Rabies Vaccines..

[Spiritwind]

To Vaccinate or not to vaccinate?

I know my opinion -- quite frankly my dogs are vaccinated for rabies.

I live in an area with a VERY high number of confirmed rabies cases each year. This year alone there has already been 17 confirmed (thru testing) positive rabies cases in Guilford County (North Carolina).... in Forsyth County (NC) there have been 29 confirmed cases so far this year.... Guilford and Forsyth are neighboring counties to me.... In the county I live in (Randolph county) I've been unable to get a total number of confirmed rabies cases but found a few news articles about a few confirmed rabies cases over the past year.

One story about a 5yr old girl in Randolph county who was bitten by a rabid fox. Her dad shot and killed the fox and it later tested positive for rabies, so now the whole family is getting treatment for rabies...

About 2 yrs ago when I worked at a vet clinic in Guilford Co. we had a guy bring in his dog for a rabies vaccine, who was way overdue. After the dog was dropped off animal control called looking for the dog... apparently the dog killed a raccoon that tested positive for rabies and the owner was supposed to have the dog at animal control by noon of that day..... but he never showed up.

I recently joined an e-mail list that is a anti-vaccination list.... and recently some of the people on there were talking about how they do not do rabies vaccines on their dogs, even if required by law... they said if they need to show proof they have made up certificates on their own, or in some states where you can buy rabies vaccines and give them yourself they said they just use those tags that come with the vaccines to show as proof the dogs were vaccinated.... but don't actually vaccinate their dogs.

Anyway I wrote to that e-mail list with a question on whether they would vaccinate their animals for rabies if they lived in an area much like mine with a high number of confirmed rabies cases each year... and posted the stories that I have above in this message.... today I got a private e-mail from someone on the list basicly telling me I'm making these stories up and there are to many holes in my story for it to be true blah blah blah.... when everything I posted was 100% truthful and I could prove it with the online news reports....apparently they don't live in an area with rabies!!

I know in my area if your dog is over due on rabies or you don't have proof of vaccination and something happens... its bitten by a rabid animal or it bites another animal or person because of the number of rabies cases in this area, animal control will take your dog and ask questions later....

So whats your opinion???....

[wolf_Q]

My dogs (with the exception of Skya as she's not old enough for the shot) are all current on rabies shots. What I have been doing is getting them all of the puppy shots then the booster the next year...after that mostly just rabies shots. It doesn't seem with current studies that the other vaccinations are needed yearly like most vets do. Nebo and Keva both have had 3 year rabies shots, so they are good for a while. We don't have a high concern for dogs getting rabies here (at least that I'm aware of) but I do go hiking/camping often so there's a chance. It's mostly the legal issues I'm concerned with, not that I think my dogs would bite anyone but you never know, like if there was a dog fight and somebody tried to break it up or something and got bit. I know (because I went to the ER from a cat bite that happened at my work) that if you get medical attention from a wound inflicted by an animal the hospital is required to call the police and report it. The cat that bit me did not have a current rabies shot so I had to give them the owner's name/info and I'm sure they received a visit from animal control...I believe the cat had to be quarantined too.

[shepgirl]

I'm not Anti Rabies and I don't belong or join anti rabies groups. But we do live in the country and we have had 3 years of scares with rabid animals here but I still preferred to not vaccinate because of the side effects. We had a fox in the yard with my horses, never went near them, would sit and watch, not afraid of the dogs either, but would walk away slowly, giving us time to snap pictures. Never found out if it did have rabies, it just stopped coming around as spring wore on. Our dog yard is totally fence in, no way for anything to get in except a bat, not many asround here luckily. I don't do any shots - but I don't advise others as to what they should do - this is just my choice. Most people here still put great faith in the shots and that's fine by me, Ijust don't want them. In over 15 yrs, I haven't had one sick dog.

[K9karen]

We have groundhogs, racoons, skunks, moles, squirrels, and some neighbors saw a red fox, so I've always had my dogs vaccinated for rabies. Mz Logan is on the 3 year rabies shot.

I've had the rabies shots regimen and they're not as painful or awful as they were years ago. You get them in the arm or leg muscle. Better be safe than sorry for pets and humans. It's not worth the consequences.

[Spiritwind]

My dogs (with the exception of Skya as she's not old enough for the shot) are all current on rabies shots. What I have been doing is getting them all of the puppy shots then the booster the next year...after that mostly just rabies shots. It doesn't seem with current studies that the other vaccinations are needed yearly like most vets do. Nebo and Keva both have had 3 year rabies shots, so they are good for a while.

