Pet Health

I get my dogs their shots once a year. WE go to a place in Denton where they are low cost. It was $40 total to get both my dogs the parvo, rabies, and the other one (can't think of the name). I just recently took them for heartworm preventative. It was $140 for both heartworm tests and one year for each dog of preventative. The prices at the vet are outrageous. I only take them there when they are sick. Otherwise, I see nothing wrong with the low cost places. With two dogs, it can get quite pricy. I did the shots, heart worm tests, and a year of preventative for each dog last year at the vet, and it was almost $500. This year, at the low cost place, it was $180. Worth the drive to Denton to me! We even got my male dog neutered there for only $25. When we got our female spayed in 2001, it was $250 at the vet. If you'd like more information about this place PM me. I'll look up their website or you can google it. It is the Texas Coalition for Animal Protection.

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Hi L.,
I have a history as a vet tech. I do only the rabies every couple of years when it's due. This is the law and you want to respect that or you or your pet could pay for it. ")
I do recommend heart worm preventive since it's a real problem in these parts. If you have flea problems, you should treat them for it. If not just pass. That's about it. Have you looked into a low cost clinic in your area? It would help with the cost.
C.

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You might want to do some research into the rules in your city. Some cities, like Irving, require up-to-date vaccinations for things like rabies. You're also required to register your pet in Irving. If your pets were to ever get picked up by animal control, you could face fines if you can't prove that your pet is up-to-date as far as the city code dictates.

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We have never done yearly shots. I did a lot of research when my dogs were young and found that they are not necessary every year. We did their puppy shots and were very careful about not taking them out in public until they had completed those shots. I think we did boosters the first year. After that we had their titers checked every year and did shots about every 3 years. When they do the titer test they draw blood and can check for immunity to the diseases that the shots prevent. It's probably more expensive to do the bloodwork than the shots, but our Sheltie had allergies and our vet thought yearly shots would do more harm than good.

We do heartworm preventative but we haven't had a problem with fleas or ticks.

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funny you should ask.. I just went thru this with my dog. She is an 8 year old lab/great dane and weighs about 125 lbs. We had her fixed when she was a puppy and she got all her puppy shots. That was all we ever did for her. She recently got sick and turns out she had heartworms. Luckily we caught it early. The full treatment for that cost us 1600 dollars!!!! So I highly recommend the heartguard- it is worth it. Now she is healthy and doing good and in the future we will prob just stick to the heartworm treatment. I did some research on the yearly shots and found that most were just not necessary after the initial puppy shots. You will find that many of the shots last ALOT longer than one year. Just google "are yearly pet vaccinations necessary" you will find lots of info. Good luck to you

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I keep up with the rabies shots on all 3 dogs to make sure they stay up to date and registered with the city. You no longer (in Allen) have to have the rabies every year. It is a 3 yr vaccine now. That is the main one I keep up with.

Other than that, I do not do the heartworm, and extras. We don't treat for fleas and ticks because we dont have a problem. We have a very large yard and we keep the yard and house treated instead of putting the collars, etc on the dogs. I have 2 cockers and 1 poodle. The cockers have constant ear wax problems and I use a lot of vet stuff for their ears.

As for the poodle, no trouble health wise at all and I do most of the grooming myself. I might take him in once every 6 months for the pro cut then take care of it myself the rest of the year. I do the cockers myself.

You can spend a lot of extra money at the vet. I love my vet's office and his professional care. We do take our dogs in if we feel there is a need. At that time, we get any Rx for ear antibiotics, etc at the same trip.

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I use paw pals (I don't have their number on me right now but will get it for you) I pay like $5 to $10 a shot. they only have it on certain days I always have to take a couple hours off work but it's worth it. I get discounts not only on the shots but the heartworm stuff too.

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I worked with a vet once and he said that unless its a puppy or elderly dog, or show signs of healthy problems, they really don't need all that stuff every year. And that an outdoor dog might need that stuff more than an indoor dog because they are most likely to catch diseases. My dog got her shots when she was a pup, I haven't done anything since then. I do take good care of her, don't feed her any human food (very important), give her the recommended dog food for her size (extremely important to keep a dog in a healthy weight), play with her in the backyard so she can get some exercise, etc.

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Hi, L., I have 4 dogs. They are 17, 10, 3 and 2 years old. We don't do any annual shots. I strongly believe it does more harm then good! Heartworm prevention tablets, yes(need to do more research on this one). They eat raw dog food and going to holistic doctor when need it. Completely different approach for better health. My oldest dog had one problem after another(side affects from meds)when we were seeing regular vet. Not anymore!
For ticks and flea try this: http://tagfoot.com/M./bookmarks/mosquito
Good luck!

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I have 3 dogs and 2 cats. I take the dogs every year and now that 2 are over 10 our vet does not recommned annual shots for older dogs. My 2 older dogs (11 & 15) have some minor health issues that need monitoring so I want the annual check up and blood work. I keep up with heartworm prevention. The cats are totally inside cats and I stopped taking them about 5 years ago (12&15). If your animals are healthy and based on age or inside/outside activity you just need annual shots and heart worm medication, you could go to the SPCA wellness center when they have shot specials. www.SPCA.org Also check with your vet if you like him/her, I know our vet has Saturday morning walkin vaccination clinic and the cost is less.

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My husband is a Vet. and I can tell you that you need to take them in every year. Always get heartworm prevenative because if they get them they are very expensive to treat. Also flea and tick medicine is a must if you have an inside dog. You don't want to get flea's in your house. If they are just outside flea's are horrible for your dog to have so you would not want them to suffer. I think if your care about your dogs you do everything you need to for them. They are just like our children and you would not stop taking your child to the doctor.

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YES! Please keep getting your dog his or her shots. You will find that many vets will allow you to start skipping a year or so when the dog gets older. Studies have shown that immunity will build up over time - but only if you have had the dog from a puppy and know for sure he has had all his shots for many years on a row. That is a decision for you and your vet. But when they are young - yes it is vital. I have worked for shelters and have seen horrible diseases such as Parvo, Distemper, and yes even Rabies. It can happen to anyone! You can forgo Bordetella if you don't board your pet. Heartworm preventative is also necessary. Flea and tick treatment is very highly recommended, but if you keep your dog home in your yard and rarely ever walk him in public you might be ok. At least those are easy enough to treat if need be. As others have noted, there are often clinics and low cost vax days you might take advantage of.

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