Quote:
Originally Posted by Wylie's Mom  |
Well let me just tell ya.....I walked my ferrets, i took them EVERYWHERE with me in the carrier just like a fur butt! So in general I would say I hear "Don't those carry RABIES?????" about 10 times a day.....
OMG NO NO NO .....MORE ferrets have DIED from a reaction to the Vac rather than Rabies itself??????
Why would you vaccinate???? Yet its on the list of "to do's" for Ferret Care....Uggggggggggggg
This is from a Vet who specializes in Ferrets.....
Ferrets are susceptible to rabies, but it is a rare disease in this species
compared to dogs and especially cats. Part of the reason for this is an
inborn resistance to rabies. The occurrence of rabies in closely related wild animals, such as weasels and mink, is very low. Ferrets have very thick, tough skin, and not all bites will penetrate. For rabies virus to be transmitted, the skin must be broken and the wound contaminated with saliva from the rabid animal. There have been fewer than 20 cases of confirmed rabies in ferrets in the USA since 1958.
20 cases in 50 years??????????? wow yes we should all run out and vaccinate our ferrets now.
Yet all ferret care manuals will tell you get the vac. STUPID!!!!
Ferrets like we see at pet stores have never lived in the "wild" they are only a relative to the black footed ferret but MUCH different. They cannot survive in the wild its IMPOSSIBLE maybe a week or so but like a hampster do not maintain instincts to live in the wild....so why do we continue to vaccinate these guys?? Oh and they are not a good host for heartworm either but I assure you....They would give ya CAT heartworms pills too....