> Date:   Thu, 12 May 1994 08:32:51 -0400 >
Subject: Vaccinations
 
>         As far as feline distemper goes, while ferrets can contract this viru
s,
> it doesn't cause clinical disease in the ferret, hence, vaccination is not >
necessary.
 
>I have a question about this.  Since ferrets can contract the virus, does that
>mean that they can in turn pass it along to cats (and other susceptible
>animals)?  If so, would vaccination prevent this?
 
>Thanks!
 
>Nancy Hartman     Internet - [log in to unmask]      GEnie - n.hartman4
>President, Delaware Valley Ferret Club | CIS Grad Student, U. of Delaware
>***  Caregiver to Percy, Bree, Popcorn, & Scuttlebutt the ferrets  ***
>"We can judge the heart of a man by his treatment of animals" - Kant
 
 
        Nancy,
 
        I have been asked this question before, and I don't have a good answer,
as no one's ever done a study on this.  My feelings are that they could pass it
to unvaccinated cats.  Passage through a ferret would most likely not inactivate
this virus.  However, to vaccinate a ferret simply to prevent this occurrence
would most likely not be feasible.  Inmfected ferrets would shed for a short
time, then get their own natural immunity.  Iwould concentrate vaccination
efforts on the cats instead.
 
       Bruce Williams, DVM                 Department of Veterinary Pathology
       [log in to unmask]         Armed Forces Institute of Pathology
       (202) 576-2453/2454                 Washington, D.C.  20306-6000
 
[Posted in FML issue 0830]