ABSTRACT
Cardiac disease is relatively common in pet ferrets, particularly in middle-aged to older ferrets, and may comprise problems with conduction, contractility and/or outow. Cardiac disease encompasses a wide range of anatomical and physiological disorders of varying causes, which may be classied by various characteristics, including: presence at birth or not (i.e. congenital versus acquired heart disease); cause (e.g. infectious, degenerative, genetic, neoplastic); duration (i.e. chronic or acute); clinical status (e.g. left, right or bilateral heart failure); tissue type that is involved (i.e. endocardium, myocardium or pericardium); type of anatomical malformation (e.g. ventricular septal defect); or type of electrical disturbance that is present (i.e. arrhythmias and conduction disturbances resulting in tachycardia or bradycardia or arrhythmias, e.g. atrial brillation, second-degree AV-block, or sinus arrhythmia).
