Key Points
- The heart is located more caudally in ferrets than in dogs or cats and is best ausculted between the sixth and eighth ribs.
- The normal ferret may have a pronounced sinus arrhythmia.
- Use flattened electrocardiogram alligator clips or adhesive button leads to prevent pinching and encourage patient compliance.
- The use of antiarrhythmic agents is not well documented in the ferret, and regimens are generally extrapolated from the cat
Have you ausculted an arrhythmia in a ferret. Now what? Cardiac dysrhythmias can encompass a wide range of clinical syndromes that vary in significance and signs.
Do you consider ferret arrhythmias a cinch? Take our quiz to confirm you're ready to auscult in a pinch . . .
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References
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