Christine Belsom wrote:
>Also, my vet informed me that as for rabies vaccines, it is illegal to
>vaccinate ferrets for rabies even with Imrab because rabies vaccines were
>tested with ferret cells.  He said that maybe if they develop a killed one
>that they might legalize it, but he's not sure.
 
I always find it distressing it is to hear stories like this.  Imrab 3 IS a
killed vaccine, and has been approved by the USDA since 1990 for use in
ferrets.  Where your vet got the info from I don't know.  Tell your vet to
crack open the January 1, 1997 JAVMA (I'm making the leap of faith that he
gets it, but if he doesn't, or has tossed it, I'll be happy to fax him the
article, just email me privately.) On page 34 of the journal (second page of
the article, on the third box from the bottom is the info for Imrab 3.  He
is correct in is his assertation that ferrets should ONLY be vaccinated with
a killed vaccine.  Before Imrab was approved, the care sheet I got from my
college exotics (1983) class recommended a killed vaccine of murine (mouse)
origin.  This can be used as a recommendation for those in countries where
Imrab 3 is not available.
 
Randy Sellers ("mcduff") wrote:
>and then we have to take into account environmental factors (remember
>rabies acts differently in New York than in New Mexico).  I'm not making
>this up.  This comes from a conversation I had with Suzanne Jenkins years
>ago when she was in charge of the Compendium committee.
 
Could you please elaborate on this?  I have no idea what she would have
meant by this statement.  The virus is what it is; I would expect it to act
the same in a dog that lives in NY or New Mexico.  The only 'environmental'
factors I can think of is which animals act as vectors in different areas.
 
Raccoon strain is common here in NY (all along the east coast I think), and
the skunk strains are common in other areas.  Bat varients are found in
every US state except Alaska (too cold I guess) and Hawaii (rabies free).
 
The different varients may show slightly different 'behaviors' in terms of
incubation period, shedding, etc., but I wouldn't call those environmental
factors.
[Posted in FML issue 2112]