Image copyright AP Image caption Zelda is expected to enjoy a "normal ferret life" following her surgery

A ferret named Zelda is recovering after being fitted with a pacemaker during a rare surgical procedure in the US.

Surgeons at Kansas State University said it was the first time that they had implanted such a device, used to control heart rhythms, on a ferret.

Zelda, four, was admitted to the Veterinary Health Center in Manhattan, Kansas, shortly after Christmas.

She had a third degree heart block, which could have shortened her life.

Her condition meant that Zelda suffered from a low heartbeat and a lack of energy.

The university said that Zelda had undergone a number of tests to determine whether or not she was a good candidate for a pacemaker before carrying out the operation.

The device had to be specially ordered because of Zelda's size and small veins.

Zelda was released two days after surgery and is expected to enjoy a normal ferret life, which should last for about ten years, the university's veterinary college said.