Puppy Shots? New pup but vets are too expensive. Any Ideas?

Question

I got a new black lab mix puppy about 1.5 months ago. He was sort of a hand me down pup. Someone gave him to this girl then the girl gave him to me because he was too much of a handful for her to take care of. Since I have no kids or anything of that matter I welcomed the idea of having a pup. I am pretty sure he needs his shots but taking him to a vet is too expensive. Is there another way I can get his shots? Can I self administer his shots? Any help would be welcomed.

Ok...so for the people that are saying things about the expense of being a responsible dog owner. I know the expense. I just want to save money on shots because I just had the unfortunate event of losing my job. What I;m doing is just shopping around to find the best deal and to see if anyone has done anything different for their pups.

I can afford 15 dollars for a vaccination. Thats not a problem. Im just trying to figure out the best way to save money while keeping my puppy healthy. The places I've called were saying the shots were over 200 dollars which is outrageous.

Answer 1

well I agree with the one above, if you can not afford vet care then why in the world would you want to take on such a responsibility? Dogs will need yearly shots just to prevent them from getting sick or catching a disease. Not sure where you live but here (Ohio) our vet visits average about $21-25.00.., the shot is not what is expensive, it is the "office call" that you actually pay for...
Check around in your area, in every town there is almost always a place or vet office that will have shot clinics and you can get them next to nothing.. first place to contact and ask if they would have any information on this would be your local pet shelter..
good luck with your new baby..

Answer 2

Not to be mean, but if you can afford basic vet care for your puppy you need to rehome him.With owning a puppy/dog comes the responsability of proper care this includes, food, housing, training & vet care..if you can't or don't want ot do these and do them in a responsible manner then you don't need a dog.
A puppy should ALWAYS have an exam before vaccines are administered.Vaccines should NOT be given to a puppy that is not 100% healthy. There is no way for an owner ot know for sure there is no underlying proble,,just because a dog looks/acts healthy doesn't necassarily mean it is.
In addition to vaccines there is dewormings, flea treatment, heartworm tests (after 6 months of age) heartworm preventative, etc.
It is not advisable to give vaccinations yourself for several reasons
1) there is no way of knowing how the vaccines have been handled, stored or even where they came from ( drug companies only sell to licensed vets and they will not guarantee any vaccine not gotten and given by a licensed vet)
2) rabies vaccines mUST be administered by a licended vet
3) vaccines must be mixed and administered correctly
4) if the dog has an adverse reaction you have no vet to help you out, you have no recourse
Also you don't know the current protocol so may administer vaccinations no longer needed or recommended or may give too many at once thus over vaccinating.

Answer 3

If you think routine vet care is expensive you just wait... have you even seriously considered all the expenses that go into being a responsible dog owner?

Try a local humane society, they usually have low cost vaccine clinics.

I do NOT recommend you administering the vaccines yourself, especially without an exam by a veterinarian first! YOU SHOULD NEVER VACCINATE A DOG WITHOUT HAVING HIM EXAMINED FIRST. What if he has a heart murmur? What if he has intestinal parasites? What if there is a health issue going on in which you would never pick up on because you are not trained? If his heart has issues or his immune system is down and you vaccinate you can really do a lot of harm to this boy.

First of all you are not educated on this process at all. Secondly, do you even know the proper areas to vaccine a dog? Third, what if he has a vaccine reaction? Dogs can die from vaccines.

If you cannot afford to do the right (and responsible!) thing by bringing your puppy in for a proper exam and vaccines then you need to find him a home where he will receive this care. You owe that to him.

UPDATE: I respect you wanting to save money, but there is no excuse to cut corners when it comes to this pups health and well-being. You could kill this boy if you vaccinate him yourself without having him examined by a veterinarian. If you are determined to vaccinate yourself ATLEAST bring him to a vet for an exam and ask the vet how to administer vaccines correctly.

The quote for $200 is a bit high. Exams are usually $25-$60 and vaccines are usually $15-$20 each.

PLUS the Rabies vaccine -by law- must be administered by a veterinarian, so you will need to suck up the money and have him vax for Rabies at the vet.

Answer 4

$200 is a bit much, it's kind of like having a dog fixed. The town that I live in they wanted $260 to have my dog spayed... but it only cost $90 an hour away. Call around at other vets, even ones that are a bit out of town (they're usually the cheapest). When I adopted my pup the animal control officer said that you can buy the puppy shots at a tractor supply store (if you have one of those around). You'd have to give the dog his own shots though, which can be hard if you don't know what to do.

Answer 5

I can certainly understand wanting to take in a "homeless" pet. However, sometimes our emotions override our common sense. If you have done your research on vaccination prices at vet clinics in your area, and they are all out of your price range, then you do not need to own a dog. It is absolutely necessary for this pup to go through his vaccination regimen, as there is a significant risk of devastating disease should he not. There are ways to purchase vaccines in bulk (like through Drs. Foster & Smith,) but please do not attempt to give the pup shots if you are not properly trained to do so, as you could cause serious injury to him. Another concern in bypassing the vet's office is that you may not know of any congential defects he may have, such as a heart murmur or hernia, which the vet would find upon examination. You also need to consider that he will need to boost these vaccines yearly, as well as be on heartworm preventative for his entire life (which can be quite costly.) Also, you need to think about the cost involved in having him neutered, and any other services or surgeries he may need. Being a responsible pet owner costs a lot of money - please, if you can't afford it right now, find a friend who can.

Answer 6

Check your local humane society. In my town the humane society offer low cost on shots and low cost spay or neuter....sometimes the spay or neuter are free. It's worth looking into.

My sister couldn't take care of her siamese cat so I took her b/c I didn't want it to go to a bad home or worse. But at the same time I didn't want to take her to the vet and fork out a bunch of cash! I called my humane society and they spayed her and gave her her vacinations for under $100. The vet would have been dble.

I agree vets are expensive. And I am not telling you not to go to a vet. It's all a matter of preference and that your puppy gets good care and a loving home. Most vets offer a credit card that is called "care credit". It's great for emergencies. I recommend it too.

Answer 7

WOW....you took in a puppy and you already knew that the vet was going to be too expensive for you to afford. So far you are not being a very responsible pet owner. I dont think you should have taken the puppy in the first place but now that you have him check with your local shelters. They sometimes offer programs for routine puppy care at a reduced rate.

Answer 8

Call around to different vets and see what you can find. They may know of a discount or free vaccination program.
But be very careful with the dog until he gets his shots. A friend of mine was waiting for a cheap vaccination clinic, the dog got parvo and died.

Answer 9

Dog supply magazines usually sell the shots, however, if you aren't familiar at giving shots I wouldn't do it. Like Vet Tech said, dogs can have bad reactions to shots.

I would contact your local animal shelter, because medical care for your animal is the law, most shelters offer low cost clinics to allow everyone to be able to afford medical care for their pet.

Answer 10

No, you cannot self-administer his shots. You need to go to the veternarian for that. It is unavoidable! I dont see how this can put you in a financial bind because the vaccinations aren't expensive at all. If you can't afford $15 or $20 for a vaccination then you have no buisness owning a dog.