From:
Sukie Crandall
Date: 2009-01-07 17:07:19 UTC
Subject: [ferrethealth] Re: should I vaccinate elderly ferret for distemper
To: fhl <ferrethealth@yahoogroups.com>
Here's what i found with some quick skimming and other searchers are
sure to find more:
http://ferrethealth.org/archive/FHL5606
> Date: Tue, 22 Jul 2008 19:24:59 EDT
> To: ferrethealth@yahoogroups.com
> Subject: [ferrethealth] Re:With regards to recent vaccination
> questions, what are 'titer levels
>
> Titers are a measurement of the level of antibody in an animal's
> blood and in
> some diseases can be used to predict whether an animal has enough
> protection
> to be able to fight an exposure to the disease the antibody is
> against.
> Research is just now being started on titer levels in ferrets - we
> do NOT know what
> the protective level is in ferrets. Right now we are looking at what
> the
> levels are, and what they do over time. We do know that a titer
> against
> distemper of 32 or greater is protective for dogs, big cats, and sea
> lions. Odds are
> that a titer of the same level may be protective in ferrets - but
> that is NOT
> proven.
>
> What does that mean clinically? Well, it means that you need to
> discuss with
> your veterinarian whether to vaccinate or run a titer and vaccinate
> (or not)
> based on the results. Regardless, kits and unvaccinated ferrets need
> to be
> vaccinated properly prior to looking into titers.
>
> Dr. Ruth
> *****************************************
> Save lives - spay or neuter your pet.
http://ferrethealth.org/archive/FHL5598
> Date: Mon, 21 Jul 2008 20:29:43 EDT
> To: ferrethealth@yahoogroups.com
> Subject: Comments on whether to vaccinate Re: [ferrethealth] Digest
> Number 1218
>
>
>
> In a message dated 07/19/08 5:04:35 AM Eastern Daylight Time,
> ferrethealth@yahoogroups.com writes:
>
> Is there any reason why they absolutely should be vaccinated? Has
> anyone else
> decided not to vaccinate thier ferrets
>
>
> **Yes, there is a reason why ferrets absolutely should be vaccinated
> against
> canine distemper - it is an airborne illness, highly contagious to
> ferrets,
> and invariably fatal. EVERY ferret kit should complete their distemper
> vaccination series with the last vaccine in that series occurring
> between 15 and 16
> weeks old. If vaccines have not been done prior to that, they need a
> course of
> two shots, three weeks apart, to be fully protected. Now, after
> that, it is
> possible that they will be protected long-term - that is NOT known
> for sure
> yet, and the only current way to be certain that your ferret will
> not get
> distemper and die from it is to vaccinate yearly. Titers, as we
> learn more, are
> indicating that yearly is probably not necessary, but that is still
> untested data.
>
> Having your ferret die of canine distemper - a completely
> preventable disease
> - is a horrible thought. And that, by the way, is coming from
> someone who
> has had one of my own personal ferrets die of a vaccine reaction. My
> kits are
> all vaccinated. At a year old and annually after that, I run a
> titer, and
> booster if I think the titer is too low. But kits need to be
> vaccinated.
>
>
> Rabies is a completely different issue, but again, I think at the
> very least,
> kits should be vaccinated, and then repeated depending on risk level
> for
> possible legal exposure, not so much medical exposure. IMO, at any
> rate.
>
> Dr. Ruth
> *****************************************
> Save lives - spay or neuter your pet.
http://ferrethealth.org/archive/FHL3755
> Date: Fri, 25 Jan 2008 17:27:28 EST
> To: ferrethealth@yahoogroups.com
> Subject: Re Distemper titer questions Re: [ferrethealth] Digest
> Number 1039
>
> In a message dated 01/25/08 5:37:54 AM Eastern Standard Time,
> ferrethealth@yahoogroups.com writes:
>
> **First of all, remember that no one has established what the
> protective
> titer levels are in ferrets!**
>
>
>
> 1. Does anyone have thoughts/experience with 1:32 as adequate
> coverage in a wildlife-raccoon-coverage in a wil
>
> **A titer of 1:32 is known to be protective in dogs and in the big
> cats. It
> is *LIKELY* to be protective in ferrets, but that is not known for
> sure.
> Personally, I'd booster even a dog with a titer of 1:32 in an area
> where there was
> a lot of distemper.
>
> My personal opinion is that a titer of 1:64 is a safer cut-off point
> at this
> time for ferrets.**
>
>
>
> 2. I know that baby shots plus a 1 year booster, and then a 2-3 year
> break without any boosters is an alternatve "protocol" that some
> people have been using....has anyone done this and had titers
> tested???? If so, what were the titer levels????
>
> **Insufficient data yet, as far as my study is concerned.**
>
>
>
> 3. Has anybody done titer's one year after giving the "baby
> series" only? If so, what was the result???
>
> **Again, insufficient data for a full answer. I can tell you that I
> have
> personal ferrets that I've done this with and some of them have had
> great titers
> (200 plus) and only one so far has had a low titer.**
>
>
>
> It looks like the 1-year shot made a big difference in the titer
> levels, which lends some credibility to the "baby shots plus the1-
> year booster" approach. ( Of couse, this assumes that my fourth, big
> & wonderfully obnoxious boy has a reasonably decent immune system.)
> And, I understand that titers, at any level, do not guarantee
> anything.
>
>
> **Absolutely. Unfortunately, we are just in the early stages of
> getting the
> data needed to answer these questions, so the bottom line is you and
> your vet
> still have to assess individual risk and vaccinate or not based on
> that.**
>
> Dr. Ruth
> *****************************************
> Save lives - spay or neuter your pet.
Sukie (not a vet)
Recommended ferret health links:
http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/ferrethealth/
http://ferrethealth.org/archive/
http://www.afip.org/ferrets/index.html
http://www.miamiferret.org/fhc/
http://www.ferretcongress.org/
http://www.trifl.org/index.shtml
http://homepage.mac.com/sukie/sukiesferretlinks.html
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
------------------------------------
Yahoo! Groups Links
<*> To visit your group on the web, go to:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ferrethealth/
<*> Your email settings:
Individual Email | Traditional
<*> To change settings online go to:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ferrethealth/join
(Yahoo! ID required)
<*> To change settings via email:
mailto:ferrethealth-digest@yahoogroups.com
mailto:ferrethealth-fullfeatured@yahoogroups.com
<*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
ferrethealth-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com
<*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to:
http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/