I agree! I've started to not do "yaerly" shots as well... just puppy shots and a boster 1 yr later and thats pretty much it... besides rabies every 3yrs. I agree with you on the rabies as well! Its basicly a legal issue for me too... because of the high number of rabies cases each year in this area, animal control is VERY strict about rabies vaccines... and if something were to happen I don't want my dogs taken away from me. Down here even if you are bitten by a dog that is current on rabies they still are required to be quarintined for 10 days -- which I found out when a friend of mine got bit by a dog at work (vet clinic) a couple years ago!...





I'm not Anti Rabies and I don't belong or join anti rabies groups. But we do live in the country and we have had 3 years of scares with rabid animals here but I still preferred to not vaccinate because of the side effects. We had a fox in the yard with my horses, never went near them, would sit and watch, not afraid of the dogs either, but would walk away slowly, giving us time to snap pictures. Never found out if it did have rabies, it just stopped coming around as spring wore on. Our dog yard is totally fence in, no way for anything to get in except a bat, not many asround here luckily. I don't do any shots - but I don't advise others as to what they should do - this is just my choice. Most people here still put great faith in the shots and that's fine by me, Ijust don't want them. In over 15 yrs, I haven't had one sick dog.

Well the list I joined is "Just Say No To Vaccines" its not really anti rabies as much agaist all vaccinations... they also talk about non-chemical dewormers (diatomaceous earth) etc... and more natural ways to treat animals for things...

As far as rabies.. the side effects worry me as well, but I would be just as worried if I didn't do rabies vaccines with my dogs because of the area I am in. THe dogs are in a fenced area MOST of the time they are outside, but not always... I have 17 acres of mostly wooded, rocky, hilly terrain for the dogs to run in... very little of it is yard and we go hiking in the woods a lot!... as far as the annual shots, I do not do yearly shots anymore either!... but do do the puppy series (but not everything - no lepto or corona)...

Earlier this spring I too saw a couple foxes.. I havent' seen them in several months. THe dogs were in teh back of their fenced yard looking into the woods barking so I went to check and there was a fox just slowly walking thru the woods.. the dogs didnt' seem to scare him and neither did I when I came to the back of the fence to see what he dogs were barking at.... the fox would walk for a while.... then just stop and look around, sniff the ground and finally he walked out of sight.... then a few weeks later we saw 2 more foxes coming out of the woods down at the bottom of my driveway....

It is hard to find a vet in the area who will treat your dog without a rabies vaccine! If you don't have proof of rabies vaccinations they won't treat the dog unless they give them a rabies vaccine first.....

[cali]

I am against overvaccinating, and I vaccinate my dogs for Parvo at 16 weeks and that it for life. no rabies. now I am not opposed to it, I will vaccite my dogs for Rabies if I feel the situation calls for it. for me it is not black and white because I have seen BOTH side of the debate first hand. I have had a dog that had a severe reaction to the rabies vaccine, but I have also had a dog who's life was saved because she had the vaccine. because of this I weigh the pros and cons on the vaccine for the indivdual dog, and not as a whole.

[Twisterdog]

Having a current rabies vaccination is the law here. If your dog, cat or ferret is picked up by animal control, and does not have a current rabies vaccination, they will, at the very least, not let you take your pet home until you get the vaccination. ANY animal that bites someone is automatically euthanized if it does not have a current rabies vaccination.

Rabies is a real presence around here. Every year there are rabid animals ... foxes, raccoons, etc. Several years ago a BULL was found to be rabid. That's a scary thought. Another thing to think about is the fact that bats carry the rabies virus frequently ... and they fly, so it doesn't matter if you have a securely fenced yard of not.

One of my employees was bitten by a feral cat. She went to the emergency room for stitches. The cat could not be found, so she had to have the series of rabies shots. Incredibly painful and expensive.

All of my dogs have current rabies vaccinations, and always will. Not worth the risk not to, IMO.

[GSDOG]

I live in Oregon and i work in a veterinary clinic and the law here is if your animal..cat or dog, bites someone it will either be euthanized or quarrantined. our main vector for rabies is bats, and we have a number of cases in oregon this year of rabies in bats . an indoor only cat had to be euthanized. the bat got in the house and the cat killed it. no rabies vac because the owner didnt think it was needed. and the whole family had to have shots. we always let people know about the bats if they say they dont want to get the vaccine and everyone i have given the info to has said ok to the vaccine. I also worked with a vet a few years ago who used to live in Alaska, he said there was an island that some people were using to raise Malamutes and they figured it was an island and there was no way any of the dogs would be exposed to distemper on the island because there wasnt anything there. well a fox decided to hitch a ride..probably on a piece of ice to the island and all the dogs died of distemper!!!

