dead ferrit

[Budfin]

well as you can see by the title my wee ferrit died last nite, this has come as a total shock, the vet reckons it was distemper which I was unaware up until now that you can get them jagged to prevent this...(probably ignorance on my part)!!! went out to feed him a couple of days ago and noticed he was'nt himself, unbelievable how bad he went in such a short time, ended up with him in the house feeding him and giving him fluids through a syringe, finally he gave up last night at 11 o'clock, anyway a word of warning if theres anyone out there with there ferrits unvaccinated against this I would think about getting it done...!

[BFC 007]

:sad: :sad:
sorry to hear of your loss mate

[Sparrow Hawker]

Sorry to hear about your ferret, are many dog owners having there dogs vaccinated against distemper around your way do you know? If it's on the increase it's likely that people arn't getting there dogs vaccinated against it.

SH

[GregMik]

Sorry to hear about your little guy! Good to know that they need the vaccinations also.

Greg

[Berkut]

Budfin,
I don,t know where in Scotland you stay but you can have a ferret or two for free.I bred three white jills last year and kept them.
Regards

[MickeyDredd]

Budfin,
I don,t know where in Scotland you stay but you can have a ferret or two for free.I bred three white jills last year and kept them.
Regards

Not too far away ;)

http://www.falconryforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=4972&page=2

[Kennelre]

Sorry to hear about your ferrett....I'm nursing a sick jill at this time also, although it's not distemper. They just deteriorate so fast don't they, and then they won't eat at all and give up. I think I've pulled her back, but we will see.....

[Jack Merlin]

the vet reckons it was distemper

Sorry to hear that. The symptoms of distemper would be similar to a bad cold with discharge from nostrils and puss in the eyes, coughing, possibly nervous tremours.

Vets do rather like to spread panic about distemper because they make a lot of money from the vaccinations. I have kept a large private kennel of dogs for over 30 years and none of my dogs are vaccinated.

Strangely, in that time I only lost one to Leptospirosis, possibly from a rat bite, but not a single one to Distemper although a procession of vets has been forecasting doom for just as long.

[Skeld]

Ferrets can also catch colds and flu from humans, I always keep contact down to a minimum when I have a cold. Sorry to here about the little fella!

[Budfin]

thanx for all you're reply's guys, and a can't thank berkut enough for his offer (pm's him regarding)...cheers again...!!

[Sprout]

Vaccination is available for ferrets but it is all off licence. I have never seen a case of distemper in ferrets, nor in dogs for that matter - and the main reason is the majority of dogs are now vaccinated - less of a reservoir for the virus to survive. However, we see 3-4 cases of parvo in dogs EVERY year and it is horrendous - will post some pics of the next case if anyone interested and still not want to vaccinate their dog. Although distemper is not as prevalent as it used to be (becasue of vaccination) I personally think NOT vaccinating dogs is a **** poor attitude to take!!! Yes, vets do make money out of the vaccines (not as much as the drug companies) but it is far cheaper on your pocket to vaccinate than to have the parvo/distemper etc treated (or attempt to treat!!!)

[Kennelre]

My only problem is that I worry about the side effects.....

[Sprout]

In dogs or ferrets? There is a risk of side effects with ANY drug, the risk of death of the actual disease is far greater. I've NEVER had a reaction in ferrets to vaccination althoiugh I admit it is not a huge number. I also admit to never seeing a case of distemper in ferrets so is it a risk worth taking? Possibly. However, I have seen far more ferrets die from the results of persistent oestrus so would rather spay/vasectomise ferrets than vaccinate them if it came down to one or the other.

[Kennelre]

I was thinking dogs actually, didn't make my self clear. I do understand that the risk of not vaccinating is higher but that isn't much consolation when you have a dog with an adverse reaction, as we did with a parvo jab some ten years ago. All our dogs are regularly vaccinated but I can't pretend that it doesn't make me anxious every time its due...