>I'm a bit confused on this one, maybe one of the doctors on here can
>help.  Last time I took my cats in for their shots , the vet here told me
>that they are 3 year vaccines, meaning they are good for 3 years.  Then
>why do I have to get them their shots every year?  Is this true, are there
>vaccinations that last for 3 years.  If so, then why can't we get the
>ferrets their shots every 3 years?  It would be less stressful both to
>the ferret and the owner since so many have reactions.
 
This is a quick one - (I'm going to work on my handout for the Boston
meeting tonight - so I'm just going to pick a couple of quickies to
answer).
 
Vaccinations may very well be good for multiple years in older ferrets
with a good vaccination history - we just don't know.  The approved
vaccines for ferrets were only tested on a 1-year basis.  To test for
three years, you have to take a group of ferrets, maintain them in a
facility for three years - that's expensive, and for vaccine companies
who don't see anything more than a niche market - not worth the cost and
effort.  "If they want to vaccinate ferrets - they're just going to have
to do it every year." (I don't agree with it - I'm just telling you the
prevailing opinion.)
 
There has been discussion on this list about running titers instead of
vaccinating every year - it's more expensive, less convenient, may require
anesthesia to take the blood, but on the positive side, it may cut down
on the numbers of reactions....
 
With kindest regards,
Bruce H. Williams, DVM, DACVP
 
Join the Ferret Health List at
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Ferret-Health-list
 
 ---
 
Yes, some vets are recommending to vaccinate CATS every three years with
some of the vaccines.  This is based on just 1 study of a small group of
CATS (9 if I remember correctly) that was done at Cornell's vet school.
They came to the conclusion that some of the vaccines actually lasted for 3
years based on titers.  However when they did a challenge study (exposed
them to the disease causing agent) the results were not so good.  Many of
the "protected" cats got sick, but they only had mild signs of the disease.
Based on this small, limited study, many vets recommend vaccinating CATS
every 3 years.  Interesting to note, the 2 vaccines that have been linked
to serious adverse reactions in CATS (FeLV and Rabies) were not even
included in the Cornell study.
 
Now on to ferret vaccines.
There has not been a duration of immunity study done on ferrets that I know
of; therefore, we simply do not know how long the vaccines last.  Since
both distemper and rabies are fatal diseases, lets not change our vaccine
protocol until there is a good study showing how long the vaccines last in
FERRETS.  In the mean time please do not gamble with fatal diseases that
can be easily prevented.
 
Jerry Murray, DVM
[Posted in FML issue 3424]