My eye is not happy today so find the many useful bits in these quoted
pieces, please.
It is absolutely essential that:
1. Any ferrets in shelters who do not have a clearly proven history
of having the properly times kit series of CD vaccines have a series
of two or three distemper vaccinations with one of the established
vaccines timed two to three weeks apart. One vaccine only is
INSUFFICIENT for a great many ferrets who come into shelters because
too many of those did not have the foundation series.
2. That measures be taken to prevent transmission between newly added
animals and existing animals (including shoe changes between rooms and
not using the same equipment in the different rooms).
3. That people realize that there ARE ways to treat now with the aim
of reducing losses when CDV (Canine Distemper Virus) breaks out in a
shelter such as vaccinating the rest and using Vitamin A
supplementation and antivirals.
etc.
http://jn.nutrition.org/content/137/8/1916.long
which is
2007 American Society for Nutrition
Disease Manifestations of Canine Distemper Virus Infection in Ferrets
Are Modulated by Vitamin A Status
Brian Ward is now with a different university. I thanked him a few
years ago when his research helped cut losses at a ferret shelter.
He's a nice guy, and -- yes -- the amount mentioned in the article IS
accurate. (There is a lot of misplaced worry about getting too much
Vitamin A into ferrets. It can happen, of course, but overdose of
Vitamin A is much, much, much, much harder to achieve in animals with a
long ancestry of liver eating than it is to achieve in humans; on the
other hand it is much easier to wind up with animals who have either
crepuscular or nocturnal ancestry winding up with too much Vitamin D
whereas we humans need quite a lot of that.) Too little Vitamin A
leaves ferrets far more vulnerable to Canine Distemper. See the article
and the notes from shelters who have used this as part of their
approach since that article came out and was mentioned many dozens of
times on the FHL and FML.
See also:
http://ferrethealth.org/archive/FHL13494
QUOTE
Just as an FYI, I presented at the IFC in Pittsburgh a couple years or
so ago and mentioned high dose Vitamin A as a treatment option. I'm
glad that it's being investigated further - it's wonderful that it is
working for at least some of the ferrets.
Bottom line from this CDV experience is this:
1) There are treatment options for diseases that are being worked on
and studied every day. If a disease shows up and you don't mention it,
you won't find out about these treatment options. The ferret community
needs to be aware that coming out about such a thing is frightening and
those people who do should not be maligned for it, as no one wants to
have their shelter or home be the next one hit, and be afraid to seek
help by being open about it.
2) Ferrets with unknown or incomplete vaccination history need to
complete a series of vaccines (or have a titer run that shows a high
antibody level) before being considered protected.
Dr. Ruth
END QUOTE
For when Purevax is not available:
http://ferrethealth.org/archive/FHL14928
QUOTE
At this time, my personal recommendation when Purevax is no longer
available is to use Nobivac DPv it is the same distemper strain that
was in GalaxyD and therefore has proven effectiveness in ferrets. It
is, of course, off-label use and should be discussed with your own
veterinarian.
Dr. Ruth
END QUOTE
IMPORTANT: Notice that this is NOT Neovac which has NO proof that it
even works in ferrets.
Because the separate archives lacks recent posts but Yahoogroups has
the FHL down right now I am having to check what I have in files here
such as:
QUOTE OF A PIECE OF MY OWN
<http://stlouis.cbslocal.com/2013/03/06/sharp-rise-in-distemper-among-st-louis-county-raccoons/>
Reminders:
Any ferret which did not have the full kit series and then the one year
annual booster will need two sequential canine distemper vaccines about
2 to three weeks apart. This also goes for shelters and people not
realizing this is thought to be an important part of why several
shelters have experienced Canine Distemper outbreaks.
