Ferrets are susceptible to a variety of viral diseases that can cause serious illness and death.

Distemper, the same virus that causes the disease in dogs, is a very serious disease that almost always causes death in unvaccinated ferrets.  Ferrets that go to shows or are walked on leashes or otherwise regularly go outside (even if it is in a walled-in yard), should have their distemper vaccinations.  Even ferrets that never go outside should have distemper vaccinations as if you have casual contact with an infected dog you can bring the deadly virus into your home.  Fortunately there is test that allows you to know if your ferret's previous vaccine is still providing protection.  A distemper titer measures the antibodies in your ferret's blood.  If the distemper titer is adequate, your ferret can go another year without a distemper vaccine.  If the distemper titer is low, then your ferret should have its distemper vaccine as soon as possible.

Rabies is a fatal virus infection that is easily spread by saliva.  It is a public health hazard since it can be transmitted to people by saliva.  Fortunately it is extremely rare in ferrets and is readily prevented by vaccinations.

Vaccinations work best if they are done on different days.  Typically we recommend that a ferret receive its distemper vaccine and wait two weeks before receiving the rabies vaccine.  This allows the ferret's body to better process each vaccine and develop the highest possible antibody levels from each vaccine.

Some ferrets have allergic reactions to their vaccinations.  We recommend premedicating ferrets with an antihistamine before each vaccination and to closely monitor the ferret for 30 minutes following a vaccination.  We encourage you to spend at least 30 minutes at Arizona Exotic Animal Hospital after your ferret's vaccination so we may treat your ferret should an allergic reaction develop despite the pretreatment with an antihistamine.  If both vaccins are given on the same day, it seems to increase the risk of an allergic reaction (as well as reducing the effectiveness of each vaccine).  Ferrets with known allergies should have their antibody titers tested and only get vaccinated when the titers are low.  These ferrets need to be premedicated with an antihistamine and a corticosteroid at least 15 minutes before they are vaccinated and be kept at the hospital for up to an hour after receiving the vaccine.  If your ferret has a severe reaction, we'll discuss what options are appropriate for it in the future.

There is some debate about how often ferrets should be vaccinated.  The typical recommendation is to vaccinate young ferrets at 9, 12, and 15 weeks of age, sometimes starting at 6 weeks of age, and an annual vaccine afterward.  However, we will explore your ferret's risk factors and tailor a program just for it. 

We strongly recommend that you do not play with strange dogs or other ferrets as there is a chance that you may bring home distemper or other diseases (such as epizootic catarrah enteritis (ECE, also known as "green slime disease"), or even the FIP-like viral disease that was recently described).

Copyright 2009
Kevin Wright and Jay Johnson
Arizona Exotic Animal Hospital, LLC
744 N Center Street
Mesa, AZ 85203
info@azeah.com