I had been meaning to reply to the topic of home vaccinations, but then I
read Fran Wiles' posting.  No need to now.  She said it all; captured all my
fears and warnings and said it much better than I could.
 
We used to give CDV here at 4 Li'l Paws Ferret Shelter.  Went through
hundreds of vaccinations without a sign of a reaction.  Then one night, one
ferret had a major reaction.  Emergency run to the vets, who managed to save
his life.  We were lucky.  From that point on, we decided that the money
saved was just not worth the potential loss of life.
 
Since then we've had several very severe reactions to Fervac and IMRAB and
Gallaxy-D.  Without the prompt attention of a knowledgeable vet (Dr. Mike
Dutton), available drugs, and a small animal incubator we would have
certainly lost some of them.
 
Just to echo Fran's warning, if you do home vaccinations, please be sure you
have the necessary medications and equipment and the knowledge of how to use
it.  I'll almost guarantee that if you continue, you will need every bit of
it, and maybe more.
 
Dick B.
[Posted in FML issue 1842]