Vaccinations are very important BUT you must know a few facts about
vaccines BEFORE using them for an absolute prophylactic measure.
 
Let me explain, Most vaccines (if not all) have expiration dates , out of
date vaccines can give you a false sense of security and the animal will
not be able to build antibodies correctly thus leaving your animal
unprotected against the very disease you had them vaccinated for.
 
Online medications and are also suspect, you don't know what you are
getting , the medication could have been diluted, or they too could be
out of date.  Some vaccines and medications need to be refrigerated, if
they are left out for a while it could render the product useless.
 
Some vaccines and medications need to be kept out of light and stored in
a dry place this too could have ruined the products effectiveness.
 
What are the solutions to insure that your animals are being protected
or are receiving effective medications, well it mostly counts on your
observations and the questions you ask.
 
Don't use Vets that seem suspect I.E..  they don't ask you many questions
about your animals , what they are fed , where are the animals kept , are
they exposed to other animals and generally attempt to get as much
information as possible in diagnosing your animal even if it's not the
first time you visited his/her's office.
 
Next, does the office look clean and well kept?  don't just look at the
floor, look into the corners and edges is there dirt or crud build-up,
this can show there level of detail they take to insure their facility is
as safe as possible.  This might sound "anal retentive" but you need to
be aware.
 
When vaccinating ask to see the bottle and check the date, a good vet
would actually recognize that you are a GOOD owner and your sense of
awareness and concern.
 
NEVER BUY ANY MEDS ON-LINE PERIOD!!  Even a flea control medication could
be out of date or tampered with, spend the extra bucks and ask your vet
for your medications.
 
Once you find a GOOD Vet stay with them.  Sounds simple enough and it is.
My Vet takes great joy in seeing my ferrets.  He usually brings in new
vet Tec's and shows them the ferret and most are very interested in
seeing a live ferret as they don't get a chance to see them in school .
It's funny top see them pick up my ferrets as if they are snakes and
within minutes they realize that they are very gentle and are not biting,
savage beasts.  My vet has taken a true liking to our huge male Zeus
who is so nice and is a big wholly bear that like new people and will
sit still for any examination.
 
Well that's my 2 cents worth of advice, I hope this helps some ferret
owners in their understanding of medications and vaccines , now everyone
give their fuzzies a big huge ,,,,,
 
Mark Bethke
[Posted in FML issue 4109]