# Do it yourself vaccines?



## kara_leigh (Jul 28, 2010)

Does anyone here give their dogs and/or cats vaccines themselves? A farm supply store near here sells vaccines for dogs and cats and I'm tempted. My dogs are good, they just finished their set of 3 boosters and rabies, but all of my cats are due. They all just had their birthdays. I know that the vet has to do the rabies vaccine, but I've seen animals get shots enough I think I could do the other ones myself, and $6 compared to $35 (not to mention the visit fee and whatever else they tack on) is awesome in my mind. 

They have two different ones for each...a 5-in-one or a 7-in-one. Which would be better? Also, what size of needle would be best to use? Any tips would be great.

Thanks!!


----------



## wendle (Feb 22, 2006)

Look up Jeffers pet supply, they sell vaccinations , and a good selection. Not sure if there is anything behind it, but I have heard the vaccines out of the farms stores might be iffy as they could have gotten warm at some time, and you won't know. 
I do my own vaccines except rabies, it isn't difficult. 
It helps if you have somebody hold the dog, and use a small needle , generally they don't even notice.


----------



## wendle (Feb 22, 2006)

I would use the 7 way. 20 gauge needle


----------



## tailwagging (Jan 6, 2005)

http://newvaccinationprotocols.com/


----------



## kara_leigh (Jul 28, 2010)

tailwagging said:


> http://newvaccinationprotocols.com/


My vet follows the recommendations for boosters, according to this website. 










According to this, cats need vaccinations one year-ish. Two of my cats turned a year old in May and are coming up on one year past their last vaccinations. They need them. They can start the three year regiment after that. My other cat will need them next year as she is currently 3 years old. 










Again, it recommends vaccines at 1 year-ish. They are still under a year old, but will need them shortly after they turn one year old, then three years from that.


----------



## TxHorseMom (Feb 21, 2011)

Yes, I do my animals vaccines (except rabies) I usually get my dog and cats vaccines from TSC. The one's I purchase usually come with a syringe and needle. I get the 7 way.


----------



## GoldenMom (Jan 2, 2005)

Be very careful buying vaccines from feed stores. There are lots of stories out there about people who picked up vaccines to buy, walked around the store, then decided not to buy them. They can and have been left outside of refrigeration for several hours then put back in the fridge to sell (and are by that time totally worthless as a vaccination).


----------



## mekasmom (Jan 19, 2010)

I think almost every farm family or country family does their own vaccines. I don't know how large your dogs are? but if they are tiny, downsize them just a bit. When chihuahua puppies are under 2lbs, they only get half a vaccine.


----------



## Del Gue (Apr 5, 2010)

I got a rack of 50 doses of 3 way for the cats at fosters n smith plus a 25 dose vial of rabies for about 100 bucks.

The dogs go to the vet anyway so I just get the rabies and stuff there.


----------



## lamoncha lover (Mar 1, 2009)

Do not get from TSC or other in town store. A lady that used my stud decided to do that and ended up killing my pick pup when it died of parvo.
Because she tried to be a cheap butt..I incurred $400 dollars of vet fees and lost not only a adorable puppy but one that was worth $1800.00
Go check out Revival animal. or go to your vet..
but do not get vaccinations at local stores


----------



## Sededl (Jan 14, 2011)

Hmmm, At my local feed store, shoppers are not allowed in the vaccine fridge. Employees have to get it, and they tell you you need a cooler or to go directly home. Ive had good luck with the nasal ocular given vaccines for cats. Its super easy to administer and to restrain them. As far as rabies idk because WV state law wont allow pet owners to give them.


----------



## mekasmom (Jan 19, 2010)

Sededl said:


> Hmmm, At my local feed store, shoppers are not allowed in the vaccine fridge. Employees have to get it, and they tell you you need a cooler or to go directly home. Ive had good luck with the nasal ocular given vaccines for cats. Its super easy to administer and to restrain them. As far as rabies idk because WV state law wont allow pet owners to give them.


