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Post by weeksl08 on Jul 24, 2008 17:57:14 GMT -5
Forgive me for being oblivious but what is the Tidders thing that has been suggested instead of vaccines? I had never heard of it...
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Post by josiesmom on Jul 24, 2008 19:25:57 GMT -5
Testing for blood titers means a blood sample is drawn and tested for specific antibodies at specific levels to determine that the animal is sufficiently protected if it were to come in contact with a disease it has been vaccinated against or exposed to already.
Keep in mind that vaccinations are just killed viruses or weakened viruses that get introduced to your ferret ( or your self) in order to trigger your body's defense ( the immune response) to build a defense against a REAL infection. There are currently only TWO vaccinations that have been tested and are FDA approved for ferrets IMRAB for Rabies and PureVac for Canine Distemper. But Galaxy_D for distemper has been used for years. THe majority of vaccinations offered go without a hitch, but ferrets DO show a higher incidence of reactions than do dogs and sometimes these reactions can be fatal.
Which is why checking blood titers can offer peace of mind that the ferret still has active immunity without forcing more virus into its system.
Hope this helps! Cheers, Kim
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Post by ferretpalooza on Jul 25, 2008 9:36:18 GMT -5
I asked my vet about this and she said she has not found enough research to prove there is enough of the vaccine to protect an entire two years. She recommends the distemper yearly until there is a more conclusive test. Does anyone have anything proof wise they dont need them yearly as my business is getting ready to all go for the yearly vaccine. I stopped the rabies due to hearing of all the reactions.
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Post by pear2apple on Jul 25, 2008 13:25:19 GMT -5
I don't have any answers about titters or not, but if Apple and Kiwi both got vaccinated for rabies and both didn't react, does this mean they never will? Or is there still a chance they could have a reaction next year?
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Post by weeksl08 on Jul 25, 2008 13:51:35 GMT -5
I don't have any answers about titters or not, but if Apple and Kiwi both got vaccinated for rabies and both didn't react, does this mean they never will? Or is there still a chance they could have a reaction next year? ooo good question. All 3 of mine reacted well, but your question makes me curious...
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Post by Forum Administrator on Jul 25, 2008 15:24:54 GMT -5
Its possible for a reaction to occur even if its never happened before. Its always wise to be careful when doing vaccinations Stay in the vet's office for 30 minute after giving the vaccines and moniter the ferret closely for the next 24 hours to make sure they dont have a reaction.
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Post by pear2apple on Jul 25, 2008 16:04:47 GMT -5
Its possible for a reaction to occur even if its never happened before. Its always wise to be careful when doing vaccinations Stay in the vet's office for 30 minute after giving the vaccines and moniter the ferret closely for the next 24 hours to make sure they dont have a reaction. What kind of reaction should I look for?? And if there is one, what do I do??
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Post by mustelidmusk on Jul 25, 2008 16:17:48 GMT -5
It's possibly that they can be doing fine with vaccinations, and then start reacting as they get more and more exposure to vaccines.
It's just like alleries with people - some people don't develop allergies until later in life. Some people move to a new area and their allergies are "gone" for a few years because there are different allergans floating around in the new enviroment. Then they start to develop an allergy to something new.
This is why people are having titers checked. They fear that repeated over exposure may result in the development of an allergy to the vaccine. If they have good titer levels for the last set of shots, they don't want to risk unneccessry exposure.
Another thing to remember is that vaccines are pretty darned effective. BUT...they is NOT a 100 % gurantee that you're protected even if you show a high titer - or even after you get a shot. it's possible for immunity to fade quickly and/or immune systems can get confused.
Rather than bothering with Titers, (altough if you get involved with the AFA-related study, it costs only $10. per ferret) some people have been giving the baby series distemper shots, the first annual booster, and then giving all subsequent boosters every third year.
I had distemper titers done for my brats.... 1:32 is considered "covered". the tier's are not measured linearly. 1:32 is the minimal level of coverage. (again, this is not 100% science - it may be inadequate for some animals) the next measure is 1:64, 1:128, 1:256, 1:512, etc.
3 of my ferrets had had the baby series and first year booster. their titers all turne out really, really high ( 1:2000+ ) My fourth brat (1 year younger had only had the baby series, and his titer was 1:64, which is one "notch" above the lowest level. I'm going to give him the 1-year booster soon (he's overdue by almost 6 months) even though he SHOULD be protected because my vet recommends it - we live in raccoon-infected territory, and raccons are great vectors for distemper. I will then test his titers a couple of weeks after the vaccination - the titers should be very high then. If the titers are not very high, then I'll know his system theortically may not fight hard aginst the distemper virus if he's exposed to it. I'll also chck all the brats again next year. If my one ferrt's immune system is still not very high, I'll suspect his system does not carry strong immunity against distemper.
-jennifer
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Post by hales on Jul 25, 2008 19:21:55 GMT -5
What kind of reaction should I look for?? And if there is one, what do I do?? You'll know within probably 20 minutes after the vaccination. Luna had a reaction, and she had trouble breathing, was shaking a lot, and vomited a few times. They can also have facial swelling, a lot of itching, and can be very lethargic. It's normal for a small amount of lethargy after a vaccination, but if they don't want to move at all or won't eat or drink, then you can start being concerned. Just to be safe, stay at the vet for a little while after the vaccines are given. That way, if your ferret does have a reaction, they can quickly give some Benadryl and the reaction will subside. Or, if you are super paranoid, you could always request that they give Benadryl before the shots, just to prevent anything from happening. Watching a ferret go into anaphylactic shock is a heartbreaking experience.... and it wasn't easy with Luna. Luckily, my boyfriend knew exactly what to do and actually had to instruct them to give her Benadryl (we were at Michigan State University's small animal clinic, so there were just students in there at the time, and they never know anything about ferrets.) But when it happens, you'll definitely know. I hope this helps!
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Post by mustelidmusk on Jul 26, 2008 16:54:09 GMT -5
It is possible to have a delayed reaction to a vacination ( a couple of days later), but this is not very common.
If you chose to give the benadryl before the vaccination, you may want to contact the vet to let them know youwill be doing this - and you may want to confirm the dose you'll be giving with your vet. It's good to know your ferret's weight when you call since they may ask.
Some people also start giving Transfer factor, which is an immunesystem "equilzer" of sorts two weeks before giving vaccinations. -jennifer
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Post by nwheather on Jul 31, 2008 6:01:41 GMT -5
My vet has seen less ferrets react to the rabies, than to the distemper. One thing about rabies, check with the laws in your area, but in many places, if your ferret bites someone, & you do not have proof of current rabies, the person bit CAN demand the ferret be tested for rabies & they have to kill the ferret to do that.
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