Well, HodgePodge and Portnoy got their distemper vacs, w/ Fervac-D, and did not have a reaction. Yay! They also didn't really notice the actual shot, either. :) Unfortunately, I'm going to have to switch vets, b/c this vet displayed great ignorance, contempt for any knowledge on ferrets I might have, and close-mindedness. I read here on the FML about how there might be a greater chance of reaction if the shot is given in the neck, so it might be a good idea to do it in the rump. So I mentioned to her that I'd like her to give the shot there. Dr. Kanton said no. I told her why, and she steadfastly refused. Finally I told her that I wasn't talking about intramuscular, I meant subcutaneous in the rump (in case she was confused). She kept saying no, w/o giving any reasons except that "studies don't prove anything". When I pointed out that these are MY ferrets, after all, she said o.k., but acted like it was a big problem to her. She asked me, w/ the tone of voice like she was doubting my intelligence, if I knew how to scruff a ferret to help her hold them. ARGH! OF COURSE I know how to scruff a ferret. Then she began a tirade about Marshall Farms, and how they are the scourge of the earth. I told her that I am intimately familiar w/ both sides of the issue, and I personally feel that MF isn't all that bad. (No flames please, I'm not trying to convince anyone of my viewpoint.) So she switched to trying to convince me to buy Totally Ferret food, which is more expensive than I can manage, AND the kitten food I give my ferrets meets the requirements for ferrets. AND they like it. :) Part way through the exam,she demanded to know if I'm on the FML. When I said yes, she said "I could tell", in a condescending & irritated tone. I mentioned that Dr. Bruce Williams is a wonderful and very knowledgable vet, adn she said he doesn't know anything about living ferrets b/c he only sees them dead or sees tissue samples. She also thought it was very bizarre to wait between the distemper and rabies vaccinations, just in case, but I insisted. At this point I was VERY angry, and luckily the vaccinations and exams were over. I am still appalled and confused by this barrage of hostility. I also don't understand the "you can't possibly know anything about ferrets" attitude. I already knew alot, and reading the FML teaches me something new almost every day. Not only that, but I feel that those whom I listen to here are intelligent knowledgable people who give me something to learn. *sigh* Too bad, too, b/c this vet clinic is the closest to where I live. Dr. Kanton has a good assistant, Dr. Ackerman, who is young and open, and listens to what I have to say, and explains what she's doing, etc. All you could want in a vet. But I'm not going to support a vet like Dr. Kanton who closes her eyes to the possibility that there are still things to learn, and maybe a customer might come in w/ a fact that she didn't know! O.K., now I've ranted and raved enough. :) It's nice to be able to add 2 more ferrets to the ranks who haven't had reactions. I was so nervous! More so than my ferrets... ;) CA & DA (the humans), Eudora & Graham, cats ("how come THEY got to go out in the pet carrier??") and Hodge & Portnoy ("that lady didn't know enough about ferrets!!") [Posted in FML issue 1188]