Ferrets USA: Off To The Vet

If you’re reading this article, then you are probably a relatively new ferret owner. In a perfect world, you’ve done all your homework about what ferrets need and what you can expect medically, but we all know it’s not a perfect world. Maybe you made that impulse purchase of a pet store ferret because you couldn’t resist the playful little fuzzbucket that made charming noises at you. Maybe you inherited an older ferret from a relative or friend who had to give it up. You might even have found a ferret wandering the street or tossed in a dumpster (yep, it happens). You really have no idea what to expect as far as medical care goes, but you’re committed to doing the right thing. This article will guide you and keep you on the path to being a good ferret owner.

If all this information feels overwhelming, just remember that responsible pet care of any species requires emotional and financial commitments. The medical needs of ferrets are not necessarily greater than those of dogs and cats, but compressed into a shorter life span they may seem that way.

Year One
If you have acquired a young ferret, it is critically important that you take it to the vet for a checkup and to update vaccinations. Like dogs, baby ferrets acquire natural immunity to the canine distemper virus through the placenta and by nursing. Sometime between the ages of 6 and 15 weeks, this natural immunity wears off and must be replaced by immunity from a vaccination. It is imperative that the baby be vaccinated every three weeks from the age of 6 weeks to 15 weeks, or the immunity will not last. Only the 15-week vaccination is guaranteed to last a full year, due to the interaction of the vaccine with maternal antibodies.

When you buy a 6-week-old ferret and are told that it has “had all its shots,” that means it received the necessary vaccinations up to that point in its life. It doesn’t mean that no more are needed. Vaccines are not capable of conferring long-term immunity at 6 weeks of age.