>Has anyone ever heard of or had their ferret doctor use the MERIAL
>canine distemper vaccine?
 
Merial makes the Purevax canine distemper vaccine for ferrets.  It has
only been out a handful of years, and seems to have a lower reaction
rate than the older two CD vaccines: Galaxy-D and Fervac-D.
 
Imrab 3 is the only approved rabies vaccine I'm aware of.
 
I'm sure your vet tech just got herself confused when she was talking to
you.  Fervac is indeed a distemper vaccine.
 
It's not really clear to discuss the "Merial vaccine" in those exact
words as Merial makes many vaccines and other pharmaceuticals (including
Heartgard, Enacard and Ivomec).  There's a little room for confusion that
way.  But, to answer your question, their Purevax vaccine is indeed a
distemper vaccine, and is currently regarded as the safest to use in
ferrets.
 
roger
[Posted in FML issue 4444]