Latest alerts of human exposures. A few days back there was one in Southern NJ (Camden County), and now new U.S. alerts, one in NH and two in Florida: http://www.promedmail.org/ Ferrets are protected by the IMRAB 3 vaccine. Here is info on that score: http://www.nasphv.org/Documents/RabiesCompendium.pdf http://www.cdc.gov/rabies/location/usa/index.html current CDC recommendations for UNvaccinated dogs, cats, and ferrets who are exposed: http://www.cdc.gov/rabies/pets/index.html affected: http://www.cdc.gov/rabies/pets/index.html vaccination working: <http://www.cdc.gov/rabies/location/usa/surveillance/domestic_animals.html> I don't know how many of you have seen animal individuals or species you knew well get either Canine Distemper Virus or rabies, both of which can drive the animal painfully insane when treatment fails if they don't die of it first, but luckily do not always do that. When I was 19 or 20 a friend with whom I lived had her adopted dog (vaccinated immediately after adoption from the pound but the infection had already taken hold) develop CDV and one day she was awakened by her previously loving dog trying to kill her. A few years ago I saw a raccoon stumbling locally with CDV; many years ago I had raised kit raccoons who were reinstated. As many here know, I used to work with a range of wild animals (mostly primates but the apes, monkeys and prosimians were long before all of these animals except the dog), and during the years when I did bat rescue I saw a small brown bat (which usually are very peaceful and can come to trust specific people) with rabies. Each of these situations was heartbreaking. Sukie (not a vet) Recommended ferret health links: http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/ferrethealth/ http://ferrethealth.org/archive/ 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) [Posted in FML 7348]