[pomtzu]

I was under the impression that it was the law in every U.S. state, that dogs and cats had to be vaccinated against rabies. It is here in Delaware, and if you live in an area that requires a dog license, you can't get one without proof of vaccination. The same holds true for boarding and grooming facilities - they won't take an animal that is not up to date on all vaccines. I recently had an issue with a cat that didn't have a record of rabies vaccine. He was a resident stray that I had been feeding on and off for about 5 years and he sustained an injury (looked like a bite on his leg) and I took him to the vet for treatment. No proof of rabies shot - he would have had to be cage quarrantined for 6 months and I was left with only that option and that of euthanasia. There was no way I could cage him for 6 months so he had to be PTS without knowing if it was a bite from a rabid animal or not - but I doubt it was. Then law required that the vet report it and subsequently I was served with a summons by Animal Control for failure to vaccinate MY cat - which he wasn't really MINE to start with. I took it to court - pleaded not guilty - and fortunately the animal control officer was a rookie and didn't properly present the case - (he neglected to specify the county the "offense" occured in) - and it was dismissed on a technicality.
Both my dogs and 2 indoor only cats have up to date shots.

[boomersooner]

I've always kept my dogs up to date on their shots.....especially rabies...Boomer is still on puppy shots but Cassie is on the 3 year. To my knowledge, they've never had any sort of reaction. We live pretty close to a creek, and I've seen raccoons, skunks, opossums, and, of course, squirrels....I would rather have the peace of mind...I am not really sure if it is the "law" around here or not, but I'm sure animal control would be more apt to put the dog down or something if they didn't have the shot.

[Spiritwind]

I was under the impression that it was the law in every U.S. state, that dogs and cats had to be vaccinated against rabies. It is here in Delaware, and if you live in an area that requires a dog license, you can't get one without proof of vaccination. The same holds true for boarding and grooming facilities - they won't take an animal that is not up to date on all vaccines.


To my knowledge it is law in every state (except Hawaii - as they don't have rabies on the island) that all dogs and cats had to be up to date on rabies as well.... but apparently the people on this e-mail list I joined don't care about the law.... I'd have to go back and read the e-mails again but basicly several people on the list said they some how are able to make fake certificates copied and editted from old rab. vac. certs. to use in case they would need to show proof... because they say there is enough scientific proof that a rabies vaccine can give immunity for up to 9yrs... but this isn't what the law says right now so I'd rather not take the chance something would happen and have animal control come and take my dog away because it wasn't up to date... especially when you live in an area like I do where there are a large number of confirmed rabies cases each year in wildlife... and on occasion in pets....

Now I do believe in some states rabies vaccines are only good for 1 yr.. and others 3yrs....

[pomtzu]

basicly several people on the list said they some how are able to make fake certificates copied and editted from old rab. vac. certs. to use in case they would need to show proof...

Too bad that they don't have to produce the metal tag that is stamped with the date and certificate number as well as the piece of forged paper. That would make it a lot more difficult to produce fakes. I wonder if they realize what a potentially dangerous game they're playing? :mad:

[Spiritwind]

Too bad that they don't have to produce the metal tag that is stamped with the date and certificate number as well as the piece of forged paper. That would make it a lot more difficult to produce fakes. I wonder if they realize what a potentially dangerous game they're playing? :mad:


Oh I totally agree! Thats why I thought I'd post the question here and see what everyone elses opinion is... especially after I got the private e-mail from one member of that e-mail list basicly telling me I was making up the story and there were to many holes in the story for it to be true.... until I backed it up with actual online news reports from one of the local Fox news stations.

