Opinions on "self" vet care?

Question

What do you think of people who buy their vaccinations for their dogs, and do it themselves? Or buy their heartguard medicine online? If the person is doing everything timely and stuff, does that still make them a stupid pet owner?

I ask because sometimes I feel kind of weird that I only take my dog to the vet if she does seem sick (or for when she had her rabies shot, microchip and spay). But any "well dog" care, I do myself. The vaccine for distemper, etc (so called 7 in one)only costs 4.50 at a pet supply store. I get a 6 month supply of heartguard for 15 bucks online.

Opinions?

The heartgard medicine, it's a generic from the website www.petshed.com. The size I got was for medium sized dogs. It cost 15.95 and 5 dollars for shipping. Better than 7.50 a month!

Answer 1

Hi there

I'm a veterinary surgeon as well as a dog owner so I can see both sides of the coin.

On the one hand, I don't see why an informed and intelligent pet owner can't do the basics for their dog. The products bought on the internet are the same as you buy from a vet, but certainly cheaper.

Vets have insurance, rents, wages to pay, as well as the costs of maintaining and servicing equipment such as anaesthetic machines and x ray equipment, hence the higher price. Purchasing from your vet helps them provide the best service for you, as well as ensures you get the best product for your animal. Nothing beats that sort of personal service.

If you do buy online and do it yourself, that's fine, but I would encourage you to keep in touch with your vet, and have at least annual checkups. I was working just this weekend and two cases come to mind. One was a lady with a cat with a lump, she had handwritten notes about when it started, where it started, when it reduced in size, how it looked - it really helped when we were working out what it may or may not be. The other case was a little dog we hadn't seen since 2004. It had been a bit off for a while but nothing specific, and when the dog actually came in yesterday, it had end stage kidney failure, was extremely ill and ended up being euthanised. Could we have helped it if we'd seen it earlier and been able to support the kidneys better? I think so. I think you'd feel pretty bad if your dog collapsed with a bleeding splenic tumour when an earlier checkup may have discovered the lump before it got to that stage, and the spleen could've been removed.

Either way, it'd really help your vet if you kept some good records yourself. There are a lot of things that happen to our dogs that don't need a visit to the vet, but may have effects later on, such as that leg injury which healed, but 12 months later your dog is a bit stiff and sore. Consider using something like Sit Stay Fetch Pro software to keep your dog's health records in the one place and your vet will thank you for it. I didn't write the software but I find it very handy even for myself.The link to the software is in my signature.

Sorry for the length of this post :-)

Scot

http://tinyurl.com/y9cakg

Answer 2

Just like a Doctor can remove the wrong arm or leg does'nt mean they all know what they are doing.Vets are trhe same way..I had dogs into the Vet and they still were'nt getting better.I asked on here to see if others had the same syptoms at one time or heard about anything that was going around..I demand a lot from my Vet and demand that every test be done.In Oct.09 they had the dog flu but I was the first to come in with it.I made my Vet aware of the syptoms to where they printed up informartion to hand to every customer..I also do a lot of research on my own and over the many years of owning I feel I know as much if not more when it comes to my dogs..They don't force shots on me or the crap dog food.They know I'm holistic and natural when it comes to feeding and flea and tick prevention..One bad incident w/a medication can usually mean a recall as other dogs have suffered also and the way people find out is by talking to others..

Answer 3

there are pros and cons. the pros are: a) you're saving yourself money and time thus making it easier on you wallet should you have to take your dog in for an emergency b) there's really very few spots that you can put a vaccine in wrong, basically anything meaty is an OK spot. the cons are: a) some places don't store the vaccines correctly thus making them useless. they're very temperamental. b) you're dog isn't getting a COMPLETE exam and by that i mean you aren't checking the teeth, the glands, the bladder, the eyes etc. c) you aren't trained to know what feels right or wrong unless it's something major. d) your dog may not be getting the health or dental care that it needs when you bypass the vet entirely.
i personally say give the vaccines yourself and do you heart warm, flea, and tick prevention. HOWEVER, do take your animal in for a yearly check up. as long as you bring the proof that you gave the vaccines (i.e. the packaging) they should still see you and all you'll have to do is pay for the office visit! the biggest life safer for your dog is catching something in the early stages. also, when you're dog hits a certain age (usually 7 and on) you should get blood work done yearly. having a trained eye truely makes all the difference in the world.

