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Post by Sherry on Feb 15, 2011 11:03:38 GMT -5
They get the oddest stools on antibiotics, mainly because it clears the good as well as the bad flora from the digestive tract. You may want to give her some plain full fat yogurt after the meds are finished, to help repopulate it.
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Post by kristinb on Feb 25, 2011 15:09:36 GMT -5
Tomorrow is her last day of antibiotics! Woohoo! 21 days since she first got sick. Seems like eons ago now. I've only given her a fluid injection once this week and it was cuz I paniced and thought she wasn't being active enough after only playing for an hour (she just wanted to lay down and sleep). So I ran and gave her a fluid injection, which rather pissed her off actually and then I realized I think she was just bored with what we were doing haha whoops. So yeah, only 3 more doses of antibiotics to go, and then maybe life can return to some semblance of being normal. She was due to go in today to see her normal vet (not the emerg one we had to use) and get her rabies and umm...distemper vaccines i think. But we had a huge snow storm. So now she has to wait until Wednesday. Plain yogurt? I dont eat yogurt but I dont recall ever seeing one with a flavour before Ill have to check when I get groceries.
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Post by Heather on Feb 25, 2011 15:13:42 GMT -5
Don't give her the vaccines....not yet. Please. Only healthy fuzzes get vaccines and never ever together. Please you've been through so much with this little one. No vaccines, give her at least 6 months. If she had ECE it will be enough to set her back again. I'm glad that she's doing so well, you've done fantastic by your little one. You're an awesome ferrant ciao
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Post by kristinb on Feb 25, 2011 15:21:15 GMT -5
Why would the vet say she should have them if she shouldn't be?
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Post by Deleted on Feb 25, 2011 15:41:55 GMT -5
Vets are told to push vaccines. It's what they do, unfortunately. I'd wait minimum 3 months, preferably 6 like Heather said.
Consider the need for each vaccine carefully. Rabies is only transferred by being bit by a rabid animal. That is pretty unlikely to happen. Distemper is easily transmitted, but make sure there is actually a risk of distemper in your area.
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Post by Heather on Feb 25, 2011 15:41:59 GMT -5
It says right on the box that an animal must be healthy to get their vaccines. I don't know why a vet wouldn't suggest that you postpone your vaccines until later. I think they sometimes don't think that the warning is there for a reason. You can see if anyone else pops in to tell you different. I know I don't hold much water in this respect because I don't vaccinate but I do try and be objective when discussing it with those that do. Even when vaccinating one should never, ever vaccinate an animal who is sick or been resently as sick as your little one. ciao
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Post by kristinb on Feb 25, 2011 15:43:51 GMT -5
I've done some snooping online the last 15 or 20 minutes, and I've tracked down the petstore that I believe Jinx's previous mom bought her from. I just called and spoke to the owner, and he confirmed he gets all his ferrets now from Real Canadian ferrets,which is what I assumed based on the tattoo in her ear. He also said when he gets them they come with their "first sets of shots" but he wasn't sure exactly what that was. The guy apparently usually gets them in around 8 weeks what shots do you think this would mean she's already had? First round of distemper and that's it? Or would that have included rabies as well?
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Post by kristinb on Feb 25, 2011 15:51:48 GMT -5
One of the reasons I was going to vaccinate her for rabies, was for one, in order to travel across the border with her (I live close the the Canada/US border), she has to have a vaccination certificate. At least from the sketchy amounts of information I've been able to gather about this? The distemper vaccine was because we have been discussing getting a puppy the last few months and I do like to bring Jinx out and about with me to visit friends as she loves people and some of them own dogs. Mind you, I think all these dogs are vaccinated but since distemper is fatal to ferrets I thought it would be safest to finish getting these boosters?
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Post by Deleted on Feb 25, 2011 16:07:16 GMT -5
So most farm kits come with a temporary vaccine. It will not provide lifelong protection for your per (if any at all - the mothers antibodies probably cancel it out). You should wait until the ferret is 4-6 months old if you are going to vaccinate. That way, the maternal antibodies won't interfere. The choice is yours to vaccinate If you are traveling out of the county, vaccines will be necessary. Distemper is very easy to transmit - a dog with distemper can sneeze on your shoe. Then you walk in your house and Jinx licks your shoe. It's that easy the exact lifepan of the distemper virus isn't known, but it can survive pretty long in cold environments from what I've read. Nevertheless, whatever you decide, I'd wait until Jinx has some time to recover. Her immune system is shot from all the antibiotics. Also, vaccines don't need to be done every year. I believe that titers have shown high level of antibodies years after vaccinations.
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Post by kristinb on Feb 25, 2011 16:08:00 GMT -5
I also, the more I read about ECE, become more uncertain that's what she's got. I keep re-reading how foul smelling ECE poops are and that simply wasn't the case with hers at all. Is that a given with ALL ferrets who get ECE?
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Post by kristinb on Feb 25, 2011 16:09:35 GMT -5
So most farm kits come with a temporary vaccine. It will not provide lifelong protection for your per (if any at all - the mothers antibodies probably cancel it out). You should wait until the ferret is 4-6 months old if you are going to vaccinate. That way, the maternal antibodies won't interfere. The choice is yours to vaccinate If you are traveling out of the county, vaccines will be necessary. Distemper is very easy to transmit - a dog with distemper can sneeze on your shoe. Then you walk in your house and Jinx licks your shoe. It's that easy the exact lifepan of the distemper virus isn't known, but it can survive pretty long in cold environments from what I've read. Nevertheless, whatever you decide, I'd wait until Jinx has some time to recover. Her immune system is shot from all the antibiotics. Also, vaccines don't need to be done every year. I believe that titers have shown high level of antibodies years after vaccinations. She does like to try and eat our shoes haha. Alright I will call and cancel the appointment for the vaccines perhaps have them done in the summer.
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Post by Heather on Feb 25, 2011 16:09:39 GMT -5
The initial shot that your little one has got is distemper. At 8 weeks it probably wasn't viable (mom's immune system). You do require an up to date rabies vaccine cert. to take her back and forth across the border. Do you think you would be travelling extensively with her in the next 6 months? I'm guessing that your pup is going to get the full distemper series? That vaccine sheds the virus, meaning that your ferret will get innoculated passively. My pup (guess he's not that anymore ) played with another dog after it got it's distemper vaccine....my pup showed a high titre to the distemper virus (meaning that his immune system was activated against distemper, which is exactly what the vaccine does). My dog has never had any vaccines. My dogs and ferrets go everywhere with me, except on border crossings. I don't vaccinate. My dog's parents weren't vaccinated, nor was his grandsire (granddam was imported from Europe, so a rabies and distemper is manditory). I don't advice anyone to go the route that I have gone without extensive study of the pros and cons of vaccinations and the immune system as it responds to attacks both by virus and by vaccines. So, what I'm telling you isn't don't vaccinate. Just don't vaccinate now. Wait. Give your little girl time to recouperate and get her immune system in order. ciao
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