Annual Vaccinations

[Tushers]

Tell me how much do you all pay for the annual boosters?

ok i will be bringing my 5 dogs to the vet in 2 weeks, and iam told it will cost me €180 for the 5 boosters, so €36 each, which sounds ok on its own just a lot when added up lol

do you think the insurance companies should help twords this cost?

do you think that getting a dog/ cat spayed is helping the amount of unwanted pets? and therefore why is this not subsidised?

[oscarlily]

I have 7 dogs. their boosters cost £23.00 each.. Luckly their due dates are well spread out.. so its not such a big payment all in one go..

I think the core problem with unwanted pets are puppy farmers..

They are not the one and only cause, but I think if they were eradicated, and puppy buyers had to think a little more about their purchase, some of them would think twice..

Spaying may stop the animal reproducing, it dos'nt educate an owner how to look after their dog.. I think this op. is done unnesserarly, on many occassions..

I have heard many times people saying .. "I would never pay that for a dog" but they hav'nt looked into the reason why a reputable breeders' puppy cost the money they do..
Ensuring a bitch or sire is in perfect health to breed, costs money, as does, correct feeding, worming programmes, vaccination programmes, official registering , endorsements, health screening, microchipping etc..
Add all that up and multiply by the number of puppies the bitch produces.. It is plain to see the reputable breeder is not doing this for profit, only for the pleasure of producing healthy happy pets from healthy happy parents..and selling to homes where they are very much wanted, and they have thought long and hard before buying the pup.. I would expect my insurance to pay out if I was unfortunate enough to have a dog with an ongoing illness, or one that needed a very expensive operation. etc..
I think paying for boosters and vaccinations are basic dog care.. all part of the reason that anyone thinking of getting a dog, or adding another dog to their home, should be taken into account, can they afford the costs?
Vunerable people, eg. eldery , disabled, low income, should be given help towards the costs to keep a dog in good health, as a dog can make such a difference to these peoples lives..

[Tushers]

7 my goodness lol i thought i was bad lol i purpoisly got all my vaccinations together as when they were seperate i missed a dog out a few years back and we had to start by scratch as i was 3 months late... to we managed to get them all synchronised now. but i know each year that once Valentines day is over i need to go to vet!!!
i am afraid he will tell me one of my dogs needs an operation on his mouth, due to a cross bit.. im noticing he is finding it harder to bite and he takes ages eating his food, so a bit worried. i hate them being operated on

[oscarlily]

Yep . Ive been lucky so far, havnt had too much experience with ops.. and dont want to either.. My vet sends out reminders when the dogs are due their vacs. but you can get a planner for the wall . It saves having to look up books etc..
Best of luck with the op..

[Paul]

Annual vaccinations aren't subsidised or paid for by the insurance companies because they would require a regular strain of funds from that insurance company. Ie, they would be giving out too much money rather than a 'one-off' claim from an individual.

And have you researched the boosters recently? There's a lot of negative research surrounding the topic. Some say they're pointless; some say they're actually more harmful to the animal's immune system.

I wouldn't dream of getting my dog's immune system boosted each year - any dog I've kept has led a long life without any routine vet treatment.

[Tushers]

wow Paul, you serious? i have been lead to believe if you do not vaccinate you are a bad dog owner, and if you do not vaccinate you are putting your dogs life at risk?

Do you have any medical training, as in you can treat your dogs yourself or are you like me and just love dogs?

i understand what you say about the insurance.

[Paul]

Just like you and love dogs!

I have absolutely no medical training for dogs - although I do think that a good diet/healthy lifestyle is the preventative to most illnesses that a lot of dogs need vet treatment for.

If you're interested in reading up on it, this is a great site with a lot of good info:

http://www.yourpurebredpuppy.com/

You have to pay for a few e-books from Michele Welton, but if you want the information about a certain topic, I'd be happy to refer you to some text via e-mail or something. Great e-books though, and they're certainly worth the price.

I think if you have a look on that site, the essence of this subject is covered on a web page that anyone can view.

We're led to believe that we're 'better' dog owners from a lot of different people and different companies; the majority of which just happen to be making millions of pounds from doing so.

[Tushers]

what an interesting site, you cant really argue with what i have read so far [the bit about food and diet]

I always fed my last dog a Jack Russel / Cairne cross with "our" food, she got a dinner too, she lived till she was 18. then when i got the Cav's i was told that they cannot eat like that as their stomachs are sensitive and cannot take eating what they termed "scraps" i woudl love to give my dogs "real" food but have been scared into Kibble...

Has peoples thoughts changed?

thank you for the site there is a lot more reading on it to be done at home

[Tushers]

I think i will have to buy his books, as i want to know the one food he would recommend, is, however as he is in America i am sure it isnt of interest over here?

does his book have images?

[Schipmom]

I do not vaccinate my dogs annually once they had their puppy shots and first annual vaccination booster. I don't buy into the annual vaccine scheme. You can have your vet run titers on your dog's blood to check for immunity and if they need a vaccine, then I would do it. I honestly believe that over vaccination causes major health issues for many dogs. Here in the states, many of the vet schools are now recommending vaccinating dogs every 3 years instead of annually, once they've had their first set of booster shots.