Ferrets may not require annual canine distemper vaccines once they have
that important foundation, though individuals can vary so some might
need vaccines more often than others, and titers can give an idea of
the ferret's personal coverage. One of ours never maintained good
enough titer numbers from one year to the next to skip vaccination,
for example, but we had two others with such very high titer results
that they might have been more at risk of a reaction had they been
vaccinated. We use Cornell for the titers we have done. This study has
been completed but the submission form is something for you to save
http://www.ferret.org/pdfs/titer_study_cornell_form.pdf
A week ago I could not find it online so was glad to locate it again
so all can copy it and again have the contact info for submissions and
forms:
http://www.ferret.org/pdfs/titer_study_cornell_form.pdf
AHDL Contacts
NYS Animal Health Diagnostic Laboratory
College of Veterinary Medicine, Cornell University in Partnership with
the NYS Dept of Ag & Markets
AHDL Contacts
Phone: 607-253-3900
Fax: 607-253-3943
Web: diaglab.vet.cornell.edu
E-mail: [log in to unmask]
US Postal Service Address: PO Box 5786
Ithaca, NY 14852-5786
Courier Service Address: Upper Tower Rd Ithaca, NY 14853
Having sufficient Vitamin A onboard appears to give some increased
resistance and is an essential part of treatment in homes or shelters
when Canine Distemper occurs there. Full article for free:
http://jn.nutrition.org/content/137/8/1916.long
Quoted Abstract (and the dosing is correct, having contacted Dr. Ward
while he was there):
The measles virus (MV) causes half a million childhood deaths annually.
Vitamin A supplements significantly reduce measles-associated mortality
and morbidity. The mechanisms whereby vitamin A acts against MV are
not understood and currently there is no satisfactory small animal
model for MV infection. We report on the development of a ferret model
to study antiviral activity of vitamin A against canine distemper
virus (CDV). CDV is closely related to MV at the molecular level and
distemper in ferrets mimics measles in humans. We infected vitamin
A-replete (control) and vitamin A-depleted ferrets with CDV and
assessed the ability of high-dose vitamin A supplements to influence
CDV disease. In control ferrets, CDV infection caused fever, rash,
conjunctivitis, cough, coryza, and diarrhea. In contrast, control
ferrets that were given 30 mg of vitamin A did not develop typical
distemper after infection and exhibited only a mild rash. The
supplement did not negatively affect ferret health and resulted in a
100% increase in serum and liver vitamin A concentrations. We also
found that profound vitamin A deficiency is inducible in ferrets and
can be rapidly reversed upon high-dose vitamin A supplementation.
Vitamin A deficiency caused anorexia, diarrhea, cataracts, behavioral
abnormalities, and ultimately death, with or without CDV infection.
All ferrets that received vitamin A supplements, however, recovered
uneventfully from CDV infection. These results replicate many aspects
of the observations of vitamin A therapy in humans with measles and
suggest that CDV infection in ferrets is an appropriate model for the
study of the antiviral mechanism of vitamin A.
http://ferrethealth.org/archive/FHL9659
includes:
>I have communicated with Dr. Brian Ward who was one of the study
>authors and he sent this information for the FHL membership:
START QUOTE
Hello Sukie
No typo or error ... When we launched this study, we had no idea what
the kinetics of vitamin A deficiency and sufficiency were in ferrets
and we decided to give a good large dose to replenish depleted stores.
There was no toxicity associated with the 50,000IU daily dose x2 and
this dose is not so different from the WHO recommended 100,000 IU daily
for 3 days for small kids (a good sized ferret weighs ~1-1.5 kg in my
experience).
Brian
END QUOTE
http://ferrethealth.org/archive/FHL13524
Canine Distemper has a friable envelop which is sensitive to heat and
lack of humidity, so on things like clothing under the most extreme
conditions used it can last for years if frozen in ice, but can fall
apart if exposed to very hot and dry conditions. Of course, when left
in a yard or park or on the bottom of your shoe in animal feces it is
somewhat protected by the feces and therefore more of a risk to your
ferret, and infected coughing and sneezing, or social grooming ferrets
or dogs also pose an obvious risk.
Missouri article:
<http://stlouis.cbslocal.com/2013/03/06/sharp-rise-in-distemper-among-st-louis-county-raccoons/>
You will be able to find more on
<http://www.promedmail.org>
when that website has the new links in the menu on your left there.
END QUOTE [No START QUOTE matched this one. BIG]
This was part of a discussion on why it is important to know that
distemper can be carried in on clothing and especially on shoes. Sorry,
but I have only a patchwork in my own files and my eye limits what I
can do in terms of looking up things.
