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Post by Deleted on Jun 28, 2012 20:32:13 GMT -5
most of my 10 ferrets are not vaccinated. my youngest is 5 months. I am doing volunteer work at our local shelter whare I groom dogs and cats. we are starting to see parvo and the other nasty diseases. if I do one distemper shot, will that be all they need? squirrley is the only one that gets the rabies shot due to her being from the shelter and it was mandatory. my vet won't even think about vaccinating her for distemper until she is stronger.  I just don't know what to do. I know that it won't 100% prevent the distemper. I've been going back and forth on the decision on wether to vaccinate against distemper only. I could really use some honest opinions from those of you who do rescues as a big part of your daily life. |
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Post by Deleted on Jun 28, 2012 20:42:16 GMT -5
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Post by Heather on Jun 28, 2012 21:39:43 GMT -5
Do you have access to a change room and shower at the shelter? Do you have a separate access to your home that you can go directly to a shower? I can come in through my basement and right inside the back door is a bathroom with a shower. If I've been at the shelter or someplace where I'm not comfortable and am afraid I might bring something back, I go in through this entrance, put my clothes in a bag and shower. I then take the bag of dirty clothes and put it directly into the washer and wash them. Is it fool-proof...no, but nor is vaccinating. I've given my wee ones a fighting chance. If you're more comfortable vaccinating and your little ones are all healthy then vaccinate once. If you have any sickies, like your little Squirrely, then no vaccines to those ones. Nor, should you vaccinate anyone that has had a reaction before. No one on pred should be vaccinated (pred destroys the immune system, so there will be no resistance mounted because pred destroys the antibodies) Of course any fuzz on pred is not healthy anyway  Just my 2 cents worth. ciao |
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Post by Deleted on Jun 28, 2012 22:51:24 GMT -5
On the pred note - if a fert has been on pred in the past year should they also not get a distemper shot? I ask because my boys are due for their shots in a month or so and Bandit took 1month of pred about 3 months ago. I will be doing titers first like last year, but if they come back that they need the shots my vet will push for them (vets here really push for distemper). Not that I can't deny them (I think?!?) but I was just curious.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 28, 2012 23:01:03 GMT -5
I wouldn't do any vaccines while on pred (for the reasons Heather mentioned). Not sure how long after pred it'd be okay to vaccinate. How old were your ferrets vaccinated? You are the customer, and can refuse any service you wish. They can't make you vaccinate. If they were vaccinated after 5-6 months, I'd say chances are they are covered. Some animals can be non responsers, meaning vaccinated initiate no response. In this case, they'd have a negative titer value. www.catinfo.org/?link=vaccinesThis link has a lot of good info about vaccinations. Although its targeted at cats, it discusses titer values and vaccines in general. |
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Post by Sherry on Jun 28, 2012 23:01:31 GMT -5
You can deny a vet anything they want to do.
And since Bandit is ill, I'd not vaccinate and your vet shouldn't be suggesting it for him in the first place.
I also vaccinate at 6 months, then one booster a year later and that's it.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 29, 2012 0:07:24 GMT -5
I don't want to take over this thread or anything (really sorry sheila) but to quickly answer your questions - the boys were all first vaccinated (by me anyways) somewhere around 5 or 6 months (hard to know exactly how old MF ferrets are) and again the next year. But last year they all got titers instead because one of my ferts went into anaphalactic shock and it scared the bejezuss out of me!
And I wish we could refuse the Rabies vaccine - what a stupid stupid harmful useless shot to make us give our babies!!!!!
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Post by Deleted on Jun 29, 2012 0:16:02 GMT -5
I've never had my fuzz vaccinated for rabies (I'm in FL too). If they ask, I say I've already had it done somewhere else. They've never asked for proof lol. If you have a ferret that reacts to vaccines, I think you can get a waiver so they NEVER have to be vaccinated again.
If they've been vaccinated multiple times already, I'd say they're covered. Another won't give them any added protection. If the vaccine didn't take already, it never will.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 29, 2012 0:26:52 GMT -5
REALLY??? I've been told I have no choice on the rabies vaccine. If I had never taken my babies to a vet then I can maybe have gotten away with it, maybe. But one year I was a month or so behind and I got a notice from Hillsborough County warning me to vaccinate them or face my babies being taken from me!!! How do you get away with it?? I am totally curious. I HATE the rabies vaccine!!!
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Post by Deleted on Jun 29, 2012 0:39:13 GMT -5
Hm, maybe because I've never gotten the rabies and registered them with the state, so they don't send me notices ;D I do take my fuzz to the vet, but I tend to vet hop depending on what I'm taking them for (one vet I trust but they're far away, another for emergencies, another for routine stuff that doesn't matter, another for des.). So maybe they don't keep track of me. Regardless, I'd get a waiver for the one that reacted to the vaccine. That way you're safe on that one  |
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Post by Deleted on Jun 29, 2012 0:47:10 GMT -5
Unfortunately, your vet is required to register your ferret with the state because I definitely didn't do it and wouldn't do it - it isn't the states buisness what pets I keep. I guess I got stuck because I only go to the one vet (except for the ER when needed). Stupid state regulations!!!  As for my fert with the bad experience, it was with his distemper shot, and even my vet said he would not ever give him another shot because of the reaction! And yes, if there is a negative reaction you can get a waiver on the rabies vaccine, but mine haven't had a negative reaction on it so it's a no go there. |
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Post by Deleted on Jun 29, 2012 7:30:40 GMT -5
in our county in Utah, you only get hounded about the rabies shot if you get them from the shelter since they have to be licensed, and they can only get licensed if they have their rabies. found out that with our city, if you tell them that you have rehomed or if you say the animal has passed away, they put it in the computer and never bother you again about that animal. she city dosnt even know that I have 9 of my ferrets. may not be proper but it keeps me from having to give the unnessery (my opinion) rabies vaccine. no rabbies here in many years.
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Post by Sherry on Jun 29, 2012 8:17:21 GMT -5
I can't believe they have to be "registered"  I guess that's why it's not a problem here. |
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Post by Deleted on Jun 29, 2012 10:45:05 GMT -5
That sounds like it is a county policy. I'm in Santa Rosa county in the panhandle and have never heard of someone being threatened for not getting a vaccine. It may also be that the county has that policy for the shelter animals.
As to getting your fert vaccinated... I run the Navarre Ferret Rescue and also help out a lot with dog rescue. It is summer time, so I have four rescues dogs right now. I go back and forth between the pound/shelter and my home on a regular basis. as prevelant as distemper is in Florida, I don't want to risk my ferrets lives. I not only vaccinate my rescues as per the law, I also had my personal ferrets vaccinated. My vet is very honest and told me the rabies lasts three years, but the law says to do it yearly on ferts. (I tend to ask a lot of questions.) I don't know how I would feel about it if I lived in an area where it wasn't so common in the environment, but here I think it is a good idea. I've had at least 12 vaccinated for distemper and rabies and none have had a reaction. I know I'm not going to bleach my shoes every time I go in and out of the house, so I think my babies are better served by the vacination. This last winter was very mild, which may be part of the reason your shelter is seeing so many parvo cases. All types of problems will be more prevelant this year. Many of the creatures that carry parasites and harmful bacterial didn't have their numbers culled by the cold during the winter. The more the carriers, the bigger the chance they run around your lawn at night.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 29, 2012 11:35:56 GMT -5
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