Hi again.  Weighing in again on the Fervac-is-bad issue:
 
1. Injectable Benadryl is a perfectly acceptable treatment for a ferret
who has a nonanaphylactic reaction (anaphylactic reactions are the ones
that occur almost right away)-like my two guys, who had diarrhea and
vomiting half an hour or more (one was an hour and fifteen minutes
later!) after their rabies vaccine.  Dexameth., epinephrine are more
immediate-response drugs for immediate reactions, and reactions that
occur later do not necessarily require the heavier drugs.  The Benadryl
worked fine for my guys, as their reactions were not anaphylactic and
immediate.
 
2. RE: Purevax: My vets are holding off on the Purevax for now.  We have
discussed it, but their concerns include the following: Upon reading the
research, the vaccine has not really proven to be less likely to cause a
VACCINE reaction-the lessened instance of reaction is actually to the
distemper itself (kind of misleading the way it's been talked about) and
they would feel more comfortable once it's been on the market for awhile.
Not that they don't try brand-new treatments, but in this case, they
don't feel it's been proven better than Fervac enough to take chances.
Until we got the research info from Merial about the vaccine, I
understood it to be that there were less occurrences of reaction just
to VACCINATING, but that does not appear to be the case.
 
3. Alicia brought up an interesting point about dosages perhaps being
too large.  I don't know how we'd figure out what would be acceptable as
a lower dosage (probably best left to the vaccine and research co.s, but
how to get them to look into it-big letter-writing campaign?), but we
were commenting at my clinic after my boys had a reaction to IMRAB that
it did seem odd to give a 2lb ferret the same amount of vaccine as an
18lb cat.
 
4. Vaccine clinics at sites other than vet clinics are great b/c they
are inexpensive and encourage poorer pet owners or owners of multiple
pets to vaccinate, but you run the risk of not having the needed medical
care if your fuzzies have a reaction to a vaccine, and sadly, no matter
what the vaccine, be it IMRAB, Purevax, Galaxy or Fervac, you run the
risk of vaccine reaction.  Vaccinating is definitely still preferable
to not vaccinating-distemper is an awful way to die and is highly
contagious-and without a rabies vaccine, you run more of a risk of your
pet being destroyed if they bite someone (and even indoor pets can get
rabies-ever have an animal-bat, rat, whatever-get in your house?), but
know that there is always a chance, even if your pet has been vaccinated
without problems for years, that your fuzzy friend could have a vaccine
reaction.  Even felines and canines can have reactions, though these are
less common than in ferrets.
 
5. Premedicate, premedicate, premedicate!  We see at least ten to
fifteen ferrets a WEEK, and vaccine reactions are not unheard of, but
the fact that we ALWAYS premedicate with Benadryl certainly makes these
instances, when they do happen, less severe.  Oral Benadryl should be
given AT LEAST fifteen minutes before a vaccine is administered.  We
write in our ferret patients' charts exactly what time we gave them 1cc
of P.O. Benadryl so we can be sure they've had it and when before
vaccinating.
 
6. When making up Fervac vaccines, it is VERY important that the vaccine
is not made up too far in advance-the vaccine comes in two separate
vials-one powder, one liquid, and the liquid should not be mixed with the
powder till you're ready to give the vaccine, really.  Unlike the rabies
vaccine IMRAB or feline distemper vaccines, which can be drawn up days in
advance, Fervac is only good for a very short period of time once it's
made up, so be sure your vet knows this and doesn't give your ferrets a
Fervac shot that was made up days ahead of time.  We don't draw Fervac up
till after a ferret's had its Benadryl and physical exam, until the vet
is sure this is an animal she feels comfortable vaccinating.
 
7. Reminder: Fervac-D and Purevax are the only USDA-approved vaccines
for use in ferrets as a canine distemper vax.  IMRAB3 is the only
APPROVED rabies vaccine for ferrets; i.e. your ferret won't be considered
to be vaccinated against rabies by the government if they have not had
IMRAB3.  Be sure that's what your ferrets are getting from your vet!
 
8. [There was nothing here.  BIG]
 
9. Just some thoughts and advice on how to perhaps lessen vaccine
reactions and be better prepared for them.
 
Dooks,
April AC
 
"There's nary an animal alive that can outrun a greased Scotsman."
-Groundskeeper Willy, "The Simpsons"
[Posted in FML issue 3964]