Because Canine Distemper does NOT show symptoms immediately, having a
space of asymptomatic time first, it may never be possible to know the
route but it IS possible to know how to minimize losses.
QUOTE of a past post of mine on CDV transmission from shoes:
-Date: Wed, 26 Jun 2013 09:52:10 -0400
-From: [log in to unmask]
-Subject: on distemper surviving on shoes (when it might be as short as
a half hour, or as long as three hours, or longer) and more
For more on this recent topic in just one URL (Click open posts there.):
http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/ferrethealth/message/19471
More is in the archives of the FML and the FHL as well as elsewhere,
including information from shelters which have fought CD and
veterinarians who have helped them do so.
http://listserv.ferretmailinglist.org/archives/ferret-search.html
http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/ferrethealth/
http://ferrethealth.org/archive/
Why is this topic so important?
It is important because on rare occasion vaccines do not work.
It is important because shelters and some other rescuers get in
ferrets with unknown vaccination histories.
It is important because compromised ferrets sometimes are not
vaccinated for health reasons.
It is important because some compromised ferrets and ones getting
certain medications can not develop good immunity even when vaccinated.
It is important because some ferrets are too allergic to the vaccine
or to the medium in which the vaccine is delivered to be vaccinated.
It is important because the exact titer number for protection against
CD is not known but is a currently a very educated guess.
It is important because some people choose to not vaccinate even when
it is possible. (Frankly, having personally seen Canine Distemper in
few types of animals and rabies in one in my work and in more through
my life I can tell you that almost anyone who has seen the disease
itself is going to have a very different take than that. Having asked
around I so far have not found one person who has encountered those
diseases personally who does not vaccinate -- though some, like us, do
titers.)
It is important because there is research indicating that some pet
ferrets do not get sufficient vitamin A in their diets to help fight
off infection with CD (not a substitute for vaccinating but a help).
It is important because CD infection is an absolutely horrible way to
die, especially after it goes to the central nervous system.
It is important because the cost of the vitamin A, antivirals, extra
vaccines, and other needs in shelters which get CD is enormous.
It is important because of the emotional and physical toll of caring
for animals which are so ill.
It is important because a home, store, or shelter with an infected
animal can have people carry that disease to other homes, shelters, or
stores. It has happened and the actual experts say it has happened.
Just see the easily found references I have included in past posts
then go on to find more on your own.
It is important because not all ferrets have had the foundation series
of CD vaccines as kits and without that (or the substitute of at least
two CD vaccines two or three weeks apart) there is not sufficient
resistance.
Direct exposure which basically means the ferrets sneezing or coughing
in each other's faces or grooming each other or sharing a litter pan
is not only a way of delivering more virus but it is a more common way
to spread the virus, BUT cases where the ONLY possibility was INdirect
exposure exist and sadly are not all that rare. So, to be safe indirect
exposure can not be discounted. Ferrets' lives can be lost in some
homes and shelters and stores if they make that mistake since not all
ferrets are protected from the virus.
When indirect transfer of canine distemper (which happens to have been
mentioned in the past as probably the most common, and in some cases
only possible, cause of some cases of canine distemper in pet store
ferrets and those kits are often not sufficiently protected by vaccines
due to age and some bad practices) occurs it is hard to impossible to
define the exact route, whether on shoes, clothing or what other
surface..
Not knowing exactly which surface was involved veterinary pathologists
and virologists -- the EXPERTS -- have put together most likely
scenarios for that situation and for other situations -- as in home
cases of CD and some of the shelter cases. The reason that those
experts in this topic repeatedly mention -- including in educational
gatherings attended in the past by multiple FML and FHL members --
being so concerned about shoes are:
1. The chances of stepping into infected material is higher than
getting it on the rest of clothing for most people because Canine
Distemper is so common among wild, feral, and unvaccinated animals in
so many locations worldwide. (BTW, Grey County had an alert this week
of very high levels:
http://www.promedmail.org/direct.php?id=20130625.1790449 ).
2. On shoes it can be fecal matter which may be caught in areas like
between treads. Protected like that under many home conditions the
inner portion will not dry out sufficiently within the typical three
hours for the virus on exposed surfaces in studies in home conditions.
