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Post by msav on Jan 30, 2014 10:06:04 GMT -5
My 3 youngsters will be seeing the vet for shots and checkup.
Mogwai, Tazz, and Bleu
in the past we have always got the distemper and rabies shots at the same time. We always gave the ferret dose of childrens benedryl 30 mins prior to the appointment.
I recently read that the the distemper and rabies shots should not be done together as it is too stressful on their little bodies. I know the vet will want to do both at the same time. should I have them make another appointment maybe a week after the first shot. And is the a preference to which shot to give first and which to give 2nd.
The decision to vaccinate is not a decision I came to quickly. I am in California and having proof of rabies vaccination could be life or death if confiscated. It is bad enough if they got taken from me it would be worse if they were also euthanized.
thanks for any input you can give
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Post by Deleted on Jan 30, 2014 11:01:40 GMT -5
I wish someone could explain why Ferrets are illegal. Everytime I read the law banning ferrets in the places that have made them illegal, I just don't get the reason (legalese). So silly! I certainly would also follow the recommended vaccinations, like you said...I wouldn't take the chance either.
Good Luck at the vet, and if you like the doc, we have a ferret list on the forum and you can add their name.
I've never used Benadryl, but have seen a few other ferrents offer it. It doesn't contain Acetaminophen, which is toxic to ferrets. I have Bach's Rescue Remedy for stress, and learned about it on the forum, but usually I am more stressed than my little guys, I should take the Benadryl! (giggle)
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Post by msav on Jan 30, 2014 11:39:41 GMT -5
Cassia My little sprite got a really bad reaction to her last rabies vaccine. My vet told me to skip giving her the vaccine in the future.
I already posted my 3 vets that I Use. I am lucky to have one of the premier ferret vets within 40 miles of me (Dr. Rene Gandolfi). Only draw back is he is very expensive. More than 3 times the cost of my other vets.
There is no reason for them to be illegal. It is estimated that over 500,000 ferrets live in California and 35% of the nations sales of ferret supplies are sold in California. The system is broken. We have jumped through all the legislative hoops, paid for an EIR from money raised by ferret lovers only to have our pleas ignored. I have no faith in politicians and government anymore. They have failed us. If I did not have such a great job here I would be out of here so fast.
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Post by Sherry on Jan 30, 2014 18:22:44 GMT -5
Just for safety's sake, do the rabies for the 3 younger. The distemper vaccine is no longer being produced anyway, and they are all feeling around trying to find the next best thing.
Again- do benadryl beforehand and if you can wait at the vet's for at least 45 minutes afterwards.
One thing I found that really helped if the vet was really pushing something I didn't want done in the past was simply to comment- "oh, it's free is it?" In other words I am not paying for what I don't want.
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Post by msav on Jan 30, 2014 20:51:52 GMT -5
they will have no problem waiting another week for the other vaccination and charge me another 3 vet visit charges. I don't mind paying it, if it is the safest for the wee ones.
I was told that the neovac d distemper was safe for use even though it is not approved for ferrets and is meant for puppies.
we made the appointment for Saturday morning so we will not be rush out the door. I know cassia had her reaction after the were doing my last ferret (good thing they did her first)
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Post by Sherry on Jan 31, 2014 9:44:39 GMT -5
Wait a minimum of two weeks between.
Our vet only charges an office visit for the one, second is just the shot itself.
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Post by msav on Feb 7, 2014 11:20:21 GMT -5
my appointment is tomorrow morning.
I just wanted to verify the dosage of Benadryl to give before vaccinations. I have written this down from my vet a while ago. It was stated that I needed to administer .4 ml per pound of ferret.
I also read that I should give the bubblegum flavored ad it is dye free, and to never give the Grape flavor because the dye is toxic to ferrets. I have always used the cherry flavor however it has red 30 and red 40 in it. The bubble gum has no dyes but it has saccharin sodium. I think I would rather give the dye than saccharin sodium to my ferret.
does anyone have any insight? It might just be better if the vet gives the Benadryl injection.
