From:
"April Armstrong Campbell"
Date: 2003-07-23 04:52:17 UTC
Subject: Reaction Rates for Rabies Vaccs?
To: <ferrethealth@smartgroups.com>
Cc: <rvaughn@pobox.com>
Message-ID: <BAY1-DAV44zmrtlx3XZ0001a10f@hotmail.com>
I speak from personal experience here: Rabies reactions are not as common,=
but they do happen-the only two vax reactions my ferrets have ever had wer=
e to rabies, not distemper. Two of my ferrets reacted to their last rabies=
vax with bloody diarrhea and vomiting-one 45 minutes after the vax and one=
an hour and a half after vax (which is pretty unusually late). Both had b=
een pretreated with Benadryl. We gave them intramuscular Benadryl after th=
ey started reacting, and they were both fine and having crazy time within a=
n hour of geting home. If I had left the office after only 15 minutes or a=
half hour, I would have been home when they started reacting, and if the f=
irst one hadn't reacted, I would have been home with the second one for som=
e time! (I'm not suggesting you wait for an hour and a half-that was a fre=
ak occurrence, I think, but I think at least 45 minutes to maybe even an ho=
ur is prudent.)
Anaphylactic reactions, the really life-threatening ones, generally happen =
within 15 minutes, but I tell all of our ferret clients to please stick aro=
und for at least 45 minutes after their vaccines. You definitely don't wan=
t to be in the car on your way home with an anaphylactic reaction. We just=
had a ferret client with one of those (to distemper) and in addition to th=
e IM Benadryl, he required oxygen and dex. and subcutaneous fluids and had =
to spend the day with us.
Moral: ALWAYS stick around for AT LEAST 45 minutes after ANY vax, pretreat=
with Benadryl (unless you and your vet are of the school of thought that t=
his just masks reaction signs-some people feel this way; I prefer to pretre=
at), and DON'T do both rabies and distemper at the same time-I want to know=
WHICH vaccine my ferret reacted to. Also, if you have a lot of ferrets, t=
ry to split up their vaccine appointments-if a lot of them have reactions, =
it'd be nice if your vet didn't have to choose which ones to focus on when =
every second counts...
My two cents!
-April AC
"To: <ferrethealth@smartgroups.com>
From: "Roger Vaughn" <rvaughn@pobox.com>
Message-ID: <2207.192.168.132.34.1058920115.squirrel@mail.seaconinc.com>
We talk about distemper vaccs all the time, but I was wondering...
Does anyone know the typical reaction rates - and severity of reaction
- for rabies vaccs?
I don't make it a practice to wait in the vet's office after a rabies
shot like I do a distemper shot, but I was wondering if perhaps I
should.
Thanks.
roger & the wolverine wannabees
missing bear and lancelot"