To Scott Lehman;
Just thought I'd pass along, once again, my thoughts on the reaction problem
you've encountered with Fervac-D:
 
First of all, if you or your vet are administering the vaccination, check
the vile's expiration date and how has it been stored.  Fervac-D must be
refridgerated for storage.(An expired date or improper stored vile should
never be given.)
 
Second, if you or your vet are administering the vac, when the fluid is
injected into the powder, make sure all of the power is mixed throughly by
rapid shaking of the vile and visually checking the bottom of the vile for
stuck/caked powder.  Keep shaking until it is throughly mixed.(Powder that
has not throughly mixed will give an unwanted reaction.  Also, a weakened
vaccination is not what you want.)
 
Third, warm the bottle by keeping a tight grip on the vile in the palm of
your hand (or your vet's) until you can no longer feel a chill from the
bottle.(Ferrets will have a shock reaction if a COLD vaccination is given.)
Last, never, never, never give a distemper shot into the scruffed area
behind the head (neck).  The point of entry is too close to the brain,
especially as the vac is absorbed into the body.  Fervac should be given
into a scruffed area around the rear leg or "hip" area.
 
As someone who has lost and just about lost ferrets to Fervac injections, I
can tell you that since we went to this procedure, we haven't had one
reaction or loss.
 
Mark Beaton
B10 Ferrets, Inc.
[Posted in FML issue 1860]