Re:  Ben & Jerry
 
Although reactions to the newest formulation of the Fervac Vaccine are
extemely rare, anything can happen.  We have now also heard of two severe
vaccine reactions to the Fromm D also (although I have never experienced any
in my practice so far).  I am very concerned that the ferrets that react to
these are immunosuppressed to some degree which may explain some of the
reactions.  We have a very high rate of lymphoma in ferrets in our area and
some of these can have violent reactions to anything that stresses their
immune system.  In your case I would suggest waiting 4 weeks and having a
Complete Blood Cell Count done on both ferrets.  If there is a high
lymphocyte count (60% or higher or over 3500 absolute) then repeat it in 3-4
weeks and if the trend persists have a lymph node sampled to check for
lymphoma.  If all the tests come back normal, then use Fromm D next time, and
give antihistamines BEFORE the vaccination.  I would really urge you to have
them screened for lymphoma however as I have described to make sure we rule
that out before we start condeming the product again.
You also might check to see the age of the vaccine because if it was one of
the older formulations from over one year ago, there may more likely have
been a vaccine reaction.  If they have the serial number of the vaccine, the
company can tell when it was made.
 
Dr. Brown
 
[Posted in FML issue 0846]