From:
Steve Austin
Date: 2002-10-13 23:35:09 UTC
Subject: stray ferret quarantine questions
To: ferrethealth@smartgroups.com
Message-ID: <20021013.193524.1812.6.kazpat1@juno.com>
10-45 days, the 45 days is in the wild type, which I think
means the original canine distemper strain found
in the wild. The ferret adapted strains will
show signs much sooner ( the 10 days)
>From experience, the early signs of distemper
are very easy missed until they progress.
It takes a few days to weeks for it to progress,
perhaps depending on the ferrets vaccine history
or immune system, and strain of distemper.
Having seen it first hand,it did take about 3 weeks
for signs to show to where I would know for sure
it was distemper, and another 2 weeks to progress.
Of course, once I was sure what it was, I had to
put the ferret down before it did progress.
Bottom line is that it may take a few weeks to know
for sure if a ferret has distemper, if the ferret was found
wondering the streets, or from a humane society
or vet office where distemper may be seen, then I would
advise watching very carefully. Although, there are no
guarantees, a ferret coming in from someone's home
who has had it's shots would be much less a worry.
Someone made the point that the vaccine takes about
2 weeks to start protecting the animal, and if no vaccine
history is available, a booster shot is needed at about
this time. Here is what I would recommend:
Making sure all the ferrets in the home are
up to date before taking in a rescue, quarantining the
new ferret for about 2-3 weeks, in this time vet check,
vaccines can be started, ear mites looked for and stool checked
for parasites, and getting ADV test done. I don't know how
shelters do it on a regular basis.
Patty K
On Sun, 13 Oct 2002 22:45:16 +0100 (GMT+01:00) dhaner@twcny.rr.com
writes:
> Ok- Now I'm confused. Could the vets please tell us how long the
> incubation period for distemer is? My vet told me 7-10 days. Various
> internet sources quote 5-7 days, 10-14 days, and now the last post
> quotes 45 days. Which is right?
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