Echocardiographic diagnosis of dirofilariasis in a ferret

Heartworm disease is described in a 14-month-old neutered female ferret (Mu stela putorius furo) which had a three-week history of sneezing, anorexia a nd dyspnoea, Echocardiography revealed the presence of heartworms as hypere choic densities within the right atrial and ventricular cavities. At necrop sy, four Dirofilaria immitis parasites (three females, one male) were found in the right heart, the cranial vena cava and the caudal vena cava. Histop athological findings were similar to those reported in canine heartworm dis ease. Echocardiography may be a useful method of diagnosis of heartworm dis ease in the ferret.