>From:    Ferret Mailing List <[log in to unmask]>
>
> calling my vet in the morning to see if she has the Fervac-D vaccine. I
> hadn't worried about getting it for Dustball before because he is never
> around other ferrets.
 
Canine distemper is an airborne virus.  That means that if *YOU* pet an
infected animal, or even come within 6 feet of where an infected animal
has been recently, you could bring it home to Dustball.  4 weeks later,
he's dead.  (And remember, it's not just ferrets that are susceptible,
dogs and raccoons are both highly susceptible)
 
Now rabies vaccinations are one thing, the chances are extraordinarily
slim that an indoor ferret would ever get rabies.  A rabies shot is more
of an insurance policy in case your ferret ever bites someone (or scratches
them, or looks at them kinda funny, or simply escapes and is found wandering
by some jerk fish and game officer) you at least have something to bargain
with.  Canine distemper vaccinations are a matter of life or death for
your ferret!
 
- Nancy
 
Nancy Hartman                     CIS graduate student
[log in to unmask]                  U. of Delaware
        President and founder, Delaware Valley Ferret Club
                      Owner of Percy & Bree
 
[Posted in FML issue 0286]