INTRODUCTION
 
Boy, do we have plenty of personal experience with vaccination reactions!
It has gotten to the point where everyone at our vet's office knows us
very well.  We must have the record for time spent at our vet's office
during routine exams/vaccinations.  However, I will say first off that I
am not a veterinarian, nor do I play one on TV!
 
For the full story on our ferrets see:
 
        http://www.servtech.com/public/greenman/ferrets.html
 
SQUIRT'S RABIES VACCINE REACTIONS
 
Squirt, our oldest, has had two anaphylactic reactions to rabies vaccines.
By "anaphylactic" I mean SEVERE ANAPHYLAXIS -- blue gums, vomiting,
uncontrolled urinating and defecating, no response to stimulus, etc.
Basically, his body was to the point where it was shutting down all
"non-essential" functions.  His second one happened even though he had been
pre-medicated.  Needless to say, we no longer have Squirt vaccinated against
rabies.  However, we strongly urge every ferret owner to vaccinate their
ferrets against rabies.  The decision not to vaccinate a ferret against
rabies can only be made on an individual basis, and the best default course
of action that can be taken is to vaccinate until such a time as it proves
to be more dangerous to the ferret's life than the possibility of
contracting the disease.  Many things must be taken into account in the
making of such a decision, including, but not limited to:
 
o The ferret's lifestyle -- 100% indoors, or sometimes outdoors
o The severity of the vaccine reaction
o The health and medical history of the ferret
o The local, state, and federal laws regarding this issue
o The local attitudes toward ferrets
o The adivce of ferret-experienced veterinarians
o The communicability of the disease in question
o The interaction of the ferret with people other than yourself
o Your attitude toward what will happen to your ferret if a bite incident
  does occur after deciding not to vaccinate
 
The worst part of our decision to no longer vaccinate Squirt against rabies
is that he can no longer be the great ferret ambassador that he once was.
We try to protect him from even the possibility of a biting incident with
strangers by not letting others handle him any more.  We are very very
disappointed at this turn of events because he has always been our most
gentle ferret and a terrific poster child for the ferret cause wherever
we've taken him.
 
ATLAS' CANINE DISTEMPER VACCINE REACTIONS
 
Atlas, one our youngest, has had two severe reactions to canine distemper
vaccines.  At one year of age he received his canine distemper vaccination.
Several minutes later he started turing bright red in the muzzle and ears,
and vomiting uncontrollably.  The vet took Atlas into the back room where
they medicated him, put him on oxygen, and into an incubator.
 
Almost an hour later Atlas was brought out to us.  He was still a bit out of
it, and as a result very sleepy and snuggly.  We waited a bit longer at the
vet's to make sure he was going to be alright, and then headed home.  Atlas
stayed in our arms all the way home, keeping warm by being snuggly.  We kept
an eye on him for the rest of the weekend, and by the next day he was up and
running around like normal.
 
At two years of age Atlas was premedicated and then given his canine
distemper vaccination about ten minutes later.  We waited at the vet's
office for almost 45 minutes after his vaccination shot was administred.
During that time Atlas exhibited the following symptoms:
 
o He became a bit more sedate that usual.
o The pads on his feet became a bit warmer than usual, and so did the top
  of his head.
o The pads on his feet turned a slightly brighter shade pink than usual,
  but did not turn bright red.
o His ears seemed slightly brighter than ususal as did his muzzle, but less
  so than the pads on his feet.
o The right side of his face below his eye down near his muzzle became
  slightly puffy.
 
Other than that he seemed to be okay.  So, we took him home, and later that
day he was back to normal, romping around with everyone else.
 
Now in 1998 Atlas is three.  We took him to the vet's again where he got his
check up, premedication, and his canine distemper vaccination (rabies would
be done at a later time as we continue to do vaccinations on separate
visits).  About 30 minutes later Atlas still exhibited even fewer symptoms
that he had the year before.  "We're in luck," we thought, so we headed
home.
 
Upon arriving home Altas started vomiting and going limp.  I rushed him back
to the vet's -- thankfully, only 10 minutes away -- while Kim called to let
them know I was on the way with Atlas.  At the vet's office Atlas had
stopped vomiting, but was still a bit limp, and had trouble standing and
walking.  Thankfully, he wasn't yet as bad off as our previous experiences
with Squirt!  After the usual hydration, medication, glucose intake, oxygen,
and incubator treatment he was back in my arms.  I waited another 30 minutes
before departing for home again.  Atlas slept for the rest of that day and
night, but by the next day he was mostly back to himself again.  Needless to
say, we're wondering what next year will bring.
 
SUGGESTIONS FOR VISITS TO THE VET'S OFFICE FOR VACCINATIONS
 
These suggestions do not guarantee good results from vaccinations, but
rather try to help manage any problems that may occur.  Your mileage may
vary.
 
o Give vaccinations one per visit.
o Separate visits by at least two weeks.
o Stay around at the vet's office for at least 30 minutes after the
  vaccination is administered.
o If in a cold climate during the winter time, try to minimize the
  effects of going from the cozy warm vet's office out into the cold
  to the cold car.  Minimize the chances of shock.  We usually wrap
  a big towel around our ferret carrier in the winter -- that cold
  wind can be quite a shock!
o Make sure your vet is ready to handle any reactions that do occur.
o If there is a history of bad reactions with your ferret, then make
  sure that you are the only appointment scheduled for the time of
  your visit.  Needless to say, after all of our troubles, we have
  the full attention of our vet when we visit for vaccinations.  :)
 
I am sure that there are many other good suggestions as well, but these are
all I can think of off the top of my head.  Check the Ferret FAQ at Ferret
Central for even more info at:
 
	http://www.optics.rochester.edu/users/pgreene/central.html
 
Take care, everyone!
Michael
 
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Michael C. Burkard                  | All I needed to know in life I
Work: [log in to unmask]  | learned from my ferrets: Dance
Home: [log in to unmask]         | for joy often, play often, and
My opinions only.                   | be determined in your ventures.
[Posted in FML issue 2229]