>I just took my ferret to the vet yesterday for the first of his series of
>Ferrvac-D.  I was driving home and not 10 minutes later he started puking
>and shaking.  As you know, ferrets RARELY throw up.  So I started to freak
 
Sounds like our experience with Squirt's first annual booster shots. It
was in our "pre-FML" days and we got him vaccinated for rabies and distemper
in one visit and left shortly after. When my husband and Squirt got back to
the vets' office, Squirt's gums were starting to turn blue and that was less
than 10 minutes from the on-set of noticeable signs like vomitting and going
to bathroom uncontrollably. We nearly lost him and it took him months to be
his normal dooking self again.
 
Since we had both shots at once, we had to go through premedicating him and
having him get each vaccination (on different occasions) to be sure which
shot was the problem.  This next year he will not be getting a rabies
booster since he had a pretty nasty reaction even with the premedication.
 
Although it's been posted many times here before, if once more can save
somebody else the scare or heartache, it's worth it. I'm no vet, but here
are a few tips on getting vaccinations for the fuzzies:
 
        - wait at the vets for 30 minutes (or longer if you want) after
          a vaccination to be sure there's no immediate reactions
        - get the rabies and the distemper shots on different occasions
        - watch your fuzzies the rest of the day for any slower reactions
        - try to have your vet use the vaccines that are suggested here/in
          the FAQ
        - discuss any questions you have about vaccinations with your vet
 
We plan our vaccination visits on a Saturday morning (early) when the vet's
office isn't too busy yet, we can spend whatever time we like before/after
the vaccination at the vets' office, and we can check on them frequently
(at home) the rest of the day. It works pretty well.
 
I hope this helps! :)
 
-kim, squirt (SHOTS?!?! LET ME OUTTA HERE!), pippi (can I bite the needle
back?), atlas (what's a shot?), and hijinx (if you bite me, I'll bite 'ya!)
 
Kimberly Burkard     |             _    Everything I needed to know in life,
Eastman Kodak Company|      _____C .._. I learned from my ferret:
Rochester, New York  | ____/     \___/  Frolic and dance for joy often, have
[log in to unmask]<____/\_---\_\    no fear or worries, and enjoy life.
[Posted in FML issue 1405]