I have a three month old puppy and I took her to the vet last month to get her shots and now she's overdue

Question

for her booster shots. We already paid $60 for the shots and the vet I go to wants $53 for the boosters. We don't have a LOT of money to be wasting and I was just wondering how IMPORTANT the boosters are, if they are at all.

Answer 1

they are very important.. it is far too easy for dogs to get things like parvo which are often lethal.. (and will cost a LOT more if you have to try to treat it later.. and will have no guarantee..)

Answer 2

Pets are expensive. It is not a waste.

If you don't want to spend money at the vet then you might as well find another home right now. Because depending on where you live, most vaccinations need to be done yearly ( some like parvo/ corona, and bordatella) must be boostered every 6 months to keep up their immunity.

It is ESSENTIAL that your pet ( especially puppies and elderly, they are more ceceptible to problems because of their ages) be kept current on their vaccinations.

Don't forget that your pet also needs heartworm prevention and flea control.

Heartworm prevention is a deff need/ Not only protects your pet from heartworms and intestinal parasites, but keeps you and your family safe from parasites as well. YES- you can catch parasites from your pets if they are not treated.

80 % of child blindness is cause by roundworm infection**

Be a good pet owner, do not think of it as wasting money, it is investing in your new family members health, and YOUR family's safety.

******* EDIT 10/7/07******************


FREEDOM is INSANE- Do not listen to that person. They have NO IDEA what they are talking about. My jaw dropped when I read their response, as did the veterinarian I work for.

I feel SORRY for their pets.

This person has no veterinary experience and should not be listened to in matters of pet health, no exceptions.

Puppies need vaccinations- they need them to boost their immunity. It is true that they do get some immunity from their mother, but depending on the size of the litter- the amount is decreased with each puppy from the litter.

All puppies get worms- generally inutero they are passed.

They NEED to be dewormed many times during their puppy vaccination series, and on heartworm prentive for life to protect them from those parasites and heartworms.

Heartworms clog the heart, choking it - then spill into the lungs. Would you like that.

Now I'm mad, I hate stupid people.

Stupid people should not own pets.

grrr

Answer 3

Yes, they are very important. Puppies get 4 series of shots. Sometimes less, I took my latest puppy last week which was his 3rd visit and they went ahead and gave him all his shots and said he was " good for a year and 20,000 miles" jokingly. So once you get the puppy shots over your good for a year. Plus they will want to start your puppy on a monthly heartworm prevention which is around $20 to $35 for a 6 month supply, depending on the vet.
We have 4 dogs that get regular vet visits and monthly heartworm prevention and we are far from being rich.
The best thing to do is start a savings acct. just for your dog. If you only put $5 a week in it. You will be prepared for shots, heartworm prevention and a possible emergency.

Answer 4

They are very important, because each dose builds up the dog's immunity to the certain illnesses a little more each time they give them the shot. If you stop giving the shots after the first round, the dog won't have enough immunity built up to effectively fight off the disease if they're exposed, leaving them vulnerable to parvo, distemper, etc...

Puppies are very, VERY vulnerable to illnesses. I work at the Humane Society, and I have seen puppies come in dying from parvo. It is not a pleasant way for a puppy to die.

Answer 5

HUH ?? You can't afford puppy shots?? EVERYONE knows that when you get a puppy, you take them for their shots.. so that they won't get those deadly diseases and die.. It's part of preventative vet care.. Part of your responsibility to the new puppy... Could be life or death necessary... But if you are broke.. Find the puppy a new home.. Problem solved.


What I meant to say was

Don't worry.. You have no money, and it doesn't matter.. Hugging and kissing your puppy will keep her safe..

Answer 6

VERY important ... sounds like you "don't have money to waste on a dog." Please rehome her unless you want to be one of these morons later who's dog is REALLY sick and wants every answer EXCEPT "take her to the vet!"

Answer 7

The truth is she may not need anymore anyway. The maternal antibodies may have worn off when you had the first shots given. Learn why vaccines are given in a series in the first place. When you get some money saved up, opt for a titer test instead of the vaccine.
Vaccines are the number one killer of dogs and cats. People don't want to admit that or learn about it. They just do what they are told and never mind researching the subject themselves.
There is no valid reason for giving the same vaccine over and over again to a puppy. The reason this practice was started is because puppies receive maternal antibodies from their dam while they are nursing, and these gradually wear off after weaning. But they wear off at different rates in different puppies, so we have no way of knowing for sure when they have worn off....it can be anywhere from 5-16 weeks, although the average is 6-10. Giving a puppy shots while it still has maternal antibodies is useless, as the maternal antibodies will "block" the vaccine and prevent immunity from being established. So vets in their infinite wisdom decided to give puppies vaccines over and over again so that eventually one will be given after the maternal antibodies are worn down. But since we don't know when they were down, it could leave pups unprotected for several weeks, which is why vets will tell you to keep your young puppy off the streets and away from strange dogs until it "has had all its shots" at 12-16 weeks.
So if we have to keep puppy isolated even if giving all these most-likely useless shots, then why do we both putting all that extra stress on the poor puppy's system? Doesn't it make more sense to not give those shots (since they likely won't work anyway) and just be careful with puppy until he is a little older? Stay away from dog parks, petstores and other areas frequented by large numbers of dogs until after 4 months old. Do your public socializing outside the grocery store, library, Home Depot, any place you can think about that has lots of people, but few dogs. Invite people over to your house to play with puppy, they can bring their adult, healthy dogs with them for playtime.

Read and learn. I know you have it in you! Make an informed decision.
http://www.britfeld.com/vaccination-adverse.htm

http://www.whale.to/vaccine/driscoll1.html#A_Wide_Range_of_Vaccine-induced_Diseases_

http://www.petresource.com/Articles%20of%20Interest/rabies_shots.htm

http://www.greatdanelady.com/articles/examples_of_vaccine_reactions_in_great_danes.htm (Be sure to scroll down to the pictures of Danes with reactions to vaccines) It's eye opening!

http://www.shirleys-wellness-cafe.com/petvacc.htm

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=12399614&dopt=Abstract

http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?cls=2&cat=1713&articleid=962


You also do not have to poison your pet once a month with heartworm meds and flea and tick control. If your dog gets fleas, then treat it. I have not seen a flea in 5 years and I also have not dumped un-necessary toxins into my dogs to prevent them.
You can have your dog checked for heartworm twice a year and if he ever has a 'positive' result, it will have been caught in the early stages and treatment will be less harmful then a life of so called 'prevention'
It is absurd to think dogs have to live a life on chemicals and poisons and toxins in order to stay healthy.
Wait until your pup is 16 weeks, save some money, have the titer test ran, skip the heartworm meds and in 6 months have him tested for it and every 6 months there after. If the dog gets fleas, give him a treatment and get rid of them. You don't have to follow all the sheep off the cliff inwhen it comes to pet care.
Ignore the thumbs. These are people who have not done a drop of research. They just believe they are right because the majority thinks the same way they do. Do your own research and come to your own conclusions.
I have an 8 month old puppy who has NEVER had a vaccine and her titer test shows immunity to Parvo and Distemper. The test was ran by the top immunologist in this country. Dr. Jean Dodds. My pup will never receive a vaccine of any kind. I feed her a raw diet, she does not live on a regimen of drugs to stay healthy and I am not afraid.