Forsyth Co. North Carolina confirmed rabies cases for 2008 (http://www.forsyth.cc/animalcontrol/rabies_update.aspx)

Health Department Announces 17th Rabies Case in Guilford Co. North Carolina (http://www.co.guilford.nc.us/blogs/news/?p=193)

Randolph Co. NC Family Undergoes Rabies Treatment After Rabid Fox Attack (http://www.myfoxwghp.com/myfox/pages/Home/Detail;jsessionid=B6A23A9CD95DCEF6B3CB43A2D90EB1BD ?contentId=7125876&version=3&locale=EN-US&layoutCode=TSTY&pageId=1.1.1&sflg=1)

Level Cross (Randolph Co. NC)Rabid Fox Killed By Family Dog (http://www.myfoxwghp.com/myfox/pages/Home/Detail;jsessionid=F3A603D7E655AAAA5CD22368BAE62D79 ?contentId=7218839&version=2&locale=EN-US&layoutCode=TSTY&pageId=1.1.1&sflg=1)

Winston-Salem (Forsyth Co.) Possibly Rabid Fox Chases, Bites Two People (http://www.myfoxwghp.com/myfox/pages/Home/Detail;jsessionid=BC4AD5DE7FDC72989A178C1202436E52 ?contentId=7105935&version=3&locale=EN-US&layoutCode=TSTY&pageId=1.1.1&sflg=1)

I don't live in an area that requires county dog license right now, but when I lived in Ohio we did have to get county dog tags each year, but they never checked a rabies certificate before you could get the dog tags... you could get them either at the court house or at the feed mill, just had to show them your renewal certificate for the tags pay the fee ($10 per tag) and you were good to go for a year...

[shepgirl]

We do have a 4 yr. law for rabies here, I just don't bother with it, My dogs are never out alone, we live on acreage also and they hike the trails every day. I still won't take the chance of the side effects from those shots. In all these years the only time I did have a sick dog as after the rabies shot and I almost lost my dog so it put me off shots forever.
I don't worry about my dogs biting, they are all therapy and have CGN and are non aggressive. The animal control here couldn't be bothered checking up on stuff like that, my vet knows where I stand on shots and if I ever did need care for my animals she would never refuse me.
I'm following the increase on autism and the controversy surrounding shots being the cause also helped me make my decision.
There has and still is much talk about the chicken pox vaccine being the cause of many cases of multiple sclerosis also....darned if we do and darned if we don't.

[pomtzu]

WOW!!! That's a lot of rabies cases! I live in a rural/farm area and we have some here - mostly in fox and racoon - but not that many. That's why I always make sure my guys are vaccinated - just in case. And Delaware is super strict about it - maybe that's why we don't have a lot of cases.
Years ago I had 3 Lhasas and one nipped my granddaughter - she was just a little tyke at the time and she starteled him awake out of a sound sleep. Of course she got taken to the doctor just to have it checked, and the doctor reported the incident. The dog was less than 2 weeks overdue for his rabies shot so he got quarantined (house arrest as I called it :eek:) by the state for 45 days and could go nowhere except in the yard with my supervision and to the vet for his overdue shot. Since then I have always made sure my guys get to the vet BEFORE they are due (every 3 years here). :)

[Husky_mom]

I´m just as Amy... all puppy shots... then booster... and later just rabies... but.. we do them yearly, we don´t have 3yr vaccines here... so far... ( but I sometimes skip a year)

I´ve had a couple dogs who weren´t vaccinated at all... just rabies...

but parvo having tons of outbrakes here.. I won´t risk another dog to it.... so I´ll vaccinate all puppies... as adults just rabies and if needed (in case of a new dog with unknown history) a multiple booster

[Glacier]

I do three year rabies shots, because I have to in order to keep my kennel permit. There hasn't been a case of rabies up in at least 50 years, but I need that permit!

I follow the same protocol as Amy for other vaccines...one full set, a booster a year later and that's it. Since I don't know the health history of most of my dogs, some of them get the puppy series as adults.

I never do rabies and other vaccines as a combo. They are done at seperate appointments. I actually just buy the vaccines and adminster the shots myself, except rabies. The mobile vet comes to my house for a mass rabies shot day! I never do any vaccines on a dog that isn't otherwise perfectly healthy. If they are already battling something, their immune system doesn't need any extra stress.

[GSDOG]

I would have to say to any of the people who don't "believe" in vaccinations to work in a vet clinic!!! have you had to watch an 8 week old puppy die from parvo..you know how much of a painful death that is...your intestines sluffing out of your body, vomiting so much, and the dehydration that is a result of everything coming out both ends!!!!!!!!! or watch a puppy die from distemper!! do you know how they test for rabies on an animal???
I think it is completely assinine!! I hear this almost everyday..no we didnt vaccinate him yet but we took him all over the countryside and to all the parks and he had such a good time. and we just dont know why he is sick now!! and the part that sucks the most is when the owners cant afford to treat and have to PTS!...sorry for going off like this but the ignorence is very frustrating. and by the way..if you live in the country you are even more at risk from wild animals being around.

