Hi all.
 
I should have mentioned this in my last post.  I read issue 517 before
I went to the vet, so I asked my vet about why it is illegal to vaccinate
wild animals.  She said that since most rabies vaccines are "live"
vaccines, if they haven't been thoroughly tested on that type of animal,
you stand a good chance of giving the animal rabies.  I think this issue
has come up before, because I know people caution against live vaccine
for ferrets.
 
She did say that a few years ago, somewhere (I forgot what country) there
was a surplus of foxes and they could have infected a large population if
they got rabies.  I guess the mailmen were given meatballs containing
the rabies vaccination and they would drop them along their mail routes
as a means of vaccinating the foxes!
 
She mentioned this because I was asking about rabies shots in general.  Gila
had her distemper shot from a veterinary student, but he could not give
her a rabies shot until he was a licensed veterinarian.  You must be a
licensed vet in order to purchase rabies vaccine, with the exception of
the story about the foxes.
 
I also asked her about the distemper shots, and she uses Fromm-D.  She
commented that she would like the company to do appropriate testing
so it can be licensed for ferrets.  I wonder if ferret owners can help
push that along?  Or I guess vets that innoculate ferrets need to be
more vocal.  Of course, if the company doesn't listen....
 
Just thought I would pass along this info for people.  My vet is going
away for a year  :(  so I hope they find someone else as knowledgable
to take her place!
 
Inez
 
 
--
"I am likely to be a little bit wiser than he in this very thing:  that
whatever I do not know, I do not even suppose I know."   Socrates
 
Inez Gowsell    Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada
 
[Posted in FML issue 0519]