Distemper Shots Possibly 2nd Time?

Question
I bought my ferret two months ago when he was four months old. He has already been neutered but I have no way to know whether or not he has had his distemper shots, he was sold to the shop by the previous owner who was allergic to it's fur so the shop I bought him from doesn't know it's history except for that he was neutered at the veterinary department of a university here.
Would giving him another shot even if he already has had one do anything bad?

Answer
Hi Jake:

These immunizations certainly ARE DANGEROUS, especially when they are duplicated due to unknown past history.

I was faced with this exact dilemma when I adopted one of my ferrets.  She was about four months old and I didn't know if she had had her rabies and/or distemper shots.  I chose to give her the full series of distemper immunizations and a rabies shot because I wanted what was in her best interest......or at least that's what I thought I was doing.

However...when she received the last of the distemper series, she had a horrible reaction and immediately went into anaphylactic shock when given the shot. Her little heart stopped completely three times that afternoon, but the vet injected medications directly into her heart several times and finally she stabilized.  She was left with terrible life-long health problems as a result of that horrible afternoon. If she had not had the benadryl pre-treatment 20 mins before the shot, she definitely would not have even lived thru the ordeal.  

As I picked her up off the exam table after the shot, her legs and body immediately went stiff in my hands, blood shot out of her nose, tear ducts, mouth and anus, and her eyes rolled back in her head!  Trust me, if you've never seen a reaction, you definitely don't want to. It was incredibly frightening for her and for me. ***SUPER IMPORTANT: ALWAYS be sure your ferret gets a benadryl shot 20 mins before ANY injections; even if the vet reassures you that the shot is safe, insist on the benadryl pre-treatment. If my ferret had not had one that day, she definitely would have died. Even with the pre-treatment, she almost died anyway. These reactions are most often caused by too much of the distemper vaccine and/or rabies vaccine in the ferret's blood already.  Reactions like this are very unpredictable and the only defense we have is to prepare beforehand by making sure they have the benadryl shot and enough time has passed that it has taken effect - usually 20 minutes.   The benadryl will make your ferret sleepy, probably for the rest of the day, but it's a small price to pay for the safety it affords.

While most vets (and myself at one time) would *probably* advise you to get the whole series of distemper shots and a rabies shot, I'm afraid that I wouldn't do it if it were me in that situation again.  Of course, the safest thing for you to do is discuss this with your vet and ask his advice. NEVER have both the distemper and the rabies shots on one day. Best to have at least a week between the two shots and be SURE to get benadryl pre-treatment EACH TIME before EACH SHOT. If I were in your shoes, I think I would get ONE distemper shot and a rabies shot, one week apart, and EACH with benadryl given 20 mins beforehand.  

Due to the fact that the ferret would have a serious overdose if he has already received all the shots he needs this year, because of my bad experience, I think I would err on the side of caution this time and get no more than ONE distemper shot and a rabies shot.  The other thing that you can do to protect your ferret is try not to expose him unnecessarily to any possibility of getting distemper. This means keeping him in a carrier or on your lap when you take him to the vet, in addition to keeping him close to home - not out walking in public on a leash, etc.  Stray cats can even drag the distemper into your backyard, so never assume that anyplace is *safe* for your ferret to play outdoors. After he receives his second year shots next year you will be *safer* in public places than this year.

He may well be perfectly safe with only one distemper and rabies shot, it would just be double-safe to be aware of places your ferret could come into contact with distemper. If you are very concerned, you may even want folks to leave their shoes outside your home, as distemper is very very contagious and can be carried into your home on shoes or clothing. Also, keep him away from other pets or animals who go outside that could possibly be carrying disease and have no symptoms themselves.

I'm overly protective of my 'kids', so it would definitely be best if you discuss this with your vet. Make SURE your vet has a syringe of epinephrine/adrenaline IN THE ROOM when your ferret receives his shots this year (if you choose to get them). Things can happen SO FAST if the ferret does have a reaction!  Also, stay in the vet's office for 1/2 hour AFTER the shots, just as a precaution; not all reactions happen immediately. After 1/2 hour you should be safe to take your ferret home, but if he acts strange in any way, return to the vet's office IMMEDIATELY - the ferret can go from 'acting a bit strange' to a full blown reaction in less than a minute!  By next year when the shots are due, the ferret should be fine to receive ONE distemper booster and his yearly rabies booster.

One other thing I want to mention - one of the most important things that gave my ferret the 'edge' the day of her reaction was that I did not leave her, but I carried her to the back room for the vet when the anaphylactic shock reaction started and I STAYED WITH HER the whole time, calling her name and keeping my hand near her nose so she could smell my familiar mommy (safety) smell. The vet told me afterwards that she noticed a change even in the ferret's heartbeat when I would call her name.  Having me close to her, hearing my familiar voice all helped her to hang onto life with all she had.  There were times that her heart actually stopped beating and when I would call her name, her little heart would beat again.  Don't ever assume that your ferret doesn't need you at times like this. They DEFINITELY DO NEED US right there by them.  Be sure to talk to your vet about this beforehand so they KNOW you will be right by your ferret in case it does go into shock.  Any vet who disagrees with this should be replaced - find a new vet if they don't understand the importance of you being there in case of emergency.

Best of luck with whatever you and your vet decide. Hopefully my experience will give you more of an idea of the possibilities and what *can* happen.  These immunizations just aren't 'safe' in overdoses. They are very powerful drugs and should definitely be treated with great respect and care....and as much pre-planning-for-the-worst as we can possibly do.  

Sincerely,

Jacquie Rodgers