There's lots of great information about distemper reactions at:
http://www.acmeferret.com/info_toc.htm#distemper
 
Cooper had a reaction in March, 1995 very similar to Jean's post from
yesterday.  He did not get any further vaccinations until he died in March,
1998.  Cooper was (accidently) exposed to a ferret diagnosed with distemper
in January, 1997 and thankfully did not get the disease.
 
About six months after his reaction, I noticed Cooper would take frequent
time-outs and do the "heart hunch."  This is a term I coined after seeing
heart patients that would sink down to the floor, front paws extended,
and put their head between the legs.  My vet determined Cooper had indeed
developed heart problems.  Cooper's problem was controlled by taking
Digoxin, Enacard, and Co-Q10 (how's that for complementary medicine Dr.
Kemmerer?).
 
Unfortunately, heart problems after reactions are not uncommon.  I've now
had three ferrets that have had reactions and all three have developed
heart problems.  Dr. Wardell says, "First, if the antigen-antibody reaction
occurs in the walls of the blood vessels or the muscle of the heart, direct
damage to these structures may result."
 
Read more about this at:http://www.acmeferret.com/infobank/anaphyl.htm
 
BTW, Dr. Wardell also wrote an article on colloidal silver.  It's at
http://www.acmeferret.com/infobank/n95_dvm.htm.
 
         -Carla
 
Save a life today! Visit the Ferret Friends
Disaster Response International website.
(http://www.worldaccessnet.com/~ferretma/ffdri1.html)
[Posted in FML issue 2563]