     |
RabiesWe are very fortunately not to have a rabies problem in Australia. However the downside of that is that, due to the stringent quarantine laws, we can't import any ferrets from other countries to increase and strengthen our gene pool! Rabies is a viral disease which infects the central nervous system of all mammals, humans included. Symptoms include:
Imrab-3 is the only rabies vaccination approved for use in ferrets in America. Kits should receive their first vaccination at 3 months old, and boosters are required yearly after that. However that still doesn’t seem to safeguard a ferret from being euthanized and tested for rabies if it should happen to break someone’s skin with its teeth in certain parts of the States, even though from what I've read on the Internet, only about 30 ferrets have ever been recorded with rabies there, compared with huge number of dogs and cats! It seems that the safest thing is to keep one's ferrets inside and not to allow strangers to pet it. When you take your ferret for its vaccination, please be aware that it might have an
allergic reaction
so it's a good idea to wait for at least 30 minutes in the vet's office just in case.
There's an article about rabies written by Dr Judith Bell on the PetEducation site, as well as more information on the American Ferret Association website. DISCLAIMER: The information contained on this page is not meant to replace seeing a veterinarian if you think your ferret is ill. It’s only meant to supply general information on a particular illness which was obtained either from personal experience with my sick ferrets, or from books and/or the Internet. Return from Rabies and Ferrets to All About Ferrets
|
Lethargy 
