>I was going through my Jeffers catalog the other day because I will be >ordering vaccines for my dogs and cats. I went to look in the ferret >section and saw that they were selling Fervac-D vaccine. My questions >are, does anyone on here vaccinate their own ferrets? And what has been >your experience with vaccinating at home? Where do you order your >vaccines from? I know there is a risk of the ferret having a reaction >but thought I'd put these questions out there. Hi Melina I am a shelter and I vaccinate at home. Before you decide whether or not to vaccinate, I would urge you to talk with your vet - on how to properly administer the shot, what to do in case of a reaction and whether or not vaccinating at home is a viable alternative. The difference in cost is partly the issue for me - I give approximately 150 distemper shots each year (it varies - some ferrets released to the shelter are actually up-to-date on vax!). But the reason that your vet charges you $25 is because he/she is often giving a physical and is a trained professional with the knowledge of properly treating a reaction. I use Fervac-D to vaccinate - As previously discussed, Purevax (Merial) isn't available for sale to anyone but a veterinarian. There are certain 'rules' that I abide by when I vaccinate: 1 - I don't vaccinate when a vets office is not open; 2 - I will not vaccinate a ferret within a hour of the clinic closing; 3 - I premedicate with OTC liquid benadryl 30 minutes before vaccination; 4 - I have made arrangements with a vets office that is within 2 blocks of my house for those extreme anaphylactic reactions; 5 - I won't vaccinate more than 5 ferrets at a time; 6 - if one reacts, they all go; 7 - I buy my vaccines directly from United Vaccine and I have them shipped overnight. I prefer to purchase my vaccines from the manufacturer rather than a supplier - and no, its not cheaper purchasing from United. 8 - I will not vaccinate a ferret that appears to be sick in any way. Because of the nature of the immune system and its reaction to a vaccine, if I believe that the ferret is ill in any way, I quarantine and wait until the ferret is healthy. 9 - Before beginning the vaccinations, the carriers are ready, car is ready and I am ready, watching the clock. I don't relax until 1 hour has passed from the initial vaccination time; 11 - Ferrets with a previous history of reaction go to the vets, get pretreated with benadryl and receive a Galaxy-D shot. With Purevax on the scene, I'm fairly confident that Purevax will be substituted for Galaxy...I will not personally administer a vaccine to a ferret with a previous history of reaction. 10 - I will not vaccinate any ferrets other than my own or a shelter resident. My vet and I have discussed at length my decision to vaccinate at home - and he agrees reluctantly with me that by saving the cost of the vaccinations means that I can better afford other veterinary care...since I'm already spending at least $6,000/year, I don't think he has too much worry about losing business.. I have two reactions each year - its uncanny. Only two - and its been that way for the past 4 years. Before that, I think we had three or four at the most. Thats pretty good odds if you take into consideration that its 2 out of 150 vaccinations. I have only had one reaction that was dire enough that I thought I was going to lose the ferret - and luckily, she survived with no lasting side effects. My regular vet, Petcare, is 20 minutes away. There is a vet clinic that I don't use as a regular basis that is 2 blocks away. But I have discussed with them in advance emergency treatment for ferrets, just in case. Its nice to know that in the off chance that a major anaphylactic reaction occurs, there is a vet less than 5 minutes away ready to treat. As far as strange occurrances - my personal ferrets have never had a reaction to their distemper shots...and that goes back to 1985. It has always been a shelter ferret - and I observed my first distemper reaction in 1995. I hope that this helps.. Lisa Leidig, Head Ferret The Ferret Haven "By-the-Sea" www.ferrethaven.org [Posted in FML issue 3714]