From:
bill and diane killian
Date: 2001-03-17 18:34:00 UTC
Subject: Re: [Ferret-Health-list] CD vaccination information/Vet Question
Question
----- Original Message -----
From: <ChaoticFer8s@a...>
To: <Ferret-Health-list@yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Saturday, March 17, 2001 11:01 AM
> In a message dated 3/16/01 5:31:06 PM Eastern Standard Time,
> ferretwise@m... writes:
>
> I don't start my kits on their vaccination series until they have
completely
> weaned from their mother, and on the theory that the kits are recieving
> antibodies for protection until fully weaned. Since I keep my kits with
> their mother until they are between 12-15 weeks of age, and frequently see
> the kits continue to nurse until near or at that age before completely
> weaning, I give vaccinations on a schedule that would be considered late.
> Therefore, it is not unusual for a kit to go to a new home before
receiving
> the complete series of three.
If the vet from United Vaccines that was at the vet seminar in NYC a while
back was right, if you wait until after week 11 to start then you only need
the two. This is the same as weith the adults of unknown background. That
might have been Dr. Curlee.
What he told me (and perhaps others as I don't recall how much was in
personal conversations and how much in his presentation) was tyhat the
series of three really was a series of two with an extra. Sometimes the
mother's immunities would wear off by week 8 so the important shots were at
weeks 8 and 11. Sometimes the mother's immunities wouldn't wear off that
early and the 8 week shot lost it's effects to the mother's passed on
immunitites thus in those ferrets the week 11 and week 14 shots were the
important two.
I do not believe that information is published in any source I've seen.
I'm also not sure how that affects the ferrets from the ranches that get
their first shots at the ranch at age 5 or 6 weeks. It would seem that they
would still need shots at about age 11 and 14 weeks. But should they end up
with 4 shots? Or should they have the second shot delayed more than three
weeks after the first?
I think that whether the shots are Fervac-D or Galaxy-D wouldn't affect
things much. Assuming that Galaxy-D is actually effective in ferrets - it
probably is despite not having been tested per se.