From:
jennjohanson@aol.com
Date: 2005-05-04 14:03:07 UTC
Subject: diarrhea after rabies vaccination
To: ferrethealth@smartgroups.com
Message-ID: <482998.1115215388974.JavaMail.root@thallium.smartgroups.com>
Hi All,
Before my question, I would like to say I really appreciate all of the amazingly useful information I find in the FHL archives. Thanks to all who contribute.
My 1 year old male, named Gravy, had an allergic reaction to a rabies vaccination administered 4 days ago. He was pre-treated with "0.05 of diphenhydramine 50 mg Benadryl injection", which I'm taking to mean he was given 2.5 mg. We waited for ~25 minutes after the Benadryl injection before rabies vaccination. However, he had a reaction at 30 minutes after the rabies shot, symptoms were vomiting and diarrhea. We were still at the vet's office so were able to get treatment immediately, and symptoms never progressed past the vomiting and diarrhea.
Since then, he has not had a solid stool (I definitely know he was having "normal" stools prior to the vaccination). He has control as he has not had accidents outside of the litterboxes. The feces appear to contain digested material, there is no appearance of seediness. It is consistently brown, no apparent blood. Otherwise, he is his normal, wonderful self.
I am in contact with my veterinarian. However, I am one of THOSE owners who believes in being well-educated, from a couple/few reputable sources. My veterinarian is also receptive to suggestions. So, to that end--
1) Why would the allergic event cause diarrhea lasting for days?
2) How can I make him more comfortable? Treatments?
3) In general, when does one worry about diarrhea in a ferret?
As an aside, owners please sit with your ferret in the vet's office after every vaccination. I would recommend 1 hour. I know Gravy's allergic reaction really showed itself at 30-35 minutes after vaccination. Pretreatment doesn't guarantee a ferret won't react (I'm not meaning to scare anyone, it's important to recognize this as a possibility). Successful earlier vaccinations don't guarantee a ferret won't react (Gravy had his distemper vaccine with no problems 2 weeks ago...inherent differences in how the vaccines are made contribute to reactions?). Just to be safe, hang around. Believe me, I'm glad I did.
Thanks for reading this and I look forward to receiving information and suggestions.
Jen (and Pete)
Kip and Gravy (the ferts!)
Maggie, Bailey and Tanky (the canines!)