Ferrets' friends,
 
I would like to contribute to the discussion on this problem, that is
really more complex than it can look.  And as you know I'm Italian you will
surely pardon my typos or idiomatic expressions.  Reading today's FML I
remembered that some years ago (at that time I only had a dog) I was told a
lot about rabies from my Vet.  So I called him and asked to refresh my
memory, in order not to post some misinformation.  He is also a friend of
mine since more than 20 years.  We had a long phone conversation, more than
half an hour, and he pointed out several interesting facts.
 
1. Vaccination against rabies here is mandatory only in two Regions, as
rabies is considered endemic there: Trentino, where the fox could transmit
it and Friuli, where the bat could do it too.  Both located in the North
East of Italy, at the border of Austria and (former) Yugoslavia.
 
2. The vaccine can be more or less attenuated.  Until a few years ago they
used to prepare it by inserting the virus into fertilzed chicken eggs,
then the fluid obtained, where the virus was alive, was made "lighter"
by filtering it a number of times.  More the filtering process, more the
lightness.
 
3. Then the "light" vaccine was used only for traveling abroad, the "heavy"
for travels in risky zones (i.e. those regions, Africa and so on).  The
"heavy" one was dangerous for the animal, because the chicken proteins
were likely to cause him an anaphylactic shock.
 
4. Actually vaccines are obtained from dog's kidneys, so no possible
anaphylactic reaction , and the virus is dead, only the proteins are active.
 
5. Nonetheless it is not absolutely sure (both with the old and the actual
method) that the animal is going to develop the immune defenses, it depends
from the individual's reaction to the vaccine.  That's why a certificate of
vaccination doesn't guarantee the immunity from rabies.
 
6. The only way to ascertain it is a blood test named "Antibodial
titration" (I'm translating it literally, sorry if it is not exact in
English).  Here the Vet has to send an animal's blood sample to the
Superior Health Insitute located in Rome and get a certificate from it.
In European Community the Scandinavian countries require it to avoid
quarantine.  UK will have soon to adequate to this Community's rule,
belonging to it .
 
7. Rabies develop in an infected animal in 6 months. Luckily enough if it
bites somebody BEFORE the symptoms become evident (even only one day
before) it does not transmit it.
 
Now, two question arise : How many probabilities has a Ferret, usually
living inside a home, to get rabies ?
(My Vet says: less than zero...)
 
The second: where Ferret's vaccins come from ?  Eggs, dogs, cats, ferrets ?
(Last case would be the right one).  My Vet doesn't know about, here we
don't have them.
 
Hope all this was interesting for you.
 
Dooks.
 
Fulvio
 
Orietta. Hey Igor, are we risking rabies ?
Igor: C'mon baby, Dad could look rabious sometimes, but he ain't rabid !
[Posted in FML issue 2505]