To Anna and Molly:
 
You don't say how old Molly is, and you don't say how many vaccinations
she has had already.
 
Generally, ferrets are initially vaccinted for canine distemper every 3
weeks until they reach 14 weeks of age, then one annual booster thereafter.
How many vaccinations they receive will depend on ferret's age when you
started the series.
 
Many pet store ferrets have their first vaccination at 5 or 6 weeks of age,
just prior to shipping, and can have a total of 4 vaccinations in the
initial series: 5 wks, 8 wks, 11 wks, 14 wks.  A ferret started later will
have less vaccinations in the series.
 
If I understand this correctly, it has to do with the maternal antibodies in
the kit's system that apparently lessen the effectiveness of the vaccine.
These antibodies are pretty much all gone by 14 wks, and the antibodies
produced by the vaccine will take over.  That explanation is pretty
simplified but that's the reasoning behind the schedule.
 
Ferrets can be vaccinated for rabies at 12 weeks of age, and then annually
thereafter.  Imrab is the only rabies vaccine I know that is approved for
ferrets.  Fervac is a canine distemper vaccine approved for use in ferrets.
 
The pet store should have given you a paper listing the dates and type
of vaccine used on the kit.  If you didn't get one, go back and ask for it.
That should have been an automatic thing for them to do.
 
Your remaining vaccine schedule will really depend on the age of the ferret
and the schedule it was originally started on.
 
Debbie Riccio
WNYFLFA
Western New York and Finger Lakes
   Ferret Association
Rochester, NY
[Posted in FML issue 1454]