Donna asked:
>Has anyone as of yet, or plan to in the future , to do a study as to how
>often we have to have our little ones vaccinated or if the vaccine builds
>up in their systems.  Why is there not a vaccine that can be given only
>every two or three years, like the vaccine that there is for cats?
 
Hi Donna--
 
There are lots of people who are very concerned about the effects of
over-vaccinating animals (and of course people).  You can find some
introductory info on this at:
 
http://www.altvetmed.com/
Then look under "vaccination decisions."
 
Unfortunately, no one knows how long vaccines last in ferrets.
 
However, you might want to look into having "titers" done, at least for
distemper.  I can't give you a technical explanation, but my understanding
is that a titer (test) will tell you how much immunity your animal has for
a certain disease.
 
However, with the rabies vaccine you are protecting your ferret from
ignorant people as well as from rabies, probably more so.  If your ferrets
are exposed to ANYONE (inside your house or outside), it is important to
keep their rabies vaccine up to date (yearly).  There have been way too
many stories about ferrets being killed to be tested for rabies, and it
doesn't matter what the real story is, or if the ferret actually bit or
scratched someone etc etc etc.  There is still a lot of ignorance out
there and if some local official decides your unvaccinated ferret who bit
someone needs to be killed and tested for rabies, they can do that.
 
There are no easy answers.  After carefully looking into the subject, it's
something that each person must decide for themselves.
 
Best wishes,
Ronnie
[Posted in FML issue 3412]