Answer 4

I am totally for it........ I do give my own vaccines........... I buy from reputable places and ask before i buy how often they restock and how long they keep the vaccines before they restock.
I also go to my local vet and they will sell me the vaccines they have there, the rabies has to be done through the vet of course, but the others I do........
There are so many things that a person can do theirselves without rushing to the vet for every ailment. I live in a small country town and the vets around here will let you call them ask them questions and if they feel it is serious they request the animal to be taken in, but minor stuff they will tell over the phone.
There is alot of people that believe taking the dog to the vet is the best because they are the trained pet doctor, BUT in some cases you can save hundreds of dollars for a 10.00 do it yourself .
People need to realize that it is not wrong to do things yourself, but you need to know what to do in case of a emergency reaction to a vaccine. There are always pros and cons, even vets make mistakes............

Answer 5

As long as you follow the guidelines it is just fine. Otherwise the governement wouldn't allow it. I think the biggest problem is that some people won't go get their dogs the rabies shot, which you can't do yourself. And some people won't take them in when they are sick. Let's be honest how many of the people on here ask questions when they should be in the vet office or be phoning the vet.

But as long as you are careful and a responsible pet owner follow the rules and seek care when your pet is sick you are doing fine. After all there are how many people who don't get regular shots, hearworm meds, etc. for their pets.

Answer 6

i think it is dangerous. sure you're saving money but do you know exactly how these meds are prepared and handeled? probably not. they may sit in a store room or on a truck for days and then put in the store. you never know. this can destroy the vaccine or meds in the heartworm preventative. what happens if your dog should get heartworms while on this med? you won't be saving money any longer after paying for a heartworm treatment. plus will that manufacterer guarantee their product? products sold in veterinary practices are fully backed by the producer, and are handeled and stored correctly. this is very important. i think you have been lucky honestly. in my opinion, and don't get mad you asked for it, vaccinating your dog from a petstore vaccine supply would be like getting polio vaccine for your child at toy's r us. and would you do that? and why not? ask yourself that before you vaccinate your dog next year. i'm not judging just giving my honest opinion, of someone who has seen home vaccines and heartworm preventatives go horribly wrong.


ok and as for if it were bad the governement wouldn't let you people, really now. because our governement always protects us, and does exactly what is correct? there's never been a dangerous product on the market, then why all of the recalls? if you want to save a buck, go ahead, but don't come crying to you vet when something happens. just fix it yourself. hope none of you do your kids like this. if you do, thanks for polio, whooping cough and other childhood illnesses making a comeback.

Answer 7

Well, I think it depends on how the person is doing it. Some people can be stupid and put the vaccines in the wrong spot or give to many pills.

I think that you are doing good that if your dog seems sick that you take it to a vet. It shows you are a responsible pet owner! =)

Answer 8

I have years of experience with dogs so I, and I expect you, know more and can handle more when it comes to dogs and their needs.

I do think you should read an article by Dr. Ron Schultz of Wisconsin University. Vaccinations are good for many, many years and do not need to be done annually. Also, a 7-in-one is not the newest protocol for vaccinations. Vets and universites are only giving a DA2PP.
http://svmweb.vetmed.wisc.edu/articles/68/5/39

Answer 9

Alot of us self vaccinate. If it was a bad thing, it would be taken off the market. Let me give you an example of taking care of your own pets.---My wife found what she called a booboo in our cats ear. She put Neosporin on a q-tip and applied it to his booboo every day for a week. He hated it, but allowed it. A few days later, that booboo went byebye. That is not a lie. You don't have to pay 100's and 100's of dollars to take care of your pet.

Answer 10

Hi,
I do my own Vet care for shots and simple problems. but for major stuff I take them to the Vet. I never give Heart worm Meds unless they are tested for Heart worms first by a Vet to be sure they are Heart worm free.

Other wise, I see no reason why you can't give them their shots as long as they are given Subcutaneous (under the skin only). But I would suggest that you only give them their shots every 3 yrs after they have had their puppy shots and one year vaccination.