Abstract
Abstract : Pimobendan, an inodilator, is often recommended for the treatment of dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) in dogs. DCM is also quite often seen with ferrets, but little is known about the effects of pimobendan on this animal. In the present tolerability study, three groups of five ferrets were used. Over a period of eight weeks, the first test group received a placebo twice daily, the second group received a dosage of 0.5 mg/kg pimobendan (Vetmedin®, Boehringer Ingelheim, Brussels, Belgium) twice daily, and the third group received a dosage of 1.5 mg/kg twice daily. All the ferrets remained clinically healthy throughout the experiment. Monitoring of the blood values showed a tendency towards increasing gamma glutamyltranspeptidase values. Except for some practical problems due to the taste of the product, no major objections were seen in this study for the use of pimobendan in ferrets. Further research is required to confirm this conclusion.