Q: "My vet used glue to hold closed the spot where she took out [my ferret's] private parts. It makes me nervous..." A: Was the vet's name "Bobbit?" Now, *that* would make *me* nervous... Tissue glues are the latest thing and are even being used on humans. But I ran it through medline for you and I have to say that not only is tissue glue safe, it is also probably better for your ferret than old-fashioned sutures. With sutures, you can run the risk of introducing bacteria into the wound because the germs can travel down the suture into the body, it is less irritating so the ferret is more comfortable, it is faster, so there is less surgical time, and there is nothing to chew on or pull out. Best of all, you don't have to have a vet visit for removal or have to keep them clean from scabs. Besides, its really cool. I like tissue glues, and although the occasional ferret may ultimately show some sort of allergic reaction to them, I think they are the best alternative when circumstances allow its use. Talk to your vet about it. Q: "Each and every time [my ferret] has her distemper shot, she gets sick. Isn't there an alternative?" A: Only if you don't mind using a shovel. Let me put it this way. Canine distemper is 99.99% fatal in ferrets. No ifs, ands or buts. I have read or heard of a handful of ferrets that were, by some miracle, nursed through distemper, but they all suffered some sort of nervous system problem afterwards. In one case I am personally aware, the problems include brain damage and frequent seizures. The only real treatment (once the ferret has contracted distemper) that I know about is impractical in major vet hospitals, and impossible in clinics. It is the replacement of the serum plasma portion of the ferret's blood with plasma from a ferret having a high distemper-antibody titer. Try to get that from a vet drug store. Essentially, you are screwed and your ferret will die. All this is erased from the board with the use of canine distemper innoculations. There are two brands, and I have no wish to get into a meaningless debate on the safety of either. Do some ferret contract distemper when innoculated? Yes, some do. Do some ferrets have allergic reactions to some brands. Yes, they do. So what-the-hell what!? What is the alternatitive? To watch your ferret sicken, lose control over its body, scream in pain, have uncontrolable seizures, and finally die in its own vomit if you wait too long to have it put to sleep? At least with AIDS, someone will wear a ribbon. If you can get the "better" of the two innoculants, do so and feel lucky and smart. But if you can't, then for heaven's sake, use the other one. Over the last few years, I have heard all sorts of horror stories about this brand or that brand. For the individuals that have suffered a loss, I am truely sorry. But I also have to tell you, many of the "reactions" are minor and are probably *NOT* allergic reactions at all. Instead, some are the expected reaction of some individuals to the shot. For example, when I took shots to prevent typhus, I was extremely ill for four days; vomiting, the runs, high fever, swollen and painful arm, and a sincere wish to accidently fall from a cliff into a swimming pool full of broken glass. I felt horrible, and to make matters worse, my friend Dana had no reaction what-so-ever. I hated him. But the next week, when we had the shots for cholera, he got sick and I didn't even break into a sweat. Ferrets are just like people in that there is an individual response to an innoculation, and while the vet or the manufacturer can tell you the percentage of ferrets that might get sick, they cannot tell you which *ferret* will get sick. If your ferret has a bad reaction to the shot the first time it got it, it was probably not an allergic reaction, but a nasty response to the shot. It was a random event, impossible to predict. One other thing. Allergic reactions occur because a foreign substance (usually a protein) has been introduced into the body. The first time you are introduced to the substance, your body makes antibodies to it. That means you never have an allergic reaction the first time you are exposed to something. It is always the second time, or later. Now, it is true that two different substances that are very close biochemically can cause sympathetic reactions, but those instances are rare. If your ferret has never had a distemper shot, it is unlikely it will have an allergic reaction the first time. Also, allergic reactions produce specific symptoms, such as rashes, welts or hives, difficulty breathing, and shock. The symptoms usually respond rapidly to antihistimines and stimulants, which block the reaction and reverse the shock. If your ferret got sick and didn't respond to these treatments (assuming your ferret was healthy and the treatments done rapidly), or if the reaction was not immediate but some time later, then the ferret probably did not have an allergic reaction. It probably reacted to the distemper shot the same way I reacted to the typhus shot. Badly. I have the skills and knowledge to give distemper shots on my own, and I could save some money doing so, which in a 22-ferret-household can add up to a fair sum. But I refuse to do so. I rarely complain when breeders give the kit their first shot, because I know the chance of anaphylaxis is close to nill, but I refuse to take my ferrets to "innoculation fairs" unless a well-equiped vet is in attendance. The reason I won't innoculate my own ferrets is because I am not emotionally nor medically equiped to prevent or cure bad reactions. Allergic (anaphylactic) shock can be life-threatening, and I am trained to look at bones--not make instant medical decisions. My ferrets deserve a better veterinarian than myself. Bob C and 22 MO Neck-Bitin' Fools [Posted in FML issue 2422]