[shepgirl]

GSDG--yes, as a matter of fact I did watch a dog die of parvo, mine. A new pup that I bought at 4 months old that was supposed to have been up on all shots. When we got home with it he started vomiting, brushed it off as car sickness form a 12 hour trip and stress at leaving his home. Next morning bloody runny poop and still vomiting, rush off to vet's to find we had a dog with parvo. He was put on I.V. and everything under the sun was done for him...to mo avail, we were told he was suffering and wouldn't make it , so we had to euth. What did the wonderful "breeder" say to us when we phoned...oh no, impossible, all my dogs are healthy. Never did take our calls again. So yes, I have witnessed that and more.
Would I change my mind about the shots? Not after what I saw my dog go through after the rabies shot, thinking I would lose another pup. Never again. Ever since I stopped the shots, I have never had a sick dog, never have any vet bills, which I used to have as a matter of course with all my other dogs who did get the shots. I also feed raw and realize that this is what gives my dogs the protection they have to fight anything off.
Why push my luck with shots when my dogs are the healthiest dogs I've ever owned? Tetanus for example, even if your dog has had a shot within 6 mos. the vets still insist on a "precautionary" shot. Laughable. Oh, did I forget to mention I also lost a horse due to the rabies shot?

[GSDOG]

I am sorry for the loses you have had and of course it is your decision to make with the shots. I have been a vet tech for over 10 years and i have never seen a dog , cat or horse die as a result of a rabies vaccine. and in the 10 years i have seen only one vaccine reaction to rabies and it was very mild.

[luvofallhorses]

Although, there has been nothing said about rabies being here (Montana), all of our dogs are vaccinated for rabies, including Rudy (he just got his a few weeks ago when he got neutered). I also don't believe doing boosters every year but the rabies is the important one. all of ours are 3 year rabies shots so they're also good for awhile until next year. :) except Buster, he got his last year since he is younger and gets his shots differently than the other 3. I am not sure about Rudy, though I think his is just a one year rabies.

[Spiritwind]

I would have to say to any of the people who don't "believe" in vaccinations to work in a vet clinic!!!

do you know how they test for rabies on an animal???


I've worked at 2 vet clinics over the last 9 yrs. I worked at the first one for just over 7 yrs until I moved... then I worked at another one for 1 1/2 yrs and I was done. I'm currently trying to find something else to do LOL I have no desire to work at a vet clinic any longer.. I got burnt out.... I got so tired of vets pushing things on clients that were not needed, or vets turning away good clients in emergency situations because they couldn't afford to pay the entire bill up front and they wouldn't let them do payments....

The first vet clinic I worked at was a bit more relaxed.. if you didn't want to do certain vaccines the vet did't push it, and the vet would also allow (good) clients to make payments etc....

the 2nd one I worked at, if you walked in with your dog for an appointment, and it was over due for rabies they wouldn't give you a choice if you wanted rabies or not.. they did it, or they wouldn't look at the animal. All they wanted was the money, they really didn't care about the animals.. you should have seen how many dogs they could crame into the kennels over the holidays and during the summer just so they could make more money... even if that meant by the time the kennel people got all the dogs out in the morning, and cages cleaned, some dogs spent over 14-15 hrs in a cage, because it would take several hours to rotate all the dogs out and by the time the last group of dogs went out they had already messed all over their cages and danced in it.... Sometimes 80-90 animals with often times on the weekends only 2 people to take care of all those dogs because they could never keep good kennel people!... ok.. this got way off topic.. sorry.... basicly I'm just tired of vets forcing things on clients...

I'm not against vaccines, I do the puppy series and then a booster a year later.. and that is it!... except for rabies which I do because of how common it is in the area... but I no longer do annual vaccines on my dogs.... and I give the vaccines myself so I can do it how I want to, rather than giving the puppy a DHLPP/Corona/Bordetella/Rabies all at once like a lot of vets like to do.... and I don't do lepto or corona at all... rarely bordetella.

Anyway... I have seen Parvo puppies come in spend days in the clinic in ISO on IV fluids and still not make it... I have seen vaccine reactions, but the only rabies vaccine reaction I saw was a ferret. The most reactions I saw was to the lepto vaccine -- we had a Boston puppy, not 5 minutes after getting the vaccine was in anaphylactic shock he hadn't even left the exam room yet.. and the puppy had grey gums and the dog just went limp... they really had to work on that puppy because it hit so hard and fast! It was saved, and they put in the chart - NO Vaccines EVERY again for that puppy...

