On a less happy note than our other post:
Vaccination day was last weekend, and due to Einstein having had a reaction
last time we had him pretreated with benadryl by the vet and waited around
after the shots just to be sure.
Imagine our surprise when _Daisy_ started moaning and vomiting. So we
called for the vet, she rushed back to the exam room, just as Einstein
started to heave.
Poor little Daisy ( she's 1.5 lbs) was given sub-Q fluids, an anti-emetic
for the vomiting, an anti-inflammatory, benadryl, and oxygen (not
necessarily in that order).
Einstein was slightly better off, he got the anti-emetic, but refused the
oxygen and was better shortly thereafter. "Moose" (as the vet called Bandit
(3.5 + lbs))escaped unscathed.
The vet recommended that in the future, with Einstein's history of reacting
even when pre-treated, and Daisy's intense reaction, we vaccinate our
business only for rabies, and skip the distemper vacc. We live in MN, where
canine distemper is not a huge problem, but a few cases are reported in
almost every county yearly.
Does this sound like a good course of action to the long time ferret
owners/vets out there? Our guys do go outside to the park about 2-4 times
monthly on the leash (during the approx. 6 mo. of the year this is
particularly feasable in MN), they do not have contact with other animals,
and we will not be expanding our business for many years to come [and now,
having said that, ferret math will surely strike us down :)]
Most of the info we've found on the web merely says that distemper kills,
vaccinate your animals (which we'd love to do if they weren't so allergic
to it) ,and names symptoms, but not much else, and it tends to be
specifically for dogs, excepting the Ferret FAQ stuff.
How hardy is the canine distemper virus? Do we need to be concerned about
it surviving on our clothes if we come in contact with an infected animal?
How much time do infected animals spend walking around contagious anyway
before they manifest symptoms?
Should we continue to get Bandit vaccinated (since he is not allergic),
or could he pose a danger to the others if he is?
At least they're all covered for a year, so we have time to work
this out.
Thank you in advance for your help.
Janna & Aron
Urpy(Einstein), Barfy (Daisy), and Big Moose(Bandit)
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PS. We went to vaccination clinic at a (PetsMart) VetsMart,rather than
our other vet, since we're living in St. Paul this summer, and whatever
people may say about PetsMarts, we were extremely impressed with the
quality of care provided.
Two vets came in to the exam room to vaccinate our three fuzzballs. They
were warm, friendly, ferret-knowledgeable, capable (hey, they managed to
take "Moose's" temperature, not an easy feat by any means), clearly liked
animals, and that was before the reactions.
When the reactions occurred,the receptionist called one of the vets out
immediately, and they whisked them into the back room and kept us updated
frequently on how they were doing. (I think they updated us 4 times in 40
minutes).
Before we left, the vet talked with us about not giving distemper vacc. to
them in the future, and answered more questions (The ones we posted are
the ones we were too rattled to think of at the time, and ones we want 2nd
opinions on just as a matter of principle).
After all the additional meds, and work, our total bill was still only $75
dollars for all 3, the original amount for the vaccinations.
This was the VetsMart on University Ave. in St. Paul, MN if anyone in the
area is looking for ferret-knowledgeable vets with good hours. Vaccination
clinics are on a drop in basis on Tues, Thurs, and Saturday afternoons (call
to be sure).
[Posted in FML issue 2379]
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