To Cindy Sooy:
 
       > Anyway, what I would like to know, could a jill have a fatal reaction
>to hormone shots? I've been breeding ferrets for about three years and haven't
>had any reactions to the shots nor have I ever heard of anyone else having one.
>If this is a possibility, how common are the reactions and would it be the same
>as a reaction to vaccine? If so, I will have one of my hobs vasectimized to use
>from now on. Thanks for any advice you can give me.
 
        Cindy, this is the first I have heard of this, and with the sketchy
history, I'm afarid I have to be a little cynical.  HCG shots may induce
antibodies if given several times, but this will generally just cause the animal
not to come out of heat, as the body's reaction inactivates the hormone.
        One thing that should be considered is why the animal was given this
shot.  Could she have been so far along in her cycle that she already had a very
low blood count and died of anemia or other complications of uninterrupted
estrus?  Or could something else have happened altogether, as the animal was not
seen for 48 hours.
 
        Or could there be another story and the death is simply blamed on the
HCG shot?
 
        No, I'm not convinced a single HCG shot properly dosed and administered,
is lethal in ferrets.
 
       Bruce Williams, DVM                 Department of Veterinary Pathology
       [log in to unmask]         Armed Forces Institute of Pathology
       (202) 576-2453/2454                 Washington, D.C.  20306-6000
 
[Posted in FML issue 0950]