[AllAmericanPUP]

Sheeba, Keesha and Eli all have the 3 yr rabies because I was living in iowa and they had to be registered with the town and UTD on rabies shot so I found a vet that did the 3 yr shot

sheeba & keesha have the combo booster shot also because they needed it to stay at a boarding kennel.

shadow i think only has the 1 yr rabies vac and the booster shot because she also stayed at the boarding kennel

ozzy hasn't had any shots since he was probably 1 or 2 yrs old.

yes rabies is required by state law but i'll take my chances

[pomtzu]

I guess I'm one of the fortunate folks that has never had any of my fur kids have any reaction to any vaccines - and I've been a Mom to many fur kids for 40+ years. I go to a wonderful vet and abide by what she feels is necessary for the good health of my kids.
My only problems occured when there were no vaccines. I lost my very first dog to distemper, and years later I lost two cats also. I had an indoor only cat that had no shots and then adopted a "healthy" kitten from the local SPCA. Three days later it was dead - I called the SPCA about it and was told that they just had to put down their entire cat population due to distemper - yet they never called me and alerted me to this. Of course the infected kitten passed it along to the cat I already had, and dispite efforts of a vet, I lost him also.
I will never put myself or any animal thru anything like that again - they get puppy/kitty shots, boosters every year, and rabies every 3 years.

[So-Crafty]

I had a terrible experience with the last (and first) dog I ever owned. The first time my (now ex-) Fiancé and I ever took her to the vet, the bill was well over $300 - which I thought was insane. But, that had been our choice and it was a poor one - the dog came from a really bad breeding and was very (very!) unhealthy. This is going off on a slight tangent, but just bare with me. I really feel that [some] vets are in it for the money, and not just for the animals anymore and could care less what their owners have to say in all of it. The price of just simple yearly exam has nearly tripled since I was a little girl. It costs more money to take an animal to the vet than to visit your regular human doctor with no insurance.

But back on the vaccinations - in the future, I would definitely get all the puppy shots, then the first year booster shots. I would titer test after that, but still get a yearly rabies shot. I'm not for over vaccinating but I feel that certain immunizations would help give the animal a better life.

And back onto a tangent - I really think you get what you pay for. I think that this is where it pays off to find an excellent breeder and pay a little more up front for a healthy puppy (whose parents have been health tested) rather than scrimp and scrounge and then pay more overall for the life of the animal.

[GSDOG]

The most reactions I saw was to the lepto vaccine -- we had a Boston puppy, not 5 minutes after getting the vaccine was in anaphylactic shock he hadn't even left the exam room yet.. and the puppy had grey gums and the dog just went limp... they really had to work on that puppy because it hit so hard and fast! It was saved, and they put in the chart - NO Vaccines EVERY again for that puppy...


Wow we just had a boston puppy come in for vaccines and the doctor decided to give a distemper/lepto because the owners live on a farm..not 5 mins after they left the building she was back and her poor little face was all swollen up and hives all over. i got to sit with her for a while to monitor her..( i have a 17 week old boston) she looked so sad and it broke my heart.needless to say she wont be getting lepto anymore. but she wasnt having any respiratory problems but we had her on O2 anyway.

Our doctors don't push vaccines, we give the info and let them make the decisions. we also require payment at time of services..which sometimes upsets me when people cant pay and we have to euthanize. but we offer care credit and on very good clients the owner will let them make a payment.

I hear you about burn out!! i am feeling it myself but i think it is only because i work at an ER clinic with day practice...i HATE doing ER..way to stressfull. and the doctor can be a real jerk to employees he doesnt like.(luckily he likes me)

[Spiritwind]

I had a terrible experience with the last (and first) dog I ever owned. The first time my (now ex-) Fiancé and I ever took her to the vet, the bill was well over $300 - which I thought was insane.

I agree! the cost of a exam has really gone up. The place I most recently worked at actually charged you an office fee (roughly $30) AND an examination fee (which I think was $45). THEN broke down the cost of the vaccines like they were individual shots the dog was getting, rather than a combo. So a Combo shot of DHPP that cost them all of $5, cost you $80 (I believe it was like parve - $25, Distemper - $15 etc..etc..etc..... Rabies, if needed that year was $25 or $30. The HW test they required yearly was $60 the fecal check they required yearly was about $30 - plus if you got a 6pack of interceptor, say the white pills (what most of my dogs take) that was $55... so basicly it was about a $300 bill per dog for annual stuff.... they are the most expensive vet clinic in that area.... because even when I worked there (Employees didn't get much of a discount or anything) I would take my dogs to the place closest to my house unless I absolutely had to take them to work with me lol But I do all Vaccines (puppy series) myself except rabies of course..






