Hi all!
 
I was wondering about the post concerning the ferrets that had been given
the intranasal Bordetella vaccine.  Do ferrets succumb to Bordetella
bronchiseptica infections?  If so, is it serious?  In dogs Bordetella tends
to be more of an annoyance than a serious problem, and tends to resolve on
its own.  Most dogs are only vaccinated if they are going to be kenneled
somewhere.  I can't even imagine trying to give a ferret an intranasal
vaccination -- it is hard enough on a squirmy dog with big nostrils.
 
I think a rabies/ domestication FAQ would be a great idea.  During the fall
semester of the sophomore year we have something called a diagnostic
challenge.  The students get to pick which animals they are most interested
in, are split up into groups, and work through a case over a week.  This
summer, one of my classmates is putting together a ferret case.  This case
will involve a sick ferret biting someone and the resulting public health
issues -- what to do with the ferret, what to tell the owner, what to tell
the person that has been bitten, what the laws are, etc.  Fortunately for
ferrets, eastern Washington is not a high risk rabies area.  I talked with
the exotics vet at the teaching hospital about when I should get my new
ferret vaccinated for rabies, and he made it quite clear that in his
opinion, ferrets were at a very low risk for contracting rabies and the only
reason around here to get them vaccinated was to be able to tell someone
they had been vaccinated in case of a bite incident.
 
Lisa and Noah Daisy and Squirt
[Posted in FML issue 1626]