From:
star_1977_cl
Date: 2002-05-09 16:14:00 UTC
Subject: Distemper vaccine alternative
Hi
I've posted in this group before and I always find the info very
useful. I live in Chile and here we don't have distemper vaccines for
ferrets. And no hope to have one soon. I've posted about this before,
but now my doubts are different. We decided not no vaccinate Ringo,
but now the things will change.
This is my concern now: I'll be studying in vet school next year. My
ferret Ringo is not vaccinated against distemper because here the
vets prefer not to, because all the available vaccines are for dogs
and all of them are a combination of vaccines; there is no one just
for Distemper. I haven't heard of a ferret with distemper yet, and we
are also an ADV-free country. But with me going to vet school I'm
afraid that my contact with the Distemper virus could be deadly for
my ferret. I've talked about this with my vet and he said he can
vaccinate Ringo with a dog vaccine. There's one vaccine, a triple
one, against distemper, hepatitis and other disease that I don't
remember now. That would be our choice for Ringo.
My questions:
1. Is there a possibility that Ringo catches the disease (distemper)
from this vaccine?
I know that the vaccine shouldn't be cultivated in mammal tissue...
2. Are there more conditions for the vaccine? for example, it should
be a killed virus?
3. Are there any chances that he catches the other diseases?
4. Should I follow the instructions for ferrets with unknown history
of vaccination (2 doses and then annually)?
I'm sure that vaccinate will be the thing to do, because I'll be
exposed to the virus, but I want to make sure that we pick the safest
vaccine. I envy the people in the US with 2 approved vaccines!! here
we can only hope someday will be one for us.
Thanks in advance.
Sole & Ringo