From:
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Date: 2004-03-05 06:09:47 UTC
Subject: Re: [ferrethealth] vaccine reactions
To: ferrethealth@smartgroups.com
Message-ID: <19157736.1078486793075.JavaMail.nobody@chromium.smartgroups.com>
>He said our ferret had had a reaction. (I blamed myself knowing all I had read on the fml).
There is no reason for guilt. Ferrets react all too often to vaccines.
There are safeguards such as vaccinating for CDV and RV separately, waiting at the
vet office, and pre-treating to suppress allergic response, but there really
is no way to prevent reactions entirely. The chances seem to increase the
more times the ferret has been vaccinated and if you own ferrets you're very
likely to have at least one react in it's lifetime, so not your fault or anyone's.
>Now this puzzled me, one of our previous (now departed) furries had had shock
and they just gave him a shot and he was on his way home. Why did they have
to put him on ivs.
Reactions vary from mild to severe and from basically harmless allergic
symptoms (like rash) to anaphylactic shock. The timespan between reaction and vet
care will often change their choice of treatment as well. The first ferret
was probably treated with dexamethasone, Benadryl, Recovr, or etc. to suppress
the immune reaction. The second was probably given the same drug but may have
either been in true shock, where blood pressure drops and there is inadequate
tissue perfusion requiring large amounts of fluid therapy, or he may have had
severe vomiting and diarrhea after you handed him off, and the fluids given to
prevent dehydration.
>This is a puzzle--is it possible that he received brain damage?
It's possible, but as has already been suggested, the drugs they treated him
with could be having side effects causing the behavior. He could also be sore
from the injections and IV catheter and be defensive as a common reaction to
pain in animals.
>I could imagine now their minds were clicking maalpractice which of course
we would never do as they are super vets and accidents happen.
This was not an accident or any fault of the veterinarian's. Any animal can
have an allergic reaction to vaccine components, it happens in dogs, cats,
livestock, and very often in ferrets. The vet didn't do anything wrong or
neglect anything in their care, this is an inherent risk of vaccines.