Who buys there vaccnines/boosters at a feed store or TSC versus going to a vet and paying a visit charge and for the overpriced shots?

Yes as a puppy this is different, and with rabies shots you have to go to a vet.

I gave my pup 7 way shots at 4 week intervals from 6 weeks to 18 wks. Mainly to make sure he was getting parvo shots until he was old enough to get his rabies shot.

I give all shots myself except rabies. But I have always gotten them from my Vet, I would be afraid that they aren't stored properly at a feed store.

I gave the shots myself that were yard dogs I rescued over the years, but I take expensive hunting dogs to the vet. My vet is really good at helping me out so I help him too.

Vet

When you get a good one you trust it is worth having the piece of mind to me.

I agree!! I understand doing the vaccines yourself to save money, but I believe that an annual exam is important. Also, not to mention a heartworm check and fecal test.

totally agree jbois, just talkn bout vaccines tho.

Oh sorry,

I'm thinking about our clinic...we offer a package that inlcudes an exam, hw check, fecal check, dhpp vaccine, and +/- rabies if needed. If you do the package you are getting the vaccines for a minimul cost....

I love TSC!!!! i could live in a town where all they have is tractor supply, walmart, and Academy. they all have everything we could ever need

We have a lot of dogs (& livestock) to vaccinate, so we do our own shots and microchip implants. We buy vaccs by the vial, bulk boxes of syringes and bulk packages of chips. We order from Jeffers or Lambert vet supply online. Vaccs are packed in ice and overnighted.

I do my own except rabies. Vet gives me trouble when I see them for other visit because I do my own vaccines. They said the same thing CC said about proper storage, I asked them what guarantee they had their's were stored properly and just got a blank stare.

Mine get their shots at the vets. Trainer won't accept shots given by the breeder. Just heard on the news last night vets are seeing a large increase in distemper.

I am lucky to have the vet that I have, I can get the shots from him cheaper than I can get them anywhere else. How many vets can you pull up with a dog trailer with six or seven dogs, go inside put our name on the list & when it is our turn he just comes outside & I pull one out of the trailer, he gives them a once over, gives them there rabies shots & back in the trailer & on to the next dog. He charges me one $10 office visit & $12 each for the rabies shots. I am going to be sick about it when he retires.

You are lucky. I wish I lived closer and I'd use him too. These city vets want to pay back their whole student loan on each customer. I hear there's a country vet in Decatur like yours CC - I'll be headed up that way next time I need something.

When you need something, come spend the weekend at Cedar Creek Lake, you can get your dogs taken care of for a fair price & then hit the lake with us & go catch a mess of Crappie!

Thanks! What are you doing tomorrow...

I wish!

You must use the same vet I use 250 miles apart. I give all my own shots except for rabies.

I also give all of my shots except rabies. Vets around Carrollton and surrounding areas want 70 dollars just to walk in their front door. I can buy my shots at Tractor and supply for a fraction of their cost and it is the same thing. My dogs are doing great! My dad buys wormer medicine in bulk from his vet in his small town and he worms them for me when needed.

Just a few words from a vet's son:

There are some state requirements about giving a rabies vacc to a pet. For certificate purposes, you are required to have weight, body temp, and indentifying marks. Also has to be a healthy animal, all of which is basically an examination. So I wouldn't throw any name's of your personal vet's out there for the public to see, even if they treat you great. FYI

Furthermore, having worked at both the vet clinic for 8 or so years and a feed store for 1, i've seen the products that come into both stores. They're supposed to be the same product, just different "Brand" names, BUT, i can't tell you how many times vacc came into the store and were inventoried warm. Boss man never said a thing despite me raising concerns. "so this metled ice pack in here didn't serve any specific purpose?..."
When drugs come in to the clinic from a major pharmaceutical company, yes, the same ones that sell you your viagra, , they're sent registered mail and have to be signed off after package inspection.

