[IteseFrusty]

Ouch, Elizabeth.
You are not relying on nature, but on something called "herd immunity" ... because everybody else being vaccinated decreases the occurence of infectious diseases, your risk of exposure is decreased. Your immune system still sucks wind.

If more people did what you do, we'd have childhood polio back.. wait... we DO have polio back.. same with whooping cough ... thanks to an increasing number of people who base their life choices on anecdotal mumbo jumbo. Both, Polio and Whooping Cough were thought to be eradicated... but the herd immunity has been getting quite unreliable due to people like you.

As far as people vaccinating their own pets.. as long as people stick to the studied and proven vaccine protocols, I am good with it. Unfortunately, very few people know what that looks like. Too many stop giving vaccines too soon, too frequently or not often enough. Take aside the storage and administration fubars... a home vaccinated dog is more likely to come up positive with parvo than one that was vaccinated by somebody who knows what they are doing (and that includes some owners).
The saddest was a beautiful 2 year old Rotti whom the owner obviously loved dearly. She stated that she "doesn't believe in vaccines" and felt that they do more harm than good. That was before the parvo test revealed that the dog had parvo (was presented for vomiting and diarrhea). She had absolutely no money to spend on it. The dog ended up being put to sleep.

About 1 month ago, a 2 year old chihuahua with V/D came in. Had one set of puppy vaccines. Also parvo positive. Also no money. Also put to sleep. In this case, the owner wasn't even that upset. Poor baby dog never got a chance.

---------- Post added at 03:05 AM ---------- Previous post was at 02:52 AM ----------

On a side note.
Vaccine companies guarantee their vaccines as long as they were administered under the supervision of a veterinarian (at a vet hospital). If a pet comes down with whatever it was vaccinated for in a manner matching their vaccine protocol, they will pay for the treatment of the disease.
We actually had a case with a cat that came down with very similar symptoms as feline distemper. The manufacturer paid for testing and treatment... and never asked for their money back even when biopsies proved that it wasn't feline distemper.

Getting the vaccinations through your veterinarian DOES give you that guarantee, which home vaccinations do not.

[GrileVege]

Think what you will and call it what ever you wish. You certainly are entitled to.

I will just call it MY RIGHT to Informed Consent.

[BegeMoT]

My vet does not seem to have problem with us giving our own. However, we have been into the dogs a long time, and he may have different feelings if we were not. I do know that it is best to buy them from places like VetVax, jeffers and Foster&Smith, and have them shipped xpress. As the one you buy at petstores or farm and fleet, may have not been stored or shipped correctly.
I have encountered problems when attending obedience classes and boarding as they want vet records. I have evaded this by getting a 2o dollar health cert. from my vet, on occasion.

[aNoBVsUW]

We do our own and keep very detailed records, I wanted to add not only do you need to keep the stickers off the bottles but it is also wise to keep the receipt I just staple it to the paper.

I was told to do this by my Vet, he says if the dog ever came down with something that I have vaccinated against then I have proof that I actually purchased the vaccine. My Vet really does not have a problem with me doing this at all. I keep very detailed records on all my dogs, vaccine papers have not only the sticker and receipt attached but the date, time given followed by an hourly report on the dog for the next three hrs.

[Gubocang]

We do our own and keep very detailed records, I wanted to add not only do you need to keep the stickers off the bottles but it is also wise to keep the receipt I just staple it to the paper.

I was told to do this by my Vet, he says if the dog ever came down with something that I have vaccinated against then I have proof that I actually purchased the vaccine. My Vet really does not have a problem with me doing this at all. I keep very detailed records on all my dogs, vaccine papers have not only the sticker and receipt attached but the date, time given followed by an hourly report on the dog for the next three hrs.

I definitely planned on keeping the receipts, not just in the event of a fuck up, but as extra proof.

---------- Post added at 01:47 PM ---------- Previous post was at 01:41 PM ----------

I am however very leery on having vaccines shipped to my house. Maybe it's the area I live in, but regardless of if something is fragile, or needs a signature or whatever, packages are just tossed into my yard, even if my gate is open, the dogs are inside, and I am home, they just chuck it in the yard and drive off. And I've been sitting out front when they've done this several times, and yes, I have called and complained to supervisors and everyone else, and nothing has changed. So I may have to risk it with TSC, unless these places don't use standard Fedex, UPS, whatever that one is with the red and yellow logo, etc.

