Kim Hastings wrote:
>>From:    Patricia Curtis <[log in to unmask]>
>>For ferrets that have not had an appropriate series or that you are unsure
>>of their vaccinations, it is best to be safe. I would recommend vaccinating
>>them 3 times with Galaxy-D ... then a booster 6 months later...
 
>Sometimes I hate the FML.  Just when you think you've given your ferts the
>best care possible, someone you really respect delivers new information and
>you're back to feeling like a bad parent.
 
Thanks, I appreciate the vote of confidence :)
 
>Trish, it seems like I've read dozens of times that an adult fert with
>unknown vaccination history needs two distemper shots, four weeks apart,
>then annual boosters.  I've heard this from vets too.  I'm not anxious to
>inject my weasels with any more noxious substances than I have to.  Are your
>recommendations based on experience?  (Seems like they usually are.)
 
Yes, they are, but my vet and I are extremely *cautious*, too.  Many vets do
recommend only two shots and this *may* be adequate, but three shots are
more likely to provide greater protection.  I've watched two ferrets die of
Distemper, one who'd been given the two shots as you have been told to do.
(The other was killed by the vet who used the *wrong* vaccine!) When you see
enough ferrets suffering or dying it makes you very cautious and perhaps
over-protective.  I NEVER want to see or hear of another ferret dying of
this awful disease, especially if a simple vaccination would have protected
them.  I understand your not wanting to inject them with "any more noxious
substances" than necessary, and agree with your reasoning whole-heartedly,
but this might be a "necessary", however, it is up to you to decide.
 
I'd like to explain how vaccines work, then all this will make more sense to
everyone.  (Or perhaps, to quote my dad's favorite expression, it may be "as
clear as mud" instead <grin>.) But PLEASE keep in mind that I am NOT a
vet!!!  I am only repeating what my vet has explained to me.  (And I can't
tell you the level of respect I have for this man when it comes to his
knowledge and skill where ferrets are concerned!) This is tough to explain
in an email, but I'll try to make it simple and understandable, hopefully
that will keep the disagreements and flames to a minimum.
 
Vaccines trigger an immune response in the body of the ferret.  With the
initial vaccination, over a short period of time, the immunity to the
disease (in this case, Distemper) increases/rises.  (Picture a horizontal
line on a graph that begins to turn upward at an agle.) At a point, which my
vet feels is around the 14-day mark, the immunity stops increasing (the line
on the graph levels off), for a very short period, then it falls slightly
(the line turns down at an angle) then quickly levels out slightly below the
highest level it had gained initially.
 
I am terrible at keyboard drawings (these are NOT to scale) but maybe
this will help a little...
 
I
M
M
U
M          _______
I         /       \
T        /         \_____
Y  _____/
 
- TIME ------------------>
 
The reason timing is so important is that if the next shot is given at
the right point immunity will build from the *highest/strongest* point,
rather from the slightly lower level.
 
This diagram is showing what happens if the next shot is delayed (say if
you wait 4 weeks between them).
 
                             2nd
                           _______
                          /       \
          1st            /         \______
        _______         /
       /       \       /
      /         \_____/
_____/
 
This next diagram (below) shows immunity is built from the higher point
if the next shot is given sooner/at exactly the right time (roughly at
two week intervals).
 
                       2nd
                     _______
                    /
                   /
                  /
          1st    /
        _______ /
       /
      /
_____/
 
(a 3rd and 4th vaccination given at the right time, work just like the
second so I won't 'draw' that out for you.  Imagine a level of immunity at
twice the heighth of the above diagram, with the 4th vaccination.  But
remember this is kind of theoretical, as scientists cannot accurately
measure immunity, but this is the "accepted theory".)
 
According to what I've learned, each vaccination *builds* upon the level of
immunity the system currently has.  Two vaccinations "might" offer enough
protection, but then, it might not.  I'd rather do a series of 3 Distemper
vaccinations in a ferret that is 8 months of age or older (if I have no
vaccination history), for younger ferrets, I do a series of 4.  The reason
for 4 in younger ferrets is just for *insurance*, because if they are very
young, the 'leftover' immunity from the mom may make the first vaccination
ineffective.  I want all the ferrets that come through here to have the
*maximum* amount of protection I can give....yep, I am a worrisome and very
over-protective mom, but so what, the vaccinations won't harm them (I use
Galaxy-D, and have never had a reaction to them), and they could save their
life.
 
In all cases, after the last of this "initial" series, be sure to give a
booster at 6 months, then annually thereafter.  These "boosters" trigger the
same immune response, and "remind" the immune system of the level of
immunity it had before and *theoretically* will rise to the highest point it
attained in the initial series.
 
Remember that vaccines do not *always* work the same, there are many factors
that influence the effectiveness of any vaccination on a particular ferret.
Also, no vaccine is 100% guaranteed to work...I know, that is just the
*pits*, but it's unfortuantely true.
 
This is what I was told (in an hour long+ discussion with my vet) and I hope
I have explained this correctly, though, of course, I am certainly capable
of error in my grasp of this complex issue.  If any of the vets out there
understand this differently, I'd love to hear from you.
 
Kisses to the fuzzies,
Trish
[Posted in FML issue 1937]