
Here's the thing (and this is just my opinion, i am in no way judging anyone)
i don't believe in treating problems that aren't there. neither do any of the veterinarians that i go to.
obviously, heartworm is a big issue and it is deadly, the treatments are very aggressive and sometimes end up killing the animal, so we have to use a preventive measure for heartworm. no exception.
however, if one of my ferrets lives to be 7 years, he'll probably only have fleas once or twice in his or her lifetime.
i only treat for fleas when i see them. even then, i only use a few drops of advantage for kittens between the shoulder blades. i never use the whole tube. that's that. it works great.
the vet explained to me that most flea treatments kill fleas , prevent flea eggs from hatching, make the fleas sterile, etc. by damaging the flea's central nervous sytem, eventually resulting in death to the flea.
my vet doesn't like to use these flea treatments often on ferrets and kittens. he advised that i should only use when necessary bc if they are used often (especially in smaller animals) then these medications may also cause problems in your pet's nervous system as it is absorbed through the skin.
so, i won't use a flea treatment unless and until i see fleas and i always follow his instructions to only use a few drops of the advantage for kittens and not the whole tube.
i give the ivermectin for heartworm prevention like clockwork once a month and none of my ferrets have ever had any issues with it. it just tastes bitter (i did taste it because i am weird like that).
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Post by Deleted on Apr 19, 2011 16:11:57 GMT -5
Revolution also manages ticks, which are a major problem in my region, and ear mites. Every single adopted animal I have came to me with ear mites.  I've never had recurring mites once treated, but they're coming from somewhere out there... I only use flea/tick/heartworm products from right about now until it freezes again in the fall. The stuff IS poison, and I'm sure that in large doses over a long timeframe it's seriously problematic. However, to be frank, our companion animals don't live for an extremely lengthy time to begin with -- probably not long enough for the preventives to become a health issue when used responsibly. Where I am, I feel like the parasite threat is larger than the preventive risks. It's all about weighing your options! |
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Post by Deleted on Apr 19, 2011 19:32:17 GMT -5
Yeah, until a holistic heartworm preventative comes out and is shown effective and safe in ferrets, I'll use Revolution.
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I've never had recurring mites once treated, but they're coming from somewhere out there...