INTRODUCTION Boy, do we have plenty of personal experience with vaccination reactions! It has gotten to the point where everyone at our vet's office knows us very well. We must have the record for time spent at our vet's office during routine exams/vaccinations. However, I will say first off that I am not a veterinarian, nor do I play one on TV! For the full story on our ferrets see: http://www.servtech.com/public/greenman/ferrets.html SQUIRT'S RABIES VACCINE REACTIONS Squirt, our oldest, has had two anaphylactic reactions to rabies vaccines. By "anaphylactic" I mean SEVERE ANAPHYLAXIS -- blue gums, vomiting, uncontrolled urinating and defecating, no response to stimulus, etc. Basically, his body was to the point where it was shutting down all "non-essential" functions. His second one happened even though he had been pre-medicated. Needless to say, we no longer have Squirt vaccinated against rabies. However, we strongly urge every ferret owner to vaccinate their ferrets against rabies. The decision not to vaccinate a ferret against rabies can only be made on an individual basis, and the best default course of action that can be taken is to vaccinate until such a time as it proves to be more dangerous to the ferret's life than the possibility of contracting the disease. Many things must be taken into account in the making of such a decision, including, but not limited to: o The ferret's lifestyle -- 100% indoors, or sometimes outdoors o The severity of the vaccine reaction o The health and medical history of the ferret o The local, state, and federal laws regarding this issue o The local attitudes toward ferrets o The adivce of ferret-experienced veterinarians o The communicability of the disease in question o The interaction of the ferret with people other than yourself o Your attitude toward what will happen to your ferret if a bite incident does occur after deciding not to vaccinate The worst part of our decision to no longer vaccinate Squirt against rabies is that he can no longer be the great ferret ambassador that he once was. We try to protect him from even the possibility of a biting incident with strangers by not letting others handle him any more. We are very very disappointed at this turn of events because he has always been our most gentle ferret and a terrific poster child for the ferret cause wherever we've taken him. ATLAS' CANINE DISTEMPER VACCINE REACTIONS Atlas, one our youngest, has had two severe reactions to canine distemper vaccines. At one year of age he received his canine distemper vaccination. Several minutes later he started turing bright red in the muzzle and ears, and vomiting uncontrollably. The vet took Atlas into the back room where they medicated him, put him on oxygen, and into an incubator. Almost an hour later Atlas was brought out to us. He was still a bit out of it, and as a result very sleepy and snuggly. We waited a bit longer at the vet's to make sure he was going to be alright, and then headed home. Atlas stayed in our arms all the way home, keeping warm by being snuggly. We kept an eye on him for the rest of the weekend, and by the next day he was up and running around like normal. At two years of age Atlas was premedicated and then given his canine distemper vaccination about ten minutes later. We waited at the vet's office for almost 45 minutes after his vaccination shot was administred. During that time Atlas exhibited the following symptoms: o He became a bit more sedate that usual. o The pads on his feet became a bit warmer than usual, and so did the top of his head. o The pads on his feet turned a slightly brighter shade pink than usual, but did not turn bright red. o His ears seemed slightly brighter than ususal as did his muzzle, but less so than the pads on his feet. o The right side of his face below his eye down near his muzzle became slightly puffy. Other than that he seemed to be okay. So, we took him home, and later that day he was back to normal, romping around with everyone else. Now in 1998 Atlas is three. We took him to the vet's again where he got his check up, premedication, and his canine distemper vaccination (rabies would be done at a later time as we continue to do vaccinations on separate visits). About 30 minutes later Atlas still exhibited even fewer symptoms that he had the year before. "We're in luck," we thought, so we headed home. Upon arriving home Altas started vomiting and going limp. I rushed him back to the vet's -- thankfully, only 10 minutes away -- while Kim called to let them know I was on the way with Atlas. At the vet's office Atlas had stopped vomiting, but was still a bit limp, and had trouble standing and walking. Thankfully, he wasn't yet as bad off as our previous experiences with Squirt! After the usual hydration, medication, glucose intake, oxygen, and incubator treatment he was back in my arms. I waited another 30 minutes before departing for home again. Atlas slept for the rest of that day and night, but by the next day he was mostly back to himself again. Needless to say, we're wondering what next year will bring. SUGGESTIONS FOR VISITS TO THE VET'S OFFICE FOR VACCINATIONS These suggestions do not guarantee good results from vaccinations, but rather try to help manage any problems that may occur. Your mileage may vary. o Give vaccinations one per visit. o Separate visits by at least two weeks. o Stay around at the vet's office for at least 30 minutes after the vaccination is administered. o If in a cold climate during the winter time, try to minimize the effects of going from the cozy warm vet's office out into the cold to the cold car. Minimize the chances of shock. We usually wrap a big towel around our ferret carrier in the winter -- that cold wind can be quite a shock! o Make sure your vet is ready to handle any reactions that do occur. o If there is a history of bad reactions with your ferret, then make sure that you are the only appointment scheduled for the time of your visit. Needless to say, after all of our troubles, we have the full attention of our vet when we visit for vaccinations. :) I am sure that there are many other good suggestions as well, but these are all I can think of off the top of my head. Check the Ferret FAQ at Ferret Central for even more info at: http://www.optics.rochester.edu/users/pgreene/central.html Take care, everyone! Michael - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Michael C. Burkard | All I needed to know in life I Work: [log in to unmask] | learned from my ferrets: Dance Home: [log in to unmask] | for joy often, play often, and My opinions only. | be determined in your ventures. [Posted in FML issue 2229]