<http://living.scotsman.com/features/Pets-Stuart-McMorrow-answers-your.6665227.jp>

This video starting about the 9 minute marker would be a useful
recommendation for that vet if someone is there in Scotland reading
this, and I'd love to know if the fur loss mentioned is bilateral:

http://www.vimeo.com/16566253

and many thanks to Jeff of Inner Harmony for recommending it.

The first section is on California and ferrets till about the 5 minute
mark when CD is covered and then the 9 minute mark when adrenal disease
begins as a topic.

There is some disagreement about the titer result numbers. Some others
recommend vaccinating if the number is below 32 or if it is below 64
since no one yet understands which values indicate protection in
ferrets. In dogs it is 32 and below that there might be some protection
but maybe not enough to prevent neurological damage.

From private communications with one of the study vets it looks like
reactions to CD vaccines might tend to be more likely to happen in
ferrets whose values are high -- in the thousands or maybe high
hundreds. (Note that the reaction rate in ferrets is still close to
1 in a hundred (which is lower than it used to be), so higher than
for dogs by a wide margin but not at all like some panic-inducers tend
to make it sound when they get going. When possible (so depending on
titer results) fewer vaccinations while still being protected are best
to reduce rates of reactions further while still preventing one of the
most horrible diseases ferrets can get.)

I've been told that the funding that makes the Mongo CD study titers
extra, extra affordable will go away at the end of December, but it
might still be that the best thing a person can do is to run titers
starting about every 12 to 18 months after both the 3 vaccination kit
series AND the first annual booster.

It appears from the lecture by Dr. Gandolfi that 80% to 90% of ferrets
form long term immunity (maybe an average of 3 years, maybe longer but
3 years looks pretty reliable). Some just need annual vaccinations. Our
Hubble was like that. He just never could develop good resistance. The
titers tell which ferrets are like that.

Exposure to CD is usually from going outside, or from shoes, or from
being around animals who have gone outside, or brought in from shelters
and pounds in many places.

I'd also like to know how hypothetical that adrenal disease prevention
recommendation is, if it is based on Dr. Nico Schoemaker's latest data
and if his data is far enough along, or if it is a best guess from the
current data at this stage of study. It was to have a first Suprelorin
implant at about 6 months (basically time it for before the ferret
reaches sexual maturity) and then one each year afterward.

It was a great presentation with loads of useful information and true
GEMS and I highly recommend watching it!

There has been an interesting discussion on the FHL about Canine
Distemper and vaccinations:
http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/ferrethealth/message/14158

Sukie (not a vet)

Recommended ferret health links:
http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/ferrethealth/
http://ferrethealth.org/archive/
http://www.afip.org/ferrets/index.html
http://www.miamiferret.org/
http://www.ferrethealth.msu.edu/
http://www.ferretcongress.org/
http://www.trifl.org/index.shtml
http://homepage.mac.com/sukie/sukiesferretlinks.html
all ferret topics:
http://listserv.ferretmailinglist.org/archives/ferret-search.html
"All hail the procrastinators for they shall rule the world tomorrow."
(2010, Steve Crandall)
On change for its own sake: "You can go really fast if you just jump
off the cliff." (2010, Steve Crandall)

[Posted in FML 6916]