From:
"Sukie Crandall"
Date: 2007-11-08 18:12:22 UTC
Subject: [ferrethealth] Re: reactions to shots
To: ferrethealth@yahoogroups.com
Certainly, reactions happen, and those who have anaphylactic reactions can die. Luckily,
with prompt care they usually do not.
The vast majority of ferrets do not react and never will, but the information from the titer
studies that are going on will take us to the first step in knowing how much more time we
can have between canine distemper vaccines. This is an effort the ferret community can
turn into a reality just as it worked to get a USDA approved rabies vaccine for ferrets, the
apparently safer Purevax vaccine (lower reaction rate in studies), and improvements to the
"Compendium for Animal Rabies Prevention and Control" which led to states destroying
far, far fewer ferrets.
I do not know if one of the studies is seeking funding or titer results but this one has
moved to the larger stage where it needs participation by those who love ferrets:
http://www.ferret.org/news/07-april-titer_study.shtm
The person wanted tips to avoid bringing in canine distemper. There are more in the
easily searched archives which contains abut 6 2/3 years of posts (just as there is other
related info):
http://ferrethealth.org/archive/
Here are a few:
1. leave your shoes outdoors.
2. avoid interacting with animals whose health and background you don't know (including
in pet stores)
3. when you break 2 then wash yourself and your clothing before handling your ferrets
4. do not put the ferret down outside
You get the idea...
It is also important to tell reactions from the expected "feeling crummy" response that an
immune system being taught to recognize an invaders can have -- think of how you feel
after some vaccines as part of the normal response which says that the vaccine is actually
working.
Of course, a pronounced reaction involving collapse is easy to tell apart from a normal
sickish feeling. BTW, the blood in the diarrhea does not indicate injury but is due to the
fluid loss with an anaphylactic reaction happening so fast that blood cells are flooded
across the membranes in large numbers.
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