First off - I want you all to know that I am NOT picking or flaming Lydia! Fact is, I really like her, but thought I should give you all my opinion on vaccines ... I just couldn't help myself! <g> >From: EI - Lydia Russell <[log in to unmask]> >Subject: petco for vaccinations >... the vets here gave Benedryll pretreatment 30 minutes before the shot, >I thought it was standard practice. This is absolutely not standard practice. Some vets don't know about the common reactions that ferrets can suffer from after CDVs. Many owners pretreat themselves with Children's Benedryl before heading to the vet's clinic. >After Bubbas horrible reaction I won't ever do a distemper at Petco I >take a chance. But that could have happened at your vet's office as well. At ANY vet's office. >Both babies had to have 2 shots of Benedryll to calm them down. Benedryl does not "calm them down". It acts as an antihistamine and counter acts the reaction they are having from the vaccination. But we knew what you meant (just wanted to clarify for others). >From: HL Russell <[log in to unmask]> >Subject: petco >There must be some problems with the Recto Shots. This is unlikely - unless they do not store them properly or the shipper did not handle them correctly. This can happen even at a vet's office. I once had a vet tell me that she could not include on a health certificate that I had given a CDV. When I asked her why, she gave me a very excellent answer. What she told me made me really think about vaccinations and reactions (and really respect her for it - even if I never went back to her because she didn't meet my ferret "basic knowledge" standards). She told me that #1 - to protect herself, she couldn't verify that I had even given that animal the vaccine (even though she saw the stickers from the bottles). And #2 that she couldn't know if the vaccination was handled correctly by the sender, the shipper, or by myself. She told me that has an effect on how effective the vaccine is. So what if the vaccines sat in a hot truck all day long - or all weekend long? The CDVs are supposed to be kept at certain temps. - what if that is not done? Does that help create reactions? How about the expiration of the vaccine? Or how about the length the vaccine is mixed and sitting in the syringe waiting to be injected? Most offices mix them prior to the visit (makes the visit shorter and lets the vaccine warm up to room temp which is more comfortable for the animal). But do you know how your vet handles their vaccines? Or the shipper? Or how about the location where you or the vet got the vaccine? Probably not. And neither does PetCo, your vet, a breeder, or a shelter. And how does stress effect the vaccination process? Many animals get stressed out just by riding in the car, let alone going to the vet's office and getting poked with a big needle. When I gave vaccines, I knew how they were handled on my end, that the animal's stress level was minimised, and that I was giving the vaccine properly. In the whole time giving CDVs, I have had two reactions and they were both from the same batch/10 pack container. Both animals had never had a reaction before - or since. I strongly feel that this was due to the fact that I did not order straight from United, but as a one off from a different location. At least I know United knows the correct storage for the vaccines and I can get them shipped next day and they arrive in a "cooler". The other company I used was cheaper (go figure) and arrived in a "cooler", but I do not know how the vaccines were stored and handled. Was that the reason for a reaction? I do not know. Luckily, the reactions were not too serious and an oral dose of Benedryl brought them back from the reaction. Just something to think about. Best Regards! Amy Flemming Flemming Farms Perth, Western Australia [Posted in FML issue 3087]