Posted by fullottermoon on April 26, 2003 at 03:45:16:
In Reply to: Vaccinations question posted by s_simpson on April 24, 2003 at 09:00:09:
:Hey all,
:Well, it finally happened -- bad reactions to a rabies vaccine. My two albinos both had bad reactions and the female nearly died (severe anaphylaxis). Definitely not a fun experience.
:Two points/questions. The vet observed, and I concurred, that white ferrets (albinos or black-eyed whites) seem more prone to adverse reactions. Anyone else have experience that would support/refute this?
:Secondly... Both ferrets still seem to be vomiting periodically. The male albino is back to his normal happy-go-lucky, dumb-but-happy persona (although he has vomitted once or twice in the past three weeks). The female seems to be vomitting more frequently -- maybe two/three times a week. Has anyone else seen this sort of prolonged reaction? She's lost considerable weight (she refused to eat for about 4 or 5 days following the reaction), so the vomitting is a little more worrisome at this point.
:For what its worth, I've decided that the female albino will NEVER get a vaccination again. The risks just aren't worth it. Moreover, I'm seriously considering whether the risk is worth it for the others as well. It seems to me to be a risk trade-off -- the risk of them biting a stranger and being destroyed versus the risk of them dying from a vaccine reaction.
So sorry you and your ferretshad to endure this very frightening experience! I'm sure it was very difficult! I cannot speak to the vulnerability of albinos vs ferrets of other types as I have not had one. Closest I came was a little silver female, and she never had immediate (as opposed to months or yrs. later) reaction to arabies vaccine, although I don't think she had many vaccines as I put a stop to them. She was a rescue so I have no idea what her vaccine history was. I have stopped vaccinating my dogs altogether. They have all had the initial vaccines and the 2 older dogs have had more. Then I "saw the light!" LOL I had to sign a disclaimer so that the vet wouldn't have any problems if it ever came up. My ferret vet has been EXTREMELY cooperative about not giving vaccines. He even told me once, "We need to educate people about vaccinations and the fact that they are NOT needed as often as people think." Personally, if your ferrets have had their initial set of vaccines I don't see any need to give them any more. Humans get vaccinations as a child that lasts them a lifetime! Why do our creatures need them yr. after yr. after yr.?! I believe it is just a yearly assault on their immune system that can weaken the creatures' immune defenses. A good friend just lost an 8 yr. old GermanShepherd. He had a rabies vaccine in his right rear leg 2 yrs. ago. He developed neuropathy and weakness of that leg. Then he developed a tumor on that leg that spread to his lungs. He's gone now, but imo the vaccine was the cause. You, of course, have to decide what you feel is best for you & your ferrets. My young ferret is only gonna get 1 vaccine for distemper and 1 for rabies in his lifetime AND he ill never get them any sooner than 1 month apart. Another problem- multiple vaccines given at 1 time. That's just my opinion!
Nancy
