Did you know that Black Sable Mitt ferrets are susceptible to heartworms in much the same way as dogs and cats? The disease; however, is more serious for ferrets due to their size. A heartworm is capable of invading the heart, lungs and blood vessels of your ferret. The disease can be fatal as it can cause permanent damage to your ferret’s heart and lungs. Unlike dogs and cats, it only takes a single heartworm to cause permanent damage to your ferret’s organs. Heartworm disease is transmitted in ferrets from mosquitoes. Adult female heartworms produce baby worms that circulate in the bloodstream. The mosquito picks up these baby worms when it sucks the blood from the infected ferret. It takes 10 to 14 days for the baby worms to enter the infective stage. Larvae are then deposited when the mosquito bites another ferret. Talk to your veterinarian Scottsdale, AZ to learn more.