>Basically it appears to have turned out that the vet tech and the vet
>were not communicating to each other.
I'm not surprised. I'm glad you got it worked out. I hope that tech now
knows to always consult with the vet instead of making medical decisions
on his or her own...
>I know Linus was overdue, I purposely hadn't done the vax for a little
>while because of his medical issues and the fact he just does not go out.
I wouldn't be too concerned. His previous rabies vax is probably good
for much more than a year - perhaps several years. Cat and dog rabies
vax are now typically given every 3 years. The same is probably
sufficient for ferrets, but it hasn't been tested yet. See Amy's
comments about the CD vax being good for 7 years in dogs!
>[Moderator's note: Except that some vaccines are indeed given
>post-exposure. Rabies is a good example: since the virus takes such
>a long time to travel to the brain rabies vaccinations are effective
>even after exposure (but before symptoms appear). BIG]
Ok, ok. Fair enough. <g> That "before symptoms appear" is the kicker
though - we often don't expect the disease until we see the symptoms.
Rabies is the notable exception - at least in humans. (i.e. after an
animal bite)
>##Roger, I agree with most of what you said inn your post except for
>the part about what other species need. Distemper vaccine in dogs
>has been proven to last at least 7 years. I refer to this site:
Ok, good point. Let me rephrase that as "We assume yearly is enough to
sufficiently protect them without having done the studies to prove it
lasts longer." We *used* to assume the same of dogs, before these studies
you mention; we *used* to give rabies vax yearly, now that's every three;
and cats (as far as I'm aware) still get FLV vax yearly.
>>We routinely hear of CD vax reactions, and some of mine show
>>flu-like symptoms for a couple of days after a shot. (A different,
>>but not dangerous, kind of reaction.)
>
> ##Have to disagree with this too <g>, any reaction is dangerous.
I knew that was gonna come back and bite me in the butt. <g> Two things
about that. First, I really shouldn't call it a "reaction". It really
is like a flu. The immune system is working overtime to fight off a
virus (though a dead one) and you see all the same symptoms you would
with a "real" illness - fever, weakness, etc. It really has nothing
to do with the immediate anaphylactic reactions. Second, yes, it's
dangerous, too. Any illness is - even the flu can kill if not cared for.
Ferrets tend to dehydrate with this sort of response, and left untreated,
that can be just as deadly as anaphylactic shock, though much slower.
>From what I have seen it appears most ferrets have a reaction after
>they have been vaccinated a number of times. I think that should be
>telling us something.
I couldn't agree more.
>Vets have been quoted saying they would lose a good portion of their
>income if the protocols were changed.
Ah, the wonders of capitalism! That's an excellent point, Amy. (No, I'm
not anti-capitalist. I just recognize that, like any system, it has its
dark side too. Nothing happens unless someone profits - with exceptions
of course. Thank you, shelters!)
roger & the fuzzies
missing bear
[Posted in FML issue 4025]
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