It's the same here. The vaccines and any cooler are locked. Then if you want to buy them, they put them into a small styrofoam thing. They're fine.
It's cheaper to get them at jeffers though if you are buying in bulk rather than just one. But if you are only getting one vaccine the farm store is cheaper due to no shipping costs.


----------



## dixieland (Feb 19, 2010)

Don,t think I trust thefarmers Supply. Rabie vac. has to stay cool. If it gets hot it is gone.No use.I have ordered Vac. from Jeffers. It is always cool packed.I give all my dogs their vac..


----------



## sharplady (May 20, 2011)

I too order my vaccines from Jeffers and give them myself. Dogs, cats, and horses. The only thing I cannot give is rabies and that is because of a state law that it must be given by a vet. It is hard the first few times to stick them and hurt them (even if only for a few seconds).


----------



## Wolf Flower (Dec 21, 2005)

GoldenMom said:


> Be very careful buying vaccines from feed stores. There are lots of stories out there about people who picked up vaccines to buy, walked around the store, then decided not to buy them. They can and have been left outside of refrigeration for several hours then put back in the fridge to sell (and are by that time totally worthless as a vaccination).


And you don't know how long the vaccines were sitting on the delivery truck with all the other feed and supplies. They are *supposed* to be kept refrigerated, but you really never know how they're handled, whether the driver let them sit out in the sun, or the store employees didn't put them under refrigeration quick enough. When vets run out of vaccines, they don't go to the feed store to buy more.

That said, feed store vaccines are *probably* okay, but I choose to have the vet do my vaccines. We only do them every three years, so I figure it's worth it to have the vet take a peek at my critters anyway.


----------



## nancy237 (May 29, 2008)

After 50 years of expensive vet vaccines I tried the ones from the farm supply.
A actually asked a friend vet about them and he said they were fine and that vets "hated people like me, just kidding"

It was super easy. The flyer tells you how to hold the skin so you make a skin tent & slid the needle right under the skin. 
Our supply store supplies the syringe with the vaccine.

Good records are vital because if your pets need boarding or vet care they will want documentation. I photo copied the vaccine bag with the lot number and dated the administration & where bought & kept it in a file of records.

I looked it up to learn myself and this page gives a simple schedule & difference in the 5 and 7.
http://www.vetvax.com/dogvaccineinfo.html


----------



## mekasmom (Jan 19, 2010)

Wolf Flower said:


> And you don't know how long the vaccines were sitting on the delivery truck with all the other feed and supplies. They are *supposed* to be kept refrigerated, but you really never know how they're handled, whether the driver let them sit out in the sun, or the store employees didn't put them under refrigeration quick enough. When vets run out of vaccines, they don't go to the feed store to buy more.
> 
> That said, feed store vaccines are *probably* okay, but I choose to have the vet do my vaccines. We only do them every three years, so I figure it's worth it to have the vet take a peek at my critters anyway.


You do realize that the vets get their vaccines on UPS or Fed Ex trucks too, don't you? I use to be the one who ordered stuff like that, and put it away when it came into the clinic. It came by truck. Sometimes the drug reps would come in to try to give us a schpeel, and had a few drugs on them in their cars , but almost everything comes by truck. The same vaccines from the same companies on the same truck go to both the vet and the farm store. They almost all come UPS.
Maybe you can think our refrigerators are better at the clinic? But it's all the same vaccine. Don't fool yourself into thinking it's not.


----------



## Haven (Aug 16, 2010)

You cannot "boost" and already immune dog. Read up on canine vaccinations and memory cells.

All you are doing is over vaccinating and over stimulating the immune system into an immune response, which leads to allergies and chronic dis-ease down the road.


----------



## Oregon Julie (Nov 9, 2006)

Haven said:


> You cannot "boost" and already immune dog. Read up on canine vaccinations and memory cells.
> 
> All you are doing is over vaccinating and over stimulating the immune system into an immune response, which leads to allergies and chronic dis-ease down the road.



Ditto and in the long run you do far more harm then good by attempting to "boost" an animals immune system.


----------

