Chris,
 
If any of this mail gets to you, please add the following question to
the next mailing.
 
Would you use this vet?
 
I recently moved the ferrets back to Indy.  The vets in Florida were not
ferret vets, and were reluctant to do anything but life-saving techniques.
So the little guys did not get their immunizations.  Since they lived
on the 3rd floor with no chance to meet other animals, I didn't
worry about it.
 
So I moved them to Indy, and Gumby got sick.  I called a nearby
vet and asked the technician who answered if they were "ferret
vets."  She said they had a "large" ferret clientele.
 
So they made Gumby well, using typical supportive therapy.  She
had either a virus or a bacterial infection...fluid therapy and
antibiotics, actually (cholomycetin to be exact), was all she
had.  Gumby seems to be fine.
 
When I picked Gumby up I asked about getting their immunizations
as soon as she is well enough.  They suggested I wait a week.  I
asked for rabies specifically, and the technician said that
ferrets do not get rabies vaccine.  When I told her that a new
vaccine exists, she was surprised and left to talk to the vet.
She then assured me that they would order the rabies vaccine.
 
She just called me and asked me if I know the name of the
vaccine, and the manufacturer or distributor.  I have that
information from an old mailing.  It's in Florida, but I have
asked Chris if he remembers...if not I can call Florida and ask
somebody there to look it up in my papers.
 
[The address I had and posted was for the distemper vaccine that is
safe with ferrets.  I've not posted the address of the rabies vaccine,
and my copy of the Morris Animal Foundation newsletter with the article
on the rabies vaccine is probably non-retrievable at the moment.  I can't
even retrieve any ferret article < 109 for the moment either.  Though,
please don't mail me any... I'll post it if I find the address - if
anybody else has it, please forward it to me]
 
OK...there's the scenario.  Now, the question.  If these "ferret"
vets don't know how/from where to get the vaccine, do they know
enough about ferrets to be my vets?  Should I give them the info,
or look for a ferret vet?  Your input, please!!
 
[Any vet that can bring a ferret out a non-specific infection with
supportive measures is okay in my book.  The vaccine approval is
very recent, and may not have made it into the standard journals yet.
The only reference I've seen (tho, of course I am NOT a vet) is
a Morris Foundation newsletter that someone is kindly forwarding
to me.
 
Vets who don't know ferrets have a tendency to be a little more obvious -
using the wrong distemper vaccines, or the wrong anaesthetic (killed
my sister-in-law's ferret that way).  If the vet appears confident,
handles the ferret properly, appears knowledgable, doesn't panic at
the thought of trying to draw blood from one, you're doing okay.  On
the other hand, congratulate yourself if you find one capable of
installing IV's into the forearm of a 1 pound dehydrated female ...
Sniff, now we have to find a new one in Ottawa...]
 
Oh, Codo (6 1/2 yr old neutered male, never descented) has a kind
of "fullness" around his anus.  It's bulging, actually.  He does
not seem to be bothered, but it certainly hasn't always been
there.  Has anyone seen that?  Has anyone ever looked?  Does this
mean I am strange?
 
[It's possible that this is a scent gland abcess - have the vet
look at it.  Our male had this problem.]
 
      Joyce Andrews King (currently in Indy, with Codo and Gumby)
      (att!inuxz!jla) (work 317-845-3928) (home 317-577-9484)
                                                                          
[Posted in FML 0112]