From:
Sukie Crandall
Date: 2012-01-21 21:29:52 UTC
Subject: [ferrethealth] a bit more on Neovac and on adrenal disease
To: fhl <ferrethealth@yahoogroups.com>, FML List <ferret-l@LISTSERV.FERRETMAILINGLIST.ORG>
This post assumes people have seen the preceding posts on the FHL or the FML, or both since both in the last few days have had some good info which needs to be considered.
I forgot to include the link for the Ferret Adrenal TN Panel:
http://www.vet.utk.edu/diagnostic/endocrinology/index.php
The first sentence of my recent adrenal post makes much more sense with a comma in it:
> Once the FDA gives an approval date for the Minor Use Minor Species
> application placed by Virbac U.S. and Peptech, Suprelorin will be sold
> in the U.S.A.
I forgot to include this in the discussion of Neovac.
http://ferrethealth.org/archive/FHL13457
There are bargains and then there are choices which are made with too little information that turn out to truly burn people. Here is an old example: When Steve was a teen in college he found himself one year with no Thanksgiving dinner invitation and $2 in his pocket. Knowing way, way too little about nutrition he figured that he should get whatever would provide dense calories for under a couple of bucks. He bought cake frosting. BAD choice and one for which he paid.
Now, here is a current example:
If people who have options decide to spend their money to use a canine distemper vaccine that has not been proven to actually work in ferrets and which has had only short term safety work in only a handful of ferrets then that is like thinking that frosting is a meal.
Think it through:
If it does not work you will wind up with disease vulnerability increased. If you have a shelter then you can pass along an increased disease vulnerability to the animal families of others and perhaps have legal responsibility for doing so.
Now, I can understand the argument that some are interested in field testing, so let's discuss how to safely, fairly, and legally handle field testing if the manufacturer is not accepting the cost of doing the testing.
I am sure that others will know this topic better but here is what occurs to me to consider:
1. You need to find out what the legalities, laws and regulations are for using an unproven vaccine. If the ferrets will then be adopted to someone else or sold to someone else you need to know if that increases your culpability. Check with your lawyer, your state public health veterinarian, and your local community. Know that potential buyers or adopters will need to be informed beforehand and should also collect data at the expense of the manufacturer. In some places it may be illegal for you to use a vaccine that does not have governmental approval for use in ferrets, and might even put you in a position to have your shelter or breeding facility become illegal and shut down, or for you to be sued.
2. You should not have to pay to be a test site. Why should you pay for something that might not work? Yes, it might work, but then the manufacturer gets value from data collected, so don't become a chumpÂ…
3. Titers by an independent expert need to be done; these should also be reimbursed by the manufacturer. See past FHL and FML posts in archives about getting titers done at Cornell, for example. It should be arranged that the results go to your treating veterinarian who then can share them with the manufacturer. Because the vaccines might not work do wait at least 3 weeks after vaccines to do the first titers, then repeat on the schedule which your vet and other experts recommend, perhaps every 3 months but at least every 6 months.
4. Any responsible manufacturer will want to collect the data and later present the full picture, BUT will also want that to be accurate, so the treating veterinarians should be able to publicly at any time during the study share info with other vets including on VIN if the titers come back at bad levels, and the manufacturer should include in any article a table the specifically lists the test locations by name so that it is obvious that the manufacturer is open to being checked.
5. Know that in using any unproven vaccine you are taking risks, and in encouraging others to use unproven vaccines you may be placing yourself in a difficult spot in relation to legalities, so instead of just passing along what you like of what you have read also pass along the short comings, questions, and what data does not exist.
6. Time kit vaccines, dosing, etc, according to what the treating vets recommend, especially because ferret kits rapidly lose protection. See an included FHL post link today and two in a previous post of mine on this topic.
Sukie (not a vet)
Recommended ferret health links:
http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/ferrethealth/
http://ferrethealth.org/archive/
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)
On change for its own sake: "You can go really fast if you just jump off the cliff."
(2010, Steve Crandall)
[Bottom line from the veterinarians who contacted me - you are risking your ferrets' lives if you use this vaccine. Moderator (TD)].
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
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