[gernica]

When I was growing up my parents vaccinated the dogs at home. Just got them from the feed store since my Dad had a lot of hunting dogs.

All of mine are done at the vet. I give puppies 3 sets, then booster at a year old, then nothing but rabies every 3 yrs after that. Dogs that come to me as adults w/ unknown vaccine history, I will have the vet give a DHPP, then nothing but rabies every 3 yrs after that.

I don't think yearly vaccines are necessary. My vet does recommends distemper every 3 yrs along with the rabies, but not the others.

[Kokomoxddcvcv]

My vet does the same thing with the distemper and rabies every three years. I also have them do Bordetella every year because we're in a lot of public places that who knows how many other dogs have also been in.

I always did the family dogs/cats and my horse myself as a kid (rabies by vet of course).

[aNoBVsUW]

I am however very leery on having vaccines shipped to my house. Maybe it's the area I live in, but regardless of if something is fragile, or needs a signature or whatever, packages are just tossed into my yard, even if my gate is open, the dogs are inside, and I am home, they just chuck it in the yard and drive off. And I've been sitting out front when they've done this several times, and yes, I have called and complained to supervisors and everyone else, and nothing has changed. So I may have to risk it with TSC, unless these places don't use standard Fedex, UPS, whatever that one is with the red and yellow logo, etc. We get ours at a local store Pets supply plus. I aways take a small cooler with me just to be on the safe side...

[AllAdobeOEMSoftDownload]

I do all my own shots but the rabies shot which must be administered by a licensed person here.... I told my vet I didn't need shots because I did them myself... same as heart worm and flea and tick.... my vet simply said "Oh ok... so you just want a check up then?"

---------- Post added at 04:43 PM ---------- Previous post was at 04:41 PM ----------

Also I think *most* vets don't want you to treat your own animals so they can charge you $40 for a $5 shot.

[Gubocang]

Also I think *most* vets don't want you to treat your own animals so they can charge you $40 for a $5 shot.

That's what my vet admitted to me. I like her honesty though, that's why I keep going back, and she actually gives a damn about critters, otherwise I doubt she'd let me rack up huge bills and set up payment plans, or drop the exam fee on most of my visits. And since I have a history of doing things myself with her, I doubt she'll be too surprised.

[Snuddyentaine]

I do all my own shots but the rabies shot which must be administered by a licensed person here.... I told my vet I didn't need shots because I did them myself... same as heart worm and flea and tick.... my vet simply said "Oh ok... so you just want a check up then?"

---------- Post added at 04:43 PM ---------- Previous post was at 04:41 PM ----------

Also I think *most* vets don't want you to treat your own animals so they can charge you $40 for a $5 shot.

same here, i gave all but the rabies,and everytime i take a new dog to my vet i tell him that i just recieved the dog from a breeder in another state on the west coast or mid west,old guy doesnt like it when you do your own and has a sign up stating that if you do your own shots he will do them again and charge you,but with hte out of state bs i dont get the extra shots and get charged a ton,just my rabies shot,then i just bounce from vet to vet for a rabies shot every year. never had a problem in the yard

[Gubocang]

So I'm going to be doing Lucy and Toilet cat's vaccinations myself, mostly because it's cheaper.

But my question is, how do I go about showing proof to the vet? Am I correct in guessing I'd take the sticker off the bottle, and put it on the receipt with the date the vaccine was administered?

And what do your guys' vets think about this?

[cheaploans]

my vet is very against it because he says tehre so many things that could go wrong, ex: your dog good have a reaction
you could get it in the wrong spot causeing muscle or nerve damage
wrong spot and the dog not even get the meds

if you need to show proof of shots to someone like a landlord or kennel usually wont except shots done at home.

so we just chose to have the vet do them

[Forexampleee]

I have a sheet of paper with the dog/cats name and birthdate on it at the top. Then I put the vaccine label on the sheet and the date the vaccine was given. I use the 5-in-1 for Owen as he is a pup and the 7-in-1 for the other pets.

My vet is fine with me doing my own vaccines and even showed me how to do them. In MI and I think the other states the only vaccine you cannot legally give is rabies, so we still go to the vet for that and a checkup.

[Nafheense]

I was wondering the same thing. It is just getting too expensive to go to the vet for such simple things...

[Gubocang]

my vet is very against it because he says tehre so many things that could go wrong, ex: your dog good have a reaction
you could get it in the wrong spot causeing muscle or nerve damage
wrong spot and the dog not even get the meds

if you need to show proof of shots to someone like a landlord or kennel usually wont except shots done at home.

so we just chose to have the vet do them

Well, my dogs have yet to have a reaction, and I already know what to look for and what to do, so I'm not worried about that.

