Wow-there are some strong words about the notion of vaccinating and
pretreating ferrets for vaccines.
 
I am a veterinary technician in a private clinic and at a shelter, as
well as a ferret owner.
 
Reasons I vaccinate:
 
-Rabies: It's the law.  It does suck that my one pound ferret gets the
same amount of rabies vaccine every year by law that a 150 pound mastiff
gets every three years, especially considering the low likelihood of my
ferrets getting rabies and passing it along to anyone.  However, until I
can help get those laws changed (which is one of my goals someday, and
will be a focus for me if I get into vet school and an animals and public
policy master's program), it is worth it for me to vaccinate my ferrets
for rabies in case, God forbid, they ever bit anyone, were bit, or got
into a situation where having had their rabies vaccine would protect us
(or help to) from instant euthanization and rabies testing versus
quarantining.  It also helps protect my guys from other animals, if for
example, they got outside or were exposed somehow to other unvaccinated
or potentially infected animals.
 
Unless my guys have had terrible reactions to the vaccine despite
pretreating, like my Nicodemus, or were very, very ill (like my Marley),
for whom we discontinued the vaccine, my ferrets get the rabies vaccine.
 
-Distemper: Canine distemper is pretty much 100% fatal in ferrets, and
it is a horrible, painful way to die.  You can theoretically carry in
viruses on your clothes, shoes, etc even if your ferrets aren't exposed
to any other animals.  I personally work in a shelter where we see a
lot of puppies, some of them sick, and I would never take the chance
of bringing that home with me and putting my ferrets at risk by not
vaccinating them against it.  I have seen what distemper does to a
ferret, and I wouldn't do that to my guys for anything.
 
Why I pretreat with Benadryl:
 
I disagree that Benadryl is a dangerous toxin when used in appropriate
doses and as directed.  We frequently recommend its use before
prescribing a stronger sedative such as acepromazine in dogs, for
example, who have travel anxiety or who can't rest during their
crate-confinement period after an orthopedic procedure.  I have used it
for my guys to combat sy,mptoms of itchiness from mast cell tumors and
hair regrowth after adrenal disease treatments-my Daisy was ripping her
skin apart scratching as her fur started to regrow until I started her
on a low oral dose of Benadryl, and it has helped her considerably and
prevented her from continuing to break down her skin and exposing her
to bacterial infections, etc.
 
I have personally had three vaccine reactions among my crew, all three
to the IMRAB3 rabies vaccine, which is less common than reactions to any
distemper vax used in ferrets.  One reaction wasn't so bad-it was almost
an hour and a half post vaccine (also kind of unusual) and it was bloody
diarrhea and vomiting.  One other ferret had a bad reaction 45 minutes
later-bloody diarrhea, vomiting and some respiratory distress, and the
next year had a severe reaction immediately, and required oxygen therapy
in addition to steroids and antihistamine.  We decided in his case not
to vaccinate again for rabies (this was Nicodemus), and I was glad that
we had pretreated-the reaction may have been far worse.
 
It has been my experience that there have been far less vaccine
reactions, and less severe ones, when we have pretreated our ferret
patients with what I feel is a safe drug, Benadryl.  It is certainly not
irresponsible of any vet or ferret owner to recommend its use, and it is
a vet's prerogative, as the person who might be exposing themselves to
a lawsuit or worse if your ferret had an anaphylactic reaction and died,
to insist upon it if they are going to be the ones vaccinating your pet.
You can choose not to go there.
 
My previous clinic not only insisted on pretreating-there was not even an
extra charge for the Benadryl, it was just part of the vaccine protocol-
they wouldn't do vaccines on a ferret unless you agreed to stick around
for 45 minutes afterwarsd, and we wouldn't do more than one vaccine at a
time.  One clinic I have taken my ferrets to has also used dexamethasone
as a premed instead of diphenhydramine (Benadryl)-dexamethasone is often
used to treat reactions as well.  Some people feel that pretreating maybe
only slows the reaction and masks it, and choose not to use it.
 
Incidentally, Bendaryl doesn't seem to slow my guys down at all or make
them any sleepierthan normal.  Vaccines themselves can make any animal
sleepy for about 24 hours or so, information that we pass along to all
of our pet owners before giving vaccines, with the signs they should be
aware of with vaccine reactions.  We have had dogs have severe reactions
to their vaccines at my current clinic, and those animals now get
pretreated with meds such as Benadryl, and one of them was so bad, but
he had to have his rabies vaccine for travel (the owner lives out of the
country six months a year), so we put a catheter in him, pretreat, then
keep him under watch in the hospital for a few hours in case he needs IV
steroids, fluids, etc.
 
That's my expertise as a vet tech and ferret owner and my advice as such.
It is up to each of us to do our homework and decide what's best for our
guys, and to communicate with our healthcare providers about such; I
certainly don't think the advice or info in question is out of order,
dangerous, or designed to incense someone or lead anyone into dangerous
waters.
 
My two cents,
 
April AC, vet tech and ferret slave, and Daisy, Finnegan, Artemis and
Wellington; missing Cora, Bandit, Holly, Nicodemus, Marley, Shannon,
Sparkle and Renate
[Posted in FML issue 5124]