Just received a reply from Dr. Brown concerning Fervac-D and the dilemna caused by the discontinuance. Dr. Brown reiterates that FervacD is legally the only vaccine available. She and others are encouragin Solvay to test GalaxyD, but they cannot as yet guarantee its safety in ferrets. She did say the she *used* to have a lot of reactions to FervacD, mostly stinging but a few more severe allergic reactions. She also mentioned that there seems to be a trend amongst related ferrets to be more sensitive (i.e. littermates). She is also sad that there is no longer a choice, but said that honestly she has seen just as many serious reactions to FrommD of late, and has heard similar reports from other practitioners. She stresses that ANY vaccine has the potential for this problem, and that she has seen many ferrets react to BOTH Fervac and FrommD. She suggests that if there is a history of reaction, the ferret should be premedicated with antihistamine and kept in the hospital for a few hours to observe. She personally has never had a death from vaccination in ferrets, though she has heard of some reported, as has occurred in dogs and cats as well for years, not to mention humans. In closing, she says, `I think that the Fervac D is a perfectly acceptable choice with the changes they made in the formulation of the vehicle over the last few years and I use it exclusively now with no more problems than the former Fromm D.' My own additional $.02 is that although the risk of a ferret contracting distemper is small, if it were to happen, there is absolutely no cure. As far as we know, it is 100% lethal in ferrets. Our loved ones escape, they go for walks, and occassionally have to stay in places where there may be unvaccinated or even sick animals. Many wild species, including raccoons which frequent our backyards, carry distemper. Vaccinating a sensitive animal is a risk. But it is one for which we can be prepared. Accidents are not. I don't mean to sound ominous; I guess I'm just a big fan of preventative medicine. I look forward to the day when we have more than one distemper vaccine to choose from myself. Laura Laura L'Heureux U. of Illinois Vet Med Class of `96 [log in to unmask] [Posted in FML issue 1035]