Considering doing it myself and price shopping…one vet is very reasonably priced @ $31.50 for lept/par/dist, and $11.55 for rabies. But dog vaccines can be purchased at same online places we buy our horse vaccines. I see multi-way dog vaccines, but not sure which ones, or go separate?
A couple of thoughts on this but will first say that I’m more than competent to give my own vaccs and have no issue with home given vaccs per se. That said:
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Most boarding, training, grooming, and vet clinics will not recognize vaccines given outside of a vet clinic when it comes to dogs. (the same is true for many boarding facilities for horses.) So you do run the risk of having to revaccinate should your pet ever require such services.
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I am unaware of any state, county or municipality that will recognize a rabies vaccine given by anyone other than a licensed veterinarian. I could be wrong. But should your pet require licensing or should your pet ever bite someone, a home given Rabies vaccine may not “count”.
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If you do choose to vaccinate at home, I’d recommend doing so on a weekday, during normal business hours so that if your pet does have a reaction, you’re not paying an emergency call to veterinary attention.
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Depending on the risks in your area, your vaccine protocol may vary. My dogs are vaccinated with the following: DHLPP (canine distemper this combo is often called, includes Lepto), Bordatella IM (every 6mos if IN), Influenza, Lyme and Rabies. Depending on the clinic, some will go only one year for the distemper, some say every 3. Rabies is often every 3 years after the initial year. Influenza, Lyme, and Bordatella are annual unless Bordatella IN is required every 6 mos. It just really depends.
I would have no issue giving my own vaccs but since I utilize a groomer, sometimes boarding, and have traveled a lot with my mutts, I do them at the clinic. Further, getting at least an annual exam is important for the health of the pet. Most veterinarians are now moving towards a pricing model where they charge for the “real” service which is the professional knowledge doing the exam and then charge closer to cost for the vaccines themselves.
Don’t forget HWT and fecal. Both are important too. And for an aged pet, annual bloodwork isn’t a bad idea. Even in an otherwise healthy dog, that can help you identify potential issues early on or at least serve as a good baseline.
Also, unlike in horses, most of the vx given to dogs are given sub Q, not IM with the exception of rabies or IN Bordatella. So if you’ve not done that before, it’s a good idea to have someone show you.
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Well you talked me right out of it! :yes: Not worth the above. I’ll pass. Ive assisted in dog vaccines sub q but never done im. Thanks for the help!
We do the combo distemper shot but have rabies done by the vet if possible. Our horse vet will do it if necessary which makes it easier. (Less for the dogs than for the strays/ barn cats.)
My vet sends home vaccinations for one of our barn cats; I do them myself. I’m comfortable giving subcutaneous vaccinations but wouldn’t feel comfortable about IM vaccinations. I don’t know if dog vaccinations are SQ or IM. Our large animal vet will do dog and cat vaccinations at the barn. I don’t see any harm in doing them yourself as long as you are getting quality vaccines and are comfortable giving them. Some states allow you to order rabies and have them shipped to your home, other states don’t. If you go to the Jeffer’s web site it shows which states they will ship rabies vaccine to.
[QUOTE=Color of Light;8341863]
Well you talked me right out of it! :yes: Not worth the above. I’ll pass. Ive assisted in dog vaccines sub q but never done im. Thanks for the help![/QUOTE]
I’m sorry! Wasn’t really trying to talk you out of it. Fundamentally, I have no issue with it. Hell, most of the vaccs my dog has ever been given were given by me…AT the vet clinic. LOL
FWIW, the way I get around the issue with my horse is that I buy the vaccs from the vet. That way I can split them up by a few weeks but they also show up on an official veterinary record. Now, most of the vets I’ve ever used know that I have many years’ experience in vet med and don’t seem at all offended that I want to split up vaccs and happily give them to me. I still do the exam and I pay more for the vaccs than I would otherwise. I usually have the vet do the rabies vaccine at the time of exam along with flu rhino or some such. But I give everything else 2 weeks apart. Not really “cheaper” but I feel better about it after having had some adverse (not life threatening) post vaccine symptoms.
[QUOTE=js;8341879]
My vet sends home vaccinations for one of our barn cats; I do them myself. I’m comfortable giving subcutaneous vaccinations but wouldn’t feel comfortable about IM vaccinations. I don’t know if dog vaccinations are SQ or IM. Our large animal vet will do dog and cat vaccinations at the barn. I don’t see any harm in doing them yourself as long as you are getting quality vaccines and are comfortable giving them. Some states allow you to order rabies and have them shipped to your home, other states don’t. If you go to the Jeffer’s web site it shows which states they will ship rabies vaccine to.[/QUOTE]
All of the dog vx I’m aware of or have ever administered are SQ except for rabies and IN Bordatella. FWIW.
Giving IM vx isn’t hard but they tend to elicit more of a reaction from the critter so having a good handler is helpful. I can’t imagine vaccinating cats all by myself even SQ! You’re brave. I hate dealing with cats though.
I do horse & dog vax myself… excepting … Rabies. IN NC, only vet can admin rabies vax.
My vets have no issue with this as they see the animals regularly for everything else.
I order from Jeffers in the Winter months to insure vax stays cool in transit. Store them in my fridge till Spring.
PS … a plug for microchipping… The chip will save your animals if they get lost. A simple chip will prevent great grief as posted in several COTH threads.
As many people own multiple animals. Cost becomes an issue. One can chip their own animals. Buy the chips in bulk on E-bay, register the chips on-line. Home Again keeps the chip info available even after the 1st year registration expires. If your info doesn’t change, you don’t have to keep it current. The cost is minimal for the benefits. 
