On 11 Feb 95, Stacy Thomas ([log in to unmask])
wrote concerning distemper shots for her ferrets.  She also mentioned that
her vet was not very concerned about rabies vaccines because the ferret
would have to be quarentined anyway>
 
Sounds like real fuzzy thinking to me.  I can tell you that getting the
rabies vaccination is just as important for the owner as it is for the
ferret (or dog or cat).  It is my understanding that rabies, when
transmitted to humans, will not show signs of the disease until it is too
late to properly treat, that is, when humans get rabies, the disease will
have already done a great deal of damage by the time a person shows
symptoms.  Indeed, according to our local vet, if a human aquires rabies and
does not know it, by the time rabies can be diagnosed its too late.  Rabies
is almost always fatal in humans.
Given the above, if I were Stacy Thomas, I would find another vet...
 
We have had a couple of isolated incidents of rabies here in Western Montana
in the past couple of years.  The last one involved a skunk that appeared in
a neighbors yard, acted strange, was eventually shot and found to be
infected.  We have quite a few skunks in our area, rabies from a skunk to a
dog or cat is very possible.  We also have cats who are frequently outside,
and also are sometimes allowed inside. All of our cats like to play with
"Bandit" our ferret, he gets along with them all rather well.  Bandit most
definitly has his vaccinations, along with all the rest of our critters.
We care about them all, and ourselves, vaccinations are cheap by comparison
to the alternatives!!
 
Darrell C.
[Posted in FML issue 1104]