And I don't think my dogs will ever be kenneled, and thankfully I own my house.

I have a sheet of paper with the dog/cats name and birthdate on it at the top. Then I put the vaccine label on the sheet and the date the vaccine was given. I use the 5-in-1 for Owen as he is a pup and the 7-in-1 for the other pets.

My vet is fine with me doing my own vaccines and even showed me how to do them. In MI and I think the other states the only vaccine you cannot legally give is rabies, so we still go to the vet for that and a checkup.

I've got those booklet things the vet gave us. Time to dig them up since it's vaccination season. I don't think my vet will care too much, and if it bothers her it sucks to be her. I'm still paying for everything else through her, which is not cheap.

Lucy's got her 3 year rabies already. She just needs the other stuff, and I want her to go in for blood work, a fecal, and an exam. It'll be a lot cheaper if I do her shots myself.

Damas needs his 3 year rabies, a 7 in 1, heart worm test, and a fecal. And they both need them this month, the bastards.

I guess I'll head to TSC in the next couple of days.

[Kneeniasy]

we did all of simon's ourselves. he never had any reactions. i'm sure it could happen, so whatever i think you feel most comfortable with. the vet didn't mind, but the only ones they all get from the vet is rabies shots...we use a place that just does vaccinations/standard checkups, so it's very cheap. i'm not sure if they have them in other cities, but they basically do everything that a vet would without actually seeing a vet or the high cost ours is called PetVax in case you want to Google to see if you have anything like that near you for the blood work and fecal.

[Gubocang]

we did all of simon's ourselves. he never had any reactions. i'm sure it could happen, so whatever i think you feel most comfortable with. the vet didn't mind, but the only ones they all get from the vet is rabies shots...we use a place that just does vaccinations/standard checkups, so it's very cheap. i'm not sure if they have them in other cities, but they basically do everything that a vet would without actually seeing a vet or the high cost ours is called PetVax in case you want to Google to see if you have anything like that near you for the blood work and fecal.

That's the thing, I love my vet and I couldn't ask for a better one. I'm fine with paying a bit more for some things, as she has decades of experience with every breed and animal I own (she worked with ferrets before they were banned). Plus she actually takes the time to talk to me, explain things to me, and if there's something about my animals I'm concerned about, she doesn't just ignore it cause I'm not a vet. Plus when I got my pups, she sat me down and had me read up on crate training, vaccination schedules, diseases, training, proper nutrition, the works basically. She's an amazing vet, and I'd like to see her stay in business for a long time.

I just want to do the little things myself and save a few bucks so I can justify having all the blood work done, as well as everything else. Plus Ethel loves to rack up huge vet bills, so I'm trying to be frugal with the other dogs.

[sbrscnds]

We give our dogs the 8 in 1 and mark it on a calendar when we give it to them. Our vet usually just asks if they are up to date and we let her know 'yes we give them at home' and they are fine with that. We don't have to show them proof of label or receipt or anything.
One assistant (that has been fired since) decided to play 21 questions about where we bought it, how we administered it, etc.

Vets do the rabies... illegal to do it at home here in OR.

---------- Post added at 06:43 PM ---------- Previous post was at 06:41 PM ----------

And it's very simple to give vaccines at home.... there are videos online of how to do it and instructions everywhere!

[Kneeniasy]

That's the thing, I love my vet and I couldn't ask for a better one. I'm fine with paying a bit more for some things, as she has decades of experience with every breed and animal I own (she worked with ferrets before they were banned). Plus she actually takes the time to talk to me, explain things to me, and if there's something about my animals I'm concerned about, she doesn't just ignore it cause I'm not a vet. Plus when I got my pups, she sat me down and had me read up on crate training, vaccination schedules, diseases, training, proper nutrition, the works basically. She's an amazing vet, and I'd like to see her stay in business for a long time.

I just want to do the little things myself and save a few bucks so I can justify having all the blood work done, as well as everything else. Plus Ethel loves to rack up huge vet bills, so I'm trying to be frugal with the other dogs.

i totally understand! we have four so those vet bills go thru the roof after awhile... so we only do real vet visits now when someone is sick or something like that. i just couldn't afford the regular check-ups anymore. plus my vet moved, which was a bummer. he was really good with all mine, so i've bounced around on the last few.