We buy our 5 way DHLPP vaccines from Tractor Supply and our equine vet gives our dogs the shots we bought along with the rabies. So for the price of a rabies shot, they give the rabies shot and the vaccination shot we provide. It’s a win-win.
I know of a great vet who will come out to your vehicle and give the rabies shot for $10, no exam fee, great if you have multiple dogs.
I usually have bred mine, so give vaccinations at 8 & 12 weeks, then have vet do the 16 week shots, so there is a record. Some dog venues (training facilities) want to see the vet records. I don’t board mine, obviously, but have run into that need for documentation.
Some places now accept titers, if you don’t vaccinate yearly.
Clinics at shows are great places for microchipping and checking titres at a lower cost.
I have done my dog’s shots in the past after they had puppy series. Current dog had an allergic reaction and she goes to the clinic and gets cortisone and benedryl before her vaccines.
On the one hand, I can see this as beneficial because vaccinating is better than not. On the other, veterinarians who do this really undercut their own profession and the health of pets because there is more to having a healthy pet than vaccinating and the “value” of a veterinarian is in their ability to do an exam, to deal with issues, etc. If they won’t insist on doing exams prior to vaccinating, it seems kind of…not wrong, but sad? Like are they just so defeated in their current market that they can’t continue to advocate for good care? I dunno. I’m torn on that.
It seems kind of irresponsible to me for a veterinarian, a professional, to be giving vaccs without doing an exam, checking temp, vitals, etc. Maybe some of our regular veterinarian members will chime in on this. Maybe I’ve “drank the kool aid” over the years working in vet med, running a practice, etc. But I think that if anything, vets should do and charge for an exam and take the hit on the vaccines instead of the other way around. It’s better medicine. And it places the value where it should be. On the expertise and training.
Tractor Supply has regular mobile pet clinics scheduled at their stores. Rabies shots are $18 and include all the legal paperwork. That’s where we take our dogs. Easy in and out. Love it! They do all kinds of vaccinations and tests, and have various packages that include a $10 rabies shot.
[QUOTE=pdq;8342040]
Tractor Supply has regular mobile pet clinics scheduled at their stores. Rabies shots are $18 and include all the legal paperwork. That’s where we take our dogs. Easy in and out. Love it! They do all kinds of vaccinations and tests, and have various packages that include a $10 rabies shot.
http://petvet.vippetcare.com/individual-prices/[/QUOTE]
The clinic I used to work for was the first in town to do these kinds of low cost vaccine clinics when we first got a Petco in town. (this was back 99/2000 time frame) I see real benefit in it. It gets people in who otherwise couldn’t really afford the basic care. But I will say that we did exams on every pet prior to vaccinating. And it was not uncommon to uncover a previously unknown murmur or tumor or dental disease.
Well first off, like others have said, sometimes the ‘low cost’ vaccine clinics can be the same cost as you doing it yourself.
Giving dog vaccines is extremely easy, if you are comfortable with giving horse injections. I would not suggest it unless you are comfortable with horse injections. And, depending on your state (Some states you cannot have it shipped to you. It isn’t illegal to administer yourself, but it is illegal to buy it through anyone but a vet), when you buy your rabies vaccination they will send you a rabies tag to put on the collar. If you show your packaging for the other injections, most places will honor that. (At least in FL)
If you do decide to do it yourself, the 5 way is for dogs that are not bred, and not around unfamiliar dogs a lot. The seven way is for more at risk dogs, and if you have a ‘at risk’ dog, do it at the vet/clinic, just to be safe!
I am not against trying to save money on vaccines and have multiple animals myself, so I get it. Even though I work in a clinic, I still get hit with some big bills. However, I think it is so important to get physical exams and have a working relationship with a vet. In addition, annual HW tests and bloodwork. I see sooooo many pets come in to see specialists for things found on routine annual exams. Elevated kidney and liver values, masses. We had a three year old dog come in because the regular vet palpates an abdominal mass on an annual exam. Of course the owner was floored, but proceeded with sx and chemo. Many things caught early can be treated…maybe not cured, but helped.
[QUOTE=BuddyRoo;8342024]
On the one hand, I can see this as beneficial because vaccinating is better than not. On the other, veterinarians who do this really undercut their own profession and the health of pets because there is more to having a healthy pet than vaccinating and the “value” of a veterinarian is in their ability to do an exam, to deal with issues, etc. If they won’t insist on doing exams prior to vaccinating, it seems kind of…not wrong, but sad? Like are they just so defeated in their current market that they can’t continue to advocate for good care? I dunno. I’m torn on that.
It seems kind of irresponsible to me for a veterinarian, a professional, to be giving vaccs without doing an exam, checking temp, vitals, etc. Maybe some of our regular veterinarian members will chime in on this. Maybe I’ve “drank the kool aid” over the years working in vet med, running a practice, etc. But I think that if anything, vets should do and charge for an exam and take the hit on the vaccines instead of the other way around. It’s better medicine. And it places the value where it should be. On the expertise and training.[/QUOTE]
I hear you!
This particular vet has kind of a “bi-modal distribution” thing going on. There are breeders like me, whose dogs have their own team of specialized health care, but who for various reasons want to have their rabies shots in a different county or state, but still documented, and then those clients who have bird dogs, hunting dogs, etc., who really need this sort of rabies vac and might not get it otherwise.
Anyway, I am grateful to have this option available. Rabies shots are usually a good thing.
If you need to get your a dog license in your township then you will need to have rabies done a vet.
I worked at a clinic that would do the $10 rabies in the truck thing. Lots of hunting dogs that wouldn’t get vaccinated any other way. Heck, one guy had so many beagles in the back of the truck we had to sharpie their heads after we did the vaccine so we didn’t do them again! Definately not ideal, but at least they were vaccinated because who even knows what they come into contact with hunting.
