Well, here we go again.
 
We had another reaction - but preparations ahead of time kept some things
to a minimum - Fox was premedicated with benadryl 30 minutes prior to the
shot, and the shot was given 2 hours before the local vets closed.  The vet
was less than 15 minutes away and I call when I am going to do shots.  Fox
was one of four ferrets vaccinated.  Fox Mulder (hey,I didn't name him -
that was his original name!) began to vomit 26 minutes after the shot was
given - but I had my shoes on, carrier ready and keys handy.  Off to the
vet I go.  My other half called the vet to let them know I was on my way,
and the condition of Fox when he left.
 
3 hours later, a groggy Fox comes home.  Thankfully, the worst symptoms
that he had were whimpering while he vomited and some bloody, mucousy
diarrhea.  This was his second shot in the series.  He was an owner
released ferret that had no history of shots, except from MF as a kit.
 
Well, I called United to report the reaction.  And the vet I spoke to was
extremely nice, very ferret friendly and gave me some hope.  She told me
that before a batch of vaccines is released for sale, it is given to a
control group of ferrets at 10 times the normal dosage (10mls) and that
there can't be any reactions or the batch is discarded.  That if a ferret
is going to react, its most likely going to be on the second of the series.
 
She also spoke to me about a possibility of two things that she would like
to see happen: Titer tests readily available for testing to see if ferrets
need annual vaccinations, and that *maybe* testing to see how long
distemper vaccs are effective in ferrets!  She said that this could
possibly lead to less vaccinations (following the lead on cat/dogs of every
2 to 3 years) and less reactions!  I truly hope that United will be a
leader, and being working towards one or both of these possibilities to
make them a reality.
 
She was very knowledgeable, and even better - loved ferrets.  She was
absolutely concerned about my shelter ferret, and questioned me closely
about various things - history, timeline of vaccination, treatment at the
vets, etc.  She also told me that each batch of vaccinations is tracked by
the lot # and that less than half of one percent of all vaccines (by lot
#)marketed by United cause any kind of reaction.
 
I was very pleased by the attention to detail and the level of caring that
I received from this vet at United Vaccine.  She really seemed to care.
 
Sometimes its nice to praise folks for doing whats right - its usually
easier to complain when something is done wrong.....
 
Lisa, Head Ferret
The Ferret Haven "By-the-Sea"
URL: http://www.kozykingdom.com/ferrethaven
Want to help The Ferret Haven By-the-Sea? Register at iGive.com
by cutting and pasting this link:
http://www.iGive.com/html/ssi.cfm?CID=1236&MID=854
[Posted in FML issue 2678]