From:
"jessicaanne917"
Date: 2007-10-20 20:37:17 UTC
Subject: [ferrethealth] Rabies vaccination reaction
To: ferrethealth@yahoogroups.com
My 2 year old, 2 lb 7 oz male MF ferret, Logan, had a reaction to his
rabies vaccine this morning. At the vet's, he was pre-treated with
.04 ml of Benadryl IM, then he was examined. About 15 minutes after
the pre-treatment, the Imrab3 vaccine was administered, again IM. I
waited a half hour in the office, and then headed home. As I was
driving home, he seemed a little sleepy, but I didn't think too much
of it, figuring it could be the Benadryl, trip to the vet's, or both.
When we were just about home (about 45 minutes after the
vaccination), he started vomiting. I turned around and headed back to
the vet's, and by the time we got there, he had vomited again several
times, had some diarrhea, was very lethargic and somewhat glassy-eyed.
He was given another .04 ml IM dose of Benadryl and .3ml of 2mg/ml
dexamethasone IM. The vomiting stopped and he seemed to perk up a
little, so they sent us home with the contact information of the local
emergency animal hospital and a copy of his charts just in case. When
we got home, he had some water and slept for a couple of hours, and
then went for some kibble. I noticed that he was grinding his teeth
as he ate the kibble, which is a new thing for him. I gave him some
baby food, and he still ground his teeth, but not quite as much. Any
ideas on what could be causing the teeth grinding and how I can help?
Has anyone else experienced that with a vaccination reaction?
Are there any studies, completed or not, about rabies vaccinations in
ferrets? I know that there is a current study about the distemper
titer levels going on, and that distemper vaccines cause reactions
more frequently, but what about rabies?
Also, I need to figure out what to do about future vaccinations, and
I'm looking for information and recommendations. I know some people
simply don't vaccinate any more (either at all or with the offending
vaccine), but since it's rabies, it's legally required. Not that it's
likely, but I'd hate myself if something happened and he was killed
because I decided not to vaccinate him. But does the risk outweigh
the benefit? Should I have titer levels tested before vaccinating?
If so, can most vets do this? I know that the acceptable ranges
aren't agreed upon, but is there a ballpark that I can go by? Also,
besides pre-medicating longer in advance, waiting longer at the vet,
and separating vaccines, are there any other recommendations for ways
to help prevent future reactions?
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