I hear you about burn out!! i am feeling it myself but i think it is only because i work at an ER clinic with day practice...i HATE doing ER..way to stressfull. and the doctor can be a real jerk to employees he doesnt like.(luckily he likes me)

This is going to go way off topic but.... Its kind of weird really.... the vet clinic I worked at most recently, the Dr. that owned the place I seemed to get along well with him.... I mean at first he would hardly say two words to you.. but after that he seemed pretty cool... he'd joke around with you and talk to new people a bit more than in the beginning... and the other Dr. that worked there I got a long great with her from the very beginning, I liked her as a vet and if she would ever go and open her own clinic I would take my dogs to her! However I refuse to take them to the place I used to work at.... the office manager is who made everyones life there a living hell, except the receptonists who could do no wrong... and after a while I just got sick of it and had to leave...

[chocolatepuppy]

Rabies shots are law here and my dogs get the three year ones. We do have wildlife near us and at times in our yard. They bait raccoons here for rabies, that's enough for me. ;) I don't let the vet give them a rabies shot with any other vaccine, I make a separate appointment.

[So-Crafty]

I agree! the cost of a exam has really gone up. The place I most recently worked at actually charged you an office fee (roughly $30) AND an examination fee (which I think was $45). THEN broke down the cost of the vaccines like they were individual shots the dog was getting, rather than a combo. So a Combo shot of DHPP that cost them all of $5, cost you $80 (I believe it was like parve - $25, Distemper - $15 etc..etc..etc..... Rabies, if needed that year was $25 or $30. The HW test they required yearly was $60 the fecal check they required yearly was about $30 - plus if you got a 6pack of interceptor, say the white pills (what most of my dogs take) that was $55... so basicly it was about a $300 bill per dog for annual stuff....

They had made an estimate for us that was around $150 before we even saw him, but then once we were in the office, they blindsided us with all these "tests" that they had to run etc., so on and so forth. When we got the bill, that's exactly what they did - charged us individually for each medication, plus the disposal costs for "medical waste", plus the RX's....multiple rx's (this is why it pays to buy from a good breeder, mind you.) And believe it or not, this was one of the cheaper vets in my area.

Has anyone had good success with Pet Insurance?

[pomtzu]

Wow - after reading some of the things posted here about vets - I really feel fortunate. I have a wonderful vet - a real down to earth country gal. She genuinely loves her patients and will take as much time as needed and answer questions - not just rush you out the door. She comes to work in jeans and a t-shirt or sweatshirt - has only 2 techs and a girl at the front desk - her office has a small waiting/reception area - only 2 exam rooms and 2 back rooms for surgery and lab - not some big pricey fancy building that she has to pay for by charging outrageous rates. She makes house calls once a week for people that can't get in (like seniors, etc) or for the dreaded day a pet has to be PTS if the owner wants it done at home. Her fees are more than reasonable and she has no problem if you can find meds for less money than she charges (such as flea or heartworm meds) - she doesn't insist that you get them from her. I guess she's a lot like the old time country doctor of long ago. I just love her - she's the best ! :)

[boomersooner]

Yes, I love our vet, too....he isn't too expensive and really cares about the pets...I know he stayed with a friend's dog when she passed at 3 in the morning....a lot of vets would have had someone else stay the night or just leave the dog if they knew it wasn't going to live.

[AllAmericanPUP]

I would have to say to any of the people who don't "believe" in vaccinations to work in a vet clinic!!! have you had to watch an 8 week old puppy die from parvo..you know how much of a painful death that is...your intestines sluffing out of your body, vomiting so much, and the dehydration that is a result of everything coming out both ends!!!!!!!!! or watch a puppy die from distemper!! do you know how they test for rabies on an animal???
I think it is completely assinine!! I hear this almost everyday..no we didnt vaccinate him yet but we took him all over the countryside and to all the parks and he had such a good time. and we just dont know why he is sick now!! and the part that sucks the most is when the owners cant afford to treat and have to PTS!...sorry for going off like this but the ignorence is very frustrating. and by the way..if you live in the country you are even more at risk from wild animals being around.

I have worked at a vet clinic and delt with many puppies who got parvo and watched a couple die :(
Ozzy and Eli both got parvo when they were pups because their previous owner didnt believe in vaccinating puppies.

