>Date: Wed, 14 May 1997 05:33:00 -0500 >From: Bob Church <[log in to unmask]> >Subject: Bob C: Horrible Disease Excellent, excellent post Bob!!! Thank you for addressing this issue in such a way as to get folks to sit up and take notice and realize the seriousness of this awful disease. Unfortuantely, I have personally watched two ferrets die of this, it is an awful thing. Another important point is that the Distemper vaccinations MUST be done in the proper series with precise timing for the ferrets to be protected. You can't get the first shot when they're 8 weeks old, the second when they're 4 or 6 months old and skip the last and think they're protected just because you get the annual boosters. The boosters are of little help if the initial series is not done properly, because it is the initial series that builds/creates the immunity in the first place. For ferrets that have not had an appropriate series or that you are unsure of their vaccinations, it is best to be safe. I would recommend vaccinating them 3 times with Galaxy-D (giving a single vaccination at two week intervals until the series of 3 is completed), then a booster 6 months after the third shot, and then annually thereafter. Then you can sleep at night!! Trish Director, Ferrets First Rescue & Shelter [Posted in FML issue 1935]