Tracy,
 
I honestly hope this does not sound like an attack, but your post really
concerned me.  It seems that you might think that staying at the vet 20-30
minutes after a vaccine is not really necessary.  I would like to beg to
differ.  I am somewhat emotional about this particular subject -- I will
do my best to present my thoughts with respect and in an objective manner.
 
First, please reconsider 2 things.  (1) staying at the office at least 20
minutes after vaccines and (2) getting the vaccines on different days.
 
Let me tell you my experience.  I only had ferrets for a few months before
having to get the distemper vaccine.  I had heard about staying at the vets
after a vaccination, but didn't really think much of it.  I was new to
ferrets.  I had gotten them from a shelter.  This was my first vet visit.
I stayed long enough to pay the bill.  While paying the bill, Zinc,
normally my most active and alert ferret, was lying on the cage floor.  I
didn't pay much attention to it because, heck, she had a big day, and she's
probably just tired.  We put the cage in the car and, still, she's just
lying there.  Scott, my husband, decides to check her "just in case" (and
thank God he did!).  She hung in his hand like a limp noodle.  I grabbed
her and heard Scott say something.  Zinc had released her bowels -- she had
no control.  She wasn't exactly conscious.  I ran as fast as I could back
to the office (thankfully we had only gotten as far as the parking lot).
I felt like a person in an arcade game with a bunch of people and animal
obsacles in my way.  I just wanted to shove everyone aside.  The panic I
felt cannot be explained.  Finally...in the office...I tell the
receptionist that there's something wrong.  They call the vet, she listens
to Zinc's heart and maybe breathing, (it's all a blur now because it's like
being in an alternate world when your under that kind of stress).  She said
something that made me realize that this was serious, and they wisked her
off to the back room.  What had I done?  Why did this happen?  Zinc was 2.5
years old.  She's had vaccinations before with no problems.  Why now?  The
next time I saw Zinc, she was very lethargic and uncomfortable.  She would
try to get up, but only could drag her body an inch before it gave out
on her.  I felt so terrible.  They said that they wanted to keep her
overnight.  She had lost her bowels again while they were working on her
and at least one of them was bloody.  They weren't sure if she'd make it.
I let them keep her.  When I went back to the car, the reality of the
situation came flooding over my body and I just weeped for my poor little
girl.  The good news is that the vet tech watching her called me later that
night to let me know that Zinc was looking good and drinking and eating a
small bit.  She came home the next day, but she didn't return to her normal
self for days.  I was beginning to think that the whole experience changed
her and traumatized her.  But she bounced back.
 
Perhaps you're thinking that this is rare or that I'm blowing it all out
of proportion.  I only told you the details of this experience to give you
some idea of what it might be like if one of your ferrets has a reaction.
I'd like to save you the awfulness of it all.  Being at the vet doesn't
prevent the reaction, but the sooner it's identified, the better off you
are.  Time is of the essence in these situations.  Zinc surely would have
died, if we hadn't gotten her help immediately.  Zinc's reaction was an
anaphylactic reaction.  Not all ferrets react this severely, some are
worse.  Some will vomit and paw at the mouth.  Some will turn bright red.
And it's essential that the ferret get treated ASAP.  Any vaccination can
cause these reactions.  It's an allergic reaction to something within the
vaccine.  As far as I know, the component that causes the reaction has not
been identified.  The thing about allergic reactions is that, generally,
it takes more than one exposure to the allergen for you to develop the
allergy.  A quote from my allergist, "The first sting doesn't kill you."
This, I assume, is why we generally see reactions occur in older ferrets.
And it is also why it's difficult to convince people to stay (since their
ferret has never reacted).  Even when I get allergy injections or flu
shots, I have to stay at the office for 20 minutes to ensure I am where I
can be cared for if something is to happen.
 
And, perhaps reactions are rare.  I don't know the numbers.  But it's worth
staying at the vet's office anyway.  I (personally) think that my chances
of getting into a serious car accident are slim, but it doesn't stop me
from putting on my seat belt.
 
Now, for getting vaccines on a different day.  The reasoning behind this
is that *if* there is a reaction, you'll know which vaccine caused it.  And
it'll save you some stress when it comes to vaccination time again.  At
least you'll know which one to be wary of.  For Zinc, it was Fervac.  But
don't think that I didn't sweat out the rabies.  Thankfully, there was no
reaction at all.  My other ferret Pixie has had all her vaccinations with
no reactions whatsoever!
 
As for pre-treating.  I can't really help you there.  I have read that some
people who have pretreated prior to the vaccination have had their ferret
undergo a reaction hours later.  That is unacceptable to me because I live
too far away from an adequate vet if that were to happen.  I'm just not
willing to take that chance.  If a reaction is going to occur, I'd rather
be where I can get help.  On the other side of the coin, it seems that most
people who pretreat don't have reactions or the reactions are mild.
 
All in all, of course, it's up to you.  I wouldn't feel right not
responding to your post.  I felt compelled to give you my experience in the
hopes that you just might change your mind about staying at the vet clinic.
One thing I did forget to mention, I believe most reactions occur within
a few minutes.  Zinc probably started reacting within 5-10 minutes.  20
minutes seems to be the magic number, though, when it comes to injections.
Good luck!  And hopefully, I've succeeded in presenting my thoughts in a
respectful manner!
 
Suzanna Donahue
[Posted in FML issue 3457]