>From:    "Amy ." <[log in to unmask]>
>
>Every vet I have spoken to can't give any solid *evidence* for that
>practice.  But they are very sincere when they say our pets need the
>vacs yearly.
 
I'm not a vet but my understanding is that legally speaking, vets have
no choice, at least when it comes to rabies vaccinations in places where
those are required by law.  The reason for legal requirements to have
rabies vaccinations once per year for ferrets is that the studies done
on the effectiveness on the vaccine in ferrets were done using one year
as the trial time span.  Until further trials are done that demonstrate
that the vaccination is valid over a longer period of time specifically
on ferrets, then the legal requirements will not change.  With distemper
there may be no legal component, but I believe it is a similar sort of
situation where the effectiveness was only tested for a year.  Distemper
is very nasty, and if the vaccine manufacturer won't guarantee the
effectiveness of the vaccine for longer than a year, then a vet won't
want to take the risk of your pet contracting distemper, on the
assumption that the manufacturer understands its own product.
 
This is most likely not a factor for anyone on the FML, but asking for
yearly vaccinations may be the only way that some ferret owners will get
their ferret to the vet's once a year for a checkup.  So that's one
reason a vet might support annual vaccinations, even apart from the
factors above.
 
I do agree btw that these vaccines are most likely good for longer and
yearly vaccinations may be too much.  But on the other hand, further
studies may potentially require the deaths by rabies and distemper of
many ferrets.  And those studies would require funding and facilities to
do them, but I don't see the drug companies funding additional studies
since it would cut down on the amount of vaccine they sell :-(
 
Regina
 
Regina Harrison  [log in to unmask] or [log in to unmask]
http://www.channel1.com/users/regina/
blog: http://www.channel1.com/users/regina/zblog.html
 
Is that my business?  Well, what is my business?  Do I know?  Did I ever
know?  Let s not go into that.  You re not human tonight, Marlowe.  Maybe
I never was or ever will be... Maybe we all get like this in the cold
half-lit world where always the wrong thing happens and never the right.
--Raymond Chandler, The Little Sister
[Posted in FML issue 4099]