Dear Ashlie:
 
The veterinary literature is replete with recommendations for a three shot
series of vaccinations for kits - @nd edition of Fox's Biology and Diseases
of Ferrets (p. 358-360), Hillyer and Quesenberry's book on Ferrets Rabbits
and Rodents' chapter on Basic Approach to Veterinary Care, by Susan Brown
p. 17, and Karen Purcell's book Essentials of Pet Ferrets,A Guide for
Practioners, (sorry no page number - I've got that one at home.)
 
Here are some articles:
 
J Wildl Dis 1996 Jul;32(3):417-23 Vaccination of black-footed ferret
(Mustela nigripes) x Siberian polecat (M. eversmanni) hybrids and domestic
ferrets (M. putorius furo)against canine distemper. Williams ES, Anderson
SL, Cavender J, Lynn C, List K, Hearn C, Appel MJ
 
Ferrets Rosenthal K.  Vet Clin North Am Small Anim Pract
1994 Jan;24(1):1-23
 
There are many, many other articles on basic veterinary care of ferrets
which advocate 3a three shot series for kits, and none that I am familiar
with that suggests only two are necessary.
 
My somewhat cynical feeling is that vets with this type of opinion,
probably simply choose to ignore the current literature which is all around
them.  There are a number out there who believe that because they have
gotten away with not vaccinating, that their particular approach is better
than the historically proven one.
 
I believe that no matter what you tell this vet or how many times she
reads the current literature, she's not going to believe it.  When a vet
is so willing to flout conventional aproaches to veterinary care, you go
elsewhere.
 
If my pediatrician said "your child doesn't really need all of these shots-
I only give half of them and I've never had a case of pertussis in my
practice" - I would just move on.
 
With kindest regards,
Bruce Williams, dVM
 
Bruce H. Williams, DVM, DACVP
Chairman, AFIP Dept. of Telemedicine
Armed Forces Institute of Pathology
Washington, DC 20306-6000
(202) 782-2392
 
Ipsa scientia potestas est.
[Posted in FML issue 3329]