Don't forget that if we are going to have a new alternative it's up to YOU
and your vet to show that a market exists.  The ferret your letter saves
could be your own.  Below are some segments from a letter I received from
Bruce Williams:
 
"I recently talked with Dr. Dick Montali, an old friend and the head of
the Pathology Dept at the National Zoo.  It appears that he has identified
an efficacious recombinant canine distemper vaccine which is not only
protective for ferrets but does not cause the high rate of anaphylactic
reactions seen with Fervac-D ...
 
It is a non-marketed vaccine produced by Merial for use in zoo exotics."
 
and from Dr. Montali:
 
"Currently there are no licensed CDV vaccines commercially available that
can be used safely in CDV-susceptible exotic carnivores.  The modified-live
products are dangerous because they can induce clinical canine distemper in
most susceptible carnivores exhibited in zoological parks.  There have been
a number of outbreaks of canine distemper both in zoos and in the wild,
with no capability of protecting these animals from the ravages of this
disease.  Many are endangered species.  Existing modified-live canine
distemper vaccines labeled for ferrets have been associated with unpleasant
reactions and in some cases with immunization failures.  Pet ferrets are a
growing multi-billion dollar industry that will readily provide a
substantial market for a safe and effective canine distemper vaccine.
 
Recently, Merial Ltd.  in Athens, GA has successfully marketed a
multivalent vaccine for dogs (Recombitek series) containing a recombinant
(canary pox vectored) canine distemper vaccine component which is not
infectious.  In 1997, Merial provided the recombinant distemper component
as an experimental monovalent vaccine to the American Association of Zoo
Veterinarians' (AAZV) vaccine committee for clinical trials in a number of
carnivore species.  Challenge-results in ferret-crosses showed the
recombinant vaccine to be entirely safe and efficacious, and seroconversion
was acceptable in most of the zoo species vaccinated, including felids.
 
According to Merial, this vaccine is supposed to be developed as a
monovalent ferret product that could be used (off-label) for zoo
carnivores.  But it is unclear when and if this will really happen.
Merial Ltd.  holds a biological product which potentially could remove
the threat of canine distemper from these valuable species."
 
The person at Merial who can make a difference for our ferrets is:
 
Dr. Zack Mills,
Director of Marketing
Merial Ltd.
115 Transtech Drive
Athens, GA 30601
 
I have heard only good things about this gentleman so far, so, please,
help make it obvious that a market exists for this product, and please,
encourage your vet to also send a letter.  Letters on letterhead from
clubs, vets with large practises, etc.  should be especially useful, but
letters of encouragement from owners sure are not going to hurt.
 
Oh, and I am not sure that any connection actually has been established
between anaphylactic reactions and heart disease, though I know that an
owner postulated that such might exist in the past.  Don't know if that led
to any checking or not.  We have had two with reactions so severe that they
could no longer have vaccinations and they did develop heart disease but
another of our ferrets who was related to them NEVER had a reaction and
also developed heart disease.  It could even be that some strains are just
genetically inclined to both -- just as some human families are.  Has
anyone done an actual research project on this topic of which I am unaware?
Steve and I are in the unusual position of being two married-together
humans who have histories of anaphylactic reactions and neither of us has
EVER had any heart health warnings in relation to heart disease and our
allergies.  Steve has been told to be a bit more careful because of a
grandfather and I've been told that my ticker is "so strong it will
probably beat after you're buried" -- a joke from a physician -- even
though we both have also been almost killed by reactions.  If a connection
was established I think our physicians would take that into account, don't
you?
[Posted in FML issue 2731]