(Though a person living in certain conditions which are rare for most
of the nation may be safer in that regard due to extreme dryness just
as those living in some other extremes will be worse off than most due
to higher humidity.) That is why one ferret veterinarian in her URL
mentioned earlier this week specifically mentioned the timeframe of
one day.
3. Ferrets and dogs find shoes attractive and mouth them often.
4. Ferrets and dogs also investigate novel scents like fecal ones on
shoes.
Further info on the disease itself:
<http://www.ferrethealth.msu.edu/Diseases/Introduction_And_Neuropathology.pdf>
about 1/3rd of the way down
<http://www.ferrethealth.msu.edu/Presentations/Distemper_in_a_Ferret.pdf>
These refs above are slightly old. For example, there are some
treatment approaches now, using vitamin A (important) and antivirals,
and some of the mentioned vaccines no longer exist though one related
to Galaxy does and Purevax does (though it is too often in short supply
due to not having enough and frequent enough dedicated production line
time).
So, it is combination of shoes being the portion of clothing most
likely to encounter and trap waste material containing viable virus
especially fecal material which will shield the virus from drying out
and from being exposed to light, of knowing firmly that in the typical
home setting even when exposed on surfaces rather than protected in
feces in shoe treads the virus remains viably infective for three hours
(so the stuff in shoe treads is a problem for longer), and of knowing
that ferrets and dogs like to investigate novel smells (especially
fecal ones) and play with shoes.
Yes, indirect transfer is less common than direct, but it has happened
and as list members saw in the many very easily found references on
that which were already shared with the lists. This information is
easily found by anyone who wants to look and the actual experts agree
it is enough of the risk to repeatedly publicly warn about, in their
websites and in their lectures. Many list members will have been
present at such lectures for example, through the work of the IFC.
The timeframe easily allows for transmission of infective virus, too.
Rather than the 10 minutes for virus infective viability stated in one
FML member's post (without references) several days ago you will see in
the multiple expert references I provided for list members this week
that under typical U.S. home conditions (which these days also exist in
most vehicles) that three hours of the virus being viable on surfaces
is typical but that under the wrong conditions it can be longer, and
under optimal conditions the best case is still at least 30 minutes.
(Frozen CD virus can remain viable for years, though.) For example,
there have been list member shelters with *very* separate areas for
new ferrets and ferrets known to be health which have had it get from
the isolation room to the other areas by indirect transfer. (Remember
that it does not travel long distances in air due to the friability of
the fatty envelope around the virus in those conditions.)
So, you can see why calculating the exact rate for indirect
transmission from shoes is so impossible AND why the actual
veterinary pathologists, virologists, public health veterinarians,
epidemiologists, and the treating veterinarians who try so valiantly
to help infected animals consider shoes to be a risk for indirect
transmission and why a number of them have repeatedly said exactly
that. Not having an exact rate does not mean that the rate is high,
but it also DOES NOT MEAN THAT THE RATE IS LOW. It just means that
it is not known, so imposing an interpretation of the level of risk
is highly inaccurate and potentially could kill someone's treasured
ferret or dog, an outcome that I think we all want to avoid.
END QUOTE
See also other posts such as these (and if the search function is still
down at the FHL then check with that afterward)
http://jvi.asm.org/content/81/8/4158.long
http://ferrethealth.org/archive/FHL13415
http://ferrethealth.org/archive/FHL13255
<http://listserv.ferretmailinglist.org/SCRIPTS/WA-FERRET.EXE?A2=ind0910&L=FERRET-SEARCH&P=R1883>
<http://listserv.ferretmailinglist.org/SCRIPTS/WA-FERRET.EXE?A2=ind0908&L=FERRET-SEARCH&P=R877>
Sukie (not a vet) Ferrets make the world a game.
Recommended ferret health links:
http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/ferrethealth/
http://ferrethealth.org/archive/
http://www.miamiferret.org/
http://www.ferrethealth.msu.edu/
all ferret topics:
http://listserv.ferretmailinglist.org/archives/ferret-search.html
"All hail the procrastinators for they shall rule the world tomorrow."
(2010, Steve Crandall)
A nation is as free as the least within it.
[Posted in FML 7896]
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