Additionally, most of us use our dogs, whether for work or recreation, and sometimes accidents happen. Have any of you priced work from emergency/24hr clinics? Services can cost almost twice as much, if not more than what it would cost during regular hours. I can't tell you how many times my dad has recieved an after hours phone call, and because they're not a client that he see's year after year, he refers them to the emergency clinic. I have also seen him recieve a call from a client who has come in for ten years with the same 'ol bird dog, and respond with I'll be there in thirty min. I've also seen him let folks that recieve a high bill from a broken leg or snakebite pay out over a small period of time, strictly beceause of the loyalty of the consumer.

So yes, ccbaseball, Feed store drugs can be cheaper. But between quality control issues and lack of a "relationship" with a vet, sometimes that $100 bucks a year can be beneficial.

Just my food for thought....

I know a man that lost his 8 month old lab due to parvo. His shots had been bought from TSC. I'm not saying they were to blame. I'd just rather not take that chance.

I have read all the post over again & cant find where anyone said they were giving Rabies shots themselves so I guess I need clarification on what you meant? Sorry.

Yes, I didn't see anyone say they were administering rabies shots... I know I personally would not break the law regarding this. I also would not trust feed store vaccs. If ever my vaccs arrive warm, (happened only once) I consider them useless and throw away.

Sometimes it's not the shot itself that is the culprit, but the adminstration of it. Puppies are covered under mama's immunities and while such is the case, the shot will not trigger the immune system. So, the shot needs to continue to be administered until mama's colostrum wears off. When is that? That's the tricky part... varies for every pup - even within the same litter. That 8 month old that died of parvo may have gotten his last parvo shot too young... he may not have been protected.

I understand the importance of doing what you can for yourself in these financial times.
Course there are things that only a vet can do.
I myself used think I was going to be a veterinarian. I took a semester of school and worked six months in a 24 hour emergency coop clinic that handled everything from Bats to Horses.


I pretty much have always done my own 5 in 1/ 7 in 1 for myself and family and friends when asked.I never really seriously considered the option of a negligent COC(chain of custody) when buying them from feed stores pet stores oh and even Minyard grocery had carried them for a while.

Oh back to the financial times point Im stumbling around with...having nearly drained our emergency account on our last recently deceased dog.
It does cost a heck of a lot more considering the vets bill to save your dog if it becomes ill. And if it dies,your out his cost,the transport,the feed bill,the training aids,the time and and a lot of heart and emotion. Not much of a bargain after all if things take a turn for the worse with bad vaccine.
Yet I and others I know still buy feed store (mine from TSC). At least recently for me. However you guys got me second guessing myself!!!

Almost any vet will sell them to you from what I understand. I have bought them from vets in garland, van alstine & the one I use now. I have always been told never buy them from anywhere except a vet or direct from a distributer. They must be kept cold.

With the rabies shots, CCBIRDDOGMAN posted about his vet giving the rabies in the back of the truck or trailer outside in the parking lot. I just touched on that because he is obviously pleased that his vet does this and I would hate for someone to turn the vet in IF he is not verifying information correctly. It was just a post that caught my eye, and seeing as how this is a public forum, sometimes you need to be careful about what is said. That was the point of that statement.


And yes, though some vets might be reluctant to sell you the boosters for self administration, they should all be more than capable.

Vets ususally reccomend getting a series of three 7or5way booster shots, starting around 4-8 weeks old. These shots are given once a month until the 3rd shot, which the pup is around 4 mos old, which is then given with the rabies. Another thing your vet would know!!

Also, to help cut out expenses, ask for the 3 year rabies!!! and save some money, although I would still reccomend an annual exam to look for things that those stubborn dogs just dont tell us about.

Another tip, while I'm going, is if you do have a normal veterinarian, and hunt in areas where contact with snakes is a concern, let your vet know and get the vaccine , just in case. They market it fairly reasonably now, a two shot series for around 20 bucks a shot. Makes the venom attack a LOT less fatal.