I do belive in vaccinating puppies but I do not believe in vaccinating adults, many many studies have shown that it is unnecessary

[Spiritwind]

Wow - after reading some of the things posted here about vets - I really feel fortunate. I have a wonderful vet - a real down to earth country gal. She genuinely loves her patients and will take as much time as needed and answer questions - not just rush you out the door. She comes to work in jeans and a t-shirt or sweatshirt - has only 2 techs and a girl at the front desk - her office has a small waiting/reception area - only 2 exam rooms and 2 back rooms for surgery and lab - not some big pricey fancy building that she has to pay for by charging outrageous rates.

I guess she's a lot like the old time country doctor of long ago. I just love her - she's the best ! :)

Now this was like the FIRST vet I worked for, back in Ohio before I moved to NC. A country vet is what I WISH I could find down in this area... because thats what I am used to! Where I worked, It was a small clinic, 2 exam rooms, 2 people up front behind the desk, and 3-4 in the back (I was one of them)... we all did everything, cleaned the building, the kennels, and exam rooms, took care of the animals.. we only had 1 certified tech. The vet would wear jeans and a t-shirt... heck I also got to wear jeans to work... it was a new clinic she had built, but it was a smaller clinic... only 1 vet. She would come in on weekends if she got an emergency call. She mainly did small animals, but on occasion she would have clients bring horses and treat them in the parking lot, or go to the farm.... we had a couple people that brought goats in on occasion as well..... the kennel area for boarding dogs was all of 6 runs and 8-9 shor-line metal cages of varies sizes.. then there was a small area for hospitalized animals and an ISO room.... prices for everything was SOO reasonable... I wish I could find a place like that down here. A fully booked boarding weekend was like 10-15 animals boarding....

I live out in the middle of no where now, but all the vets in town are larger practices with 3-4-5 vets in huge fancy buildings... with high costs of everything. Where I worked in North Carolina 80 animals was a fully booked boarding weekend...

[Catlady711]

Here's a couple good articles on some of the things involved in vet fees (granted the second one is from Canada, and one from a vets point of view)......

http://www.greencrossvet.com.au/new2007/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=48&Itemid=78

http://www.avma.ab.ca/animal_health/comphealth4.htm

http://www.dolittler.com/index.cfm/2007/12/19/pet.vet.dog.cat.terrierman.veterinary.veterinarian


Here is a good article on vaccinating....

http://www.thepetcenter.com/exa/vac.html


Here's a good article on whether to vaccinate or not including reactions...

http://www.thepetcenter.com/exa/vacrec.html

[Moesha]

That sounds like my vet's office. Small town indeed.

[pitc9]

Rabies is a problem here in NE Ohio so my dogs get rabies shots every year. Sierra will (and has) killed any critter that comes in our yard, so I make SURE they get their shots. As for the other shots, I would like to not vaccinate anymore, but I take Sierra to the dog park for PT meetings and she has to be updated.

In my county they do TVR (Trap, Vaccinate and Release) with wildlife to keep the number of rabies cases down.

[ramanth]

In Michigan you can't get a license without the rabies vaccine and no license = fines if caught.

I personally get the 3 year rabies vaccine for all of my pets (dogs and cats).

Plus, I don't want to take the chance of losing my pets if they did bite someone.

[Flower51]

We live in NE Ohio also. I saw the picture of your dogs and am wondering if you've had any problems with skin conditions that could be related to rabies shots? One of our dogs had chronic problems that got increasingly worse through the years. Now that I feed her raw they have mostly cleared up although she does flare up somewhat around September. I have been cautious about vaccines since she had her problems and she and our other pooch are both due for rabies soon. Both Ida and Bootsie had puppy shots but we don't do regular boosters except for rabies. There is a nearby clinic that does rabies shots for not much money and we may take them there but again I worry about her because of the old allergy problems and our dog Boots has a lump on his chest and I don't want to aggravate his immune system. Not sure what the requirements are here.:)

Have you found a vet you like? We moved to Summit County from Cuyahoga County awhile back and haven't needed to see anyone since moving so any suggestions are appreciated.


Rabies is a problem here in NE Ohio so my dogs get rabies shots every year. Sierra will (and has) killed any critter that comes in our yard, so I make SURE they get their shots. As for the other shots, I would like to not vaccinate anymore, but I take Sierra to the dog park for PT meetings and she has to be updated.

In my county they do TVR (Trap, Vaccinate and Release) with wildlife to keep the number of rabies cases down.