>Let's challenge the major national ferret orgs to conduct in depth a census
>of all know ferret mortalities over the past 5 and the next 5 years to
>determine, among other things, the efficacy of vaccs with respect to
>disease inhibition and mortality.
Well, in STAR*'s annual survey of ferret shelters, very few report ferrets
dying of distemper. All report vaccinating their charges at some point
before their adoption.
I've known of a few ferret shelters who have been hit with distemper - those
ferrets vaccinated lived (FROMM D, GALAXY D and FERVAC D all used), and
those too young for a full series, not vaccinated, or not receiving full
immunity (vaccine was administered just recently), have died horrible
deaths.
I've also "surveyed" for vaccination reactions - the number of reactions
have gone down recently due to better vaccination protocols, or ferret
owners being more mindful of waiting at the vets for 30 minutes to
counteract reactions. The reported number of vaccination reaction deaths is
miniscule compared to the number of distemper induces deaths. Vaccination
pays off.
Are we vaccinating too much? Well, since IMRAB is a 3 year shot only tested
for 1 year in ferrets, I use it annually until my ferrets are 5 years old
and then they don't get vaccinated against rabies any longer. Pretty much
the same for distemper (may go up to 6 years old if ferret is still going
out). I heard a story a long time ago about a ferret breeder who vaccinated
sporatically, and distemper hit when the ferrets were last innoculated 18
months prior - all the ferrets died. To me, it is worth the few dollars to
innoculate my ferrets annually - just space the shots out.
STAR*'s shot protocol:
new kit - distemper at 8 weeks, 11-12 weeks, 14-15 weeks (i.e. booster at
every 3-4 week interval). If purchased at the pet shop, ask the arrival
date the kit came in and give the second booster 3 weeks after that date.
Third booster in 3-4 weeks. Rabies can be administered as early as 12
weeks, but keep this shot separate from the distemper by 1 or 2 weeks. No
booster is needed.
new adult - no known shot record? Vaccinate against distemper and then
boost 3-4 weeks later. Rabies can be administered at any time, but keep
this shot separate from the distemper by 1 or 2 weeks.
If you know the ferret was inoculated within the last year, then only one
shot is needed to keep them current. If you want to move a new ferret to
your present ferret(s) schedule, or visa versa, then as long as it has been
a month since the previous shot, go ahead and re-vaccinate.
Annual boosters are required for distemper and rabies. Keep these shots
separate by 1-2 weeks and in case of reactions, wait at the vets for at
least 20 minutes after the shot is given.
Recommended vaccines are Galaxy-D and Fervac-D for distemper. Imrab 3 is
the ONLY approved rabies vaccine for ferrets at this time. There have been
vaccine reactions reported in FERVAC and the company is recommending pre-
vaccine injections of Benadril. Call 800-283-6465 for exact dosages or to
report reactions. If a ferret reacts to FERVAC, then the next year use
Galaxy - D.
To receive a listing of ferret shelters, contacts, vets, suppliers,
breeders, clubs, etc., in your state by mail, send a LONG self addressed
stamped envelope to:
STAR* Ferrets
PO Box 1714
Springfield, VA 22151-0714
To review the ENTIRE listing, visit Ferret Central at
http://www.ferretcentral.org/
E-mail questions, corrections, or additions to: [log in to unmask]
Pamela E. Troutman, Director
[Posted in FML issue 2369]
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