Question concerned the required shots.
 
If your ferret had the entire series of distemper shots (three) rather than
what many of the pet shops claim as "it had all of its shots" , then a
single distemper shot will keep your ferret current.  If it has only had
the single shot then it may be a real good idea to have two distemper shots
separated by about a month.  A rabies shot (IMRAB) is also a yearly
vaccination.  The manufacture of IMRAB recommends that you separate the
distemper and rabies vaccinations by at least 2 weeks.
 
We pretreat all of ours with 0.5 cc of children's Benadryl 1/2 to 3/4 hours
prior to the vaccinations just in case of a vaccine reaction.  We haven't
had many of those but one is more than enough.  Plan to stay in the vet's
office at least 30 - 45 minutes after the vaccnation just to make sure that
there is no reaction; then keep an eye on it for the next couple of hours.
After the initial half-hour a reaction would be rare but possible.  Some
ferrets normally sleep more and seem somewhat more legthargic, but watch
for pale, almost white skin and low body temperature, or bright red skin
and gums.  Both types of reactions ususally include severe diarrhea and
collapse.
 
Again, we're talking about a relatively rare reaction, but it's best to be
prepared just in case.
 
Dick B.
[Posted in FML issue 1317]