From:
Sukie Crandall
Date: 2011-06-26 16:19:21 UTC
Subject: [ferrethealth] Reminders in relation to Canine Distemper since it is showing up quite a bit already this year in ferrets nationally
To: FML List <ferret-l@LISTSERV.FERRETMAILINGLIST.ORG>, fhl <ferrethealth@yahoogroups.com>
Especially note these portions of the abstract:
> In control ferrets, CDV infection caused fever, rash, conjunctivitis, cough, coryza, and diarrhea. In contrast, control ferrets that were given 30 mg of vitamin A did not develop
> typical distemper after infection and exhibited only a mild rash. The supplement
> did not negatively affect ferret health and resulted in a 100% increase in serum
> and liver vitamin A concentrations.
and
> We also found that profound vitamin A deficiency is inducible in ferrets and can be rapidly reversed upon high-dose vitamin A supplementation. Vitamin A deficiency caused anorexia, diarrhea, cataracts, behavioral abnormalities, and ultimately death, with or without CDV
> infection.
and
> All ferrets that received vitamin A supplements, however, recovered uneventfully from CDV infection.
That some of the foods used for ferrets might be too low in Vitamin A for ferrets is something I know some veterinary nutritionists have considered.
The article is:
> 1. J Nutr. 2007 Aug;137(8):1916-22.
>
> Disease manifestations of canine distemper virus infection in ferrets are
> modulated by vitamin A status.
>
> Rodeheffer C, von Messling V, Milot S, Lepine F, Manges AR, Ward BJ.
>
> McGill University Health Centre Research Institute, Faculty of Medicine, Division
> of Infectious Diseases, Montreal General Hospital, Montreal, QC, Canada.
The full article is available for free and all veterinarians who treat ferrets should have it on hand so help your vets help your ferrets:
http://jn.nutrition.org/content/137/8/1916.full.pdf+html
I have been in communication with Brian Ward and he has confirmed that the amounts of Vitamin A are correct. This should not be a surprise for anyone who considers ferret ancestry rather than human ancestry. So, I will quote myself to save time and spare my eyes: Don't be overly scared of Vitamin A (but beware too much D for ferrets, as with dogs). For ferrets both A and D are different than they are for people. We need more D than we often get but can not tolerate much A. Ferrets are the opposite. It traces back to ancestry, with them having long backgrounds of liver eating and crepuscular activity with burrow dwelling. whereas our ancestors got most of their Calories from plant sources and were diurnal.
Readers of the FHL and FML will notice that in the NW State shelter they found that the common factor for which ferrets got canine distemper was that those ferrets did NOT have the full kit series of vaccinations. Since too many newbies and too many pet stores (the exceptions being a few with knowledgeable managers and the ferrets that Petsmart used to sell abut 6 years ago before they stopped since they did not sell below age 12 and all the kits had the full distemper vaccine series and a rabies shot on board when sold) don't realize the importance of the kit series.
The upshot is reminders sent from vets that all shelters and adopters need to know that ferrets with undocumented vaccine histories probably should have more than one canine distemper vaccine or have a titer run, and so many, many thanks to the people in Washington State who made sure that people know this. See also:
http://ferrethealth.org/archive/FHL13494
and
http://ferrethealth.org/archive/FHL13457
There is also research ongoing to use Interferon along with Vitamin A during CDV outbreaks. My apologies for forgetting the name of the vet in Texas who is researching this though I think that I recall a short name beginning with W because I seem to remember thinking that was cool since another person with s short name beginning with a W was among those who did the research on A. Then again, I am only a few days past my most recent glaucoma surgery so I am not seeing well, my body is a bit stressed, and I can't skim well yet or read much for now, so I could be goofing up. I know I have that name somewhere but just can not find it with the difficulty skimming. I SHOULD have it in my head but don't.
http://ferrethealth.org/archive/FHL13453
and
http://ferrethealth.org/archive/FHL13466
There have also been recent posts in the FML and FHL on what to take into account when considering vaccine types. The ones not (yet for some?) okayed for use in ferrets do NOT have sufficient effectiveness and safety studies behind them, though one of those has a very small safety study (so only a preliminary study so far), and one uses a variation upon a previous vaccine, but then the things to consider are: modified vaccines are not always as safe or effective as the tested ones had been, if a ferret cell line is used then attenuated vaccines can actually give ferrets CDV, and when the vaccine is put in combination with other vaccines (including ones that won't do any good for ferrets like parvo vaccines) then the risk of a vaccine reaction is increased. Links to the FHL and FML Archives are in my sig lines; the FML link is always also in each day's FML header, and the FHL links to the FHL archive are on the FHL homepage.
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/
http://www.ferrethealth.msu.edu/
http://www.ferretcongress.org/
http://www.trifl.org/index.shtml
http://homepage.mac.com/sukie/sukiesferretlinks.html
all ferret topics:
http://listserv.ferretmailinglist.org/archives/ferret-search.html
"All hail the procrastinators for they shall rule the world tomorrow."
(2010, Steve Crandall)
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