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Post by Sherry on Feb 7, 2014 23:09:38 GMT -5
My vet gives benedryl prior so can't help there sorry
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Post by unclejoe on Feb 8, 2014 13:05:19 GMT -5
Too late to make a difference here but thought I'd just mention that Benadryl is to prevent allergic reaction. If not given before the vaccination the vet would treat with Benadryl or another antihistamine. Always wait 45 minutes at the vet after the shot in case there is a reaction. Shots are given on different days so that if there is a reaction you will know which one caused it. We use the cherry flavor. It's only used in emergencies or for vaccines so minimal long term danger. If any.
@ Sherry: When did the distemper vax become unavailable?
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Post by msav on Feb 8, 2014 14:21:19 GMT -5
just got back from the vet. There was a mix up at the vet. They did not have the Nobivac DPv Vaccine on hand.
So to avoid a wasted trip, we got the imrab3 rabies vacccine done. Injections were done at 9:30am PST. We waited for an hour to be sure and we just got home. I am keeping an eye on them. Taz and Mogwai are sleeping right now and Bleu is chewing on some beef oxtail. I am keeping an eye on them for the next few hours but so far no abnormal behavior.
Am I correct in thinking there is more chance for reaction with the rabies vaccine than the distemper?
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Post by Heather on Feb 8, 2014 16:07:43 GMT -5
No...you're more likely to get a reaction to the distemper. Now, both of my imports reacted to the rabies vaccine, so the possibility is there. The distemper vaccine went out of production in late 2012. The last viable distemper vaccine was of June 2013. There were a number of vets who continued to use the past date vaccine with some horrific reactions (I know of 3 deaths reported). Was this because the vaccine was past date, or would these ferrets have reacted who knows. Please I'm referring to the ferret distemper, Merial's purevax distemper vaccine, it's the only "approved" ferret vaccine. If you want to read up on it you can on the AFA site www.ferret.org They promised to start production in Oct/Nov of 2013 but did not produce it. It was then promised to do a run of the vaccine in Feb 2014, no information as of yet. The AFA also posts the name of the recommended alternative. Do not use a multi vaccine, use only a distemper only vaccine. ciao |
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Post by msav on Feb 8, 2014 16:15:33 GMT -5
I have only had 8 ferrets, I only had 1 of the 8 react to the rabies, that is why I thought that. I only had 2 have the purevax, all the others got the galaxy d.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 5, 2014 14:56:55 GMT -5
Hi folks In the Uk the vaccine situation is quite different. We only need to legally get both rabies and CD shots if we want to take our ferrets travelling to Europe. If they stay in the UK there is no legal compulsion to vaccinate them at all for anything and many owners claim to have kept ferrets for years never even vaccinating for CD. It can also be difficult to find a ferret savvy vet. I was lucky I got a very savvy vet my first appt when I booked them in for their CD shots. I did the research and decided it was worth the risk to vaccinate as there had been some nasty cases of CD outbreaks in the last few years in some areas where almost all the ferrets died and the few survivors were vaccinated though not all vaccinated ferts lived it gives them better odds to make it than not vaccinating. Well that's what I that's what I feel anyways though I feel it is up to individual owners to decide what they think is best for their own ferts  In the Uk there is no approved ferret vaccine so we tend to use the dog combined one as there is no other choice. My guys got one dose each of 'canigen DHPPi when they were 11 weeks old. They were very good for the vet, it helped she handled them well no reactions and they were back playing in the hutch quite happily as if nothing happened What surprised me was when the vet said they only need to come back next year. I hag expected a 3 dose course like I had heard of that American ferrets get. She said that one dose is sufficient as any more can affect their wee bodies especially their kidneys. She also said next year I can opt for an antibody test and if it shows they are covered sufficiently I should not need to vaccinate them for up to 3 years I thought great - my vets not extorting me for money and was very aware of the problem of over vaccination. Also it works out that even though the shots were £40 per ferret they still work out cheaper to vaccinate than a pup or kitten. Next month they get microchipped |
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Post by Deleted on Aug 5, 2014 15:14:41 GMT -5
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Post by Deleted on Aug 5, 2014 16:37:24 GMT -5
No probs, I will look out the address tommorrow, don't know it as its only a five minute car journey for me so just popped up to book them in I know how to get there but not what the address is lol.
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