From:
lisaatty@aol.com
Date: 2009-03-12 14:57:08 UTC
Subject: [ferrethealth] Re: Vaccination reactions
To: ferrethealth@yahoogroups.com
Hello everyone,
I have made the decision to not further vaccinate my girls, who are four.
My question for others is do you think I am putting them at real risk? I know
it is a balancing of the risks, but I remember when my first ferret was
getting older and my very experienced ferret vet suggested that we should stop
vaccinating. Then, when I got my three new girls in 2004 (after having just
had Katie, my first wonderful ferret, who lived until almost 9) I dutifully
started the vaccinations. But after reading so much about reactions (even
though I recognize that many of those are simply normal responses to the vaccine),
I decided that if Katie could stop at age 6, my new girls were going to stop
at age 3. They live in their own bedroom and never go out except to go to
the vet. No street shoes are allowed in the room, they are rarely exposed to
another human besides me or spouse and I am meticulous about what I expose
them to. They hate going to the vet and it is stressful to them. My
understanding is that although it is awful, the incidence of rabies and distemper in
ferrets is very rare. I love my girls so much. Could people weigh on whether
those of us who have made this decision are really taking an appreciable
risk, versus a very tiny one?
thanks,
Lisa
[Why not have titers done? Then you will know who
is least likely to need the vaccine and who is most
likely. We're doing that next week.
See:
http://www.ferret.org/news/07-april-titer_study.html
In studies of canine distemper when 75% of the ferrets
were vaccinated distemper did not move efficiently
through a large population so some unvaccinated ones
remained safe, but when 25% of the ferrets were vaccinated
then all the unvaccinated ones got the disease. Those
studies were referred to in the first edition of Fox's _Biology
and Diseases of the Ferret_ so are probably also mentioned
in the second edition.
Believe me, having encountered both CDV and vaccine
reactions, canine distemper is a far worse experience.
I've seen it in a dog long ago.
Older ferrets should have half yearly exams when well,
more often if not well. -- Moderator]
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