From:
swamp
Date: 2001-05-17 17:03:00 UTC
Subject: Re: [Ferret-Health-list] Are we over vaccinating our
ferrets?
At 07:11 PM 5/17/2001 +0000, Chris noted:
>(moderators note - I hesitate to re-open this discussion as we have done
>it quite thoroughly and with a great deal of finger pointing. Still the
>article is very well written and it is such a valid concern I decided to
>go ahead and put it through... so, hopefully reprinted with permission,
>here it is. Thanks Vickie!... I would point out, don't vaccinate and if
>your ferret scratches someone, it's a death sentence.....with that said, CCB)
Sorry to quibble with a moderator's note, but I must point out that
vaccination history is no longer a factor in cases where a ferret bites or
scratches a human. In 1998 the Compendium was amended to provide that "a
healthy dog, cat, or ferret that bites a person should be confined and
observed daily for 10 days."
In no way is this offered as a reason not to vaccinate; failing to maintain
timely vaccinations is foolish in all but the most extreme cases, imo. I
just thought it important that ferret owners know their recourses if their
ferrets bite. The final decision will probably come down to your local
public health veterinarian and possibly muni court, but the federal
recommendation is quarantine and if your local powers suggest a different
course of action they'd better have compelling reasons. You can find a
printable version of the Compendium at:
http://www.avma.org/pubhlth/rabcont.asp
I've said my piece on the vaccination debate already so I'll let the rest
of you carry on.
Rob