With an adult ferret at distemper re-vaccination time, have any of you
tried doing titers of some sort, to determine whether the prior vaccination
was still effective, rather than simply revaccinating? I suppose the real
question I'm asking is, do we really know how long Fervac's immune response
lasts? Obviously, I would never leave a ferret unprotected against
distemper, and the only time I have chosen not to revaccinate was with a
very old, very ill ferret who I felt would be more at risk from the added
stress on her immune system (and who I doubted would live out the effective
life of her past vaccination). But I was speaking with a vet today who
suspects that both rabies and distemper vaccinations in ferrets actually
last at least 4 or 5 years, and that by vaccinating as often as we do we
end up causing more harm than good. I've always suspected so with rabies,
since it is a 3-year vaccine in other species, but with that vaccination
there is no choice -- the only reason for the vaccination is legal
protection, and the legal requirements are once a year, so regardless of
the actual efficacy of the vaccination, there is no room to question. But
distemper is different in this respect, and since we all know that vaccines
don't really last *exactly* 365 days, I was wondering if there was any
evidence to suggest how long the vaccinations really do last (in adult
animals, that is). And are yearly titers (and followup vaccinations when
needed) an option, instead of automatically revaccinating every 12 months?
(Before I get flamed -- yes, I know how terrible the disease is, and I am
not advocating under-vaccinating; and I've had ferrets for 7 years and been
on the FML for nearly 5, so while I'm not as experienced as many on the
list, I am not altogether ignorant either.)
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Rochelle Newman [log in to unmask]
Assistant Professor (319) 335-2417 (office)
Department of Psychology (319) 335-1979 (lab)
University of Iowa (319) 335-0191 (fax)
11 Seashore Hall E
Iowa City, IA 52242-1407
http://www.psychology.uiowa.edu/Faculty/Newman.html
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[Posted in FML issue 2250]
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