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Post by spider on Apr 21, 2013 14:12:03 GMT
is it necessary or even good to give booster shots every year some original shots seem to last in the body for more than a year so is it overdosing to give them after one year with our vet its every year and i would not like to chance not giving it to him but is to much
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Post by puddycats on Apr 21, 2013 14:57:24 GMT
I have queried this some time age as I read that in the USA quite a few vets only give boosters every 18 months as cats stay protected for a lot longer than one year. What prompted me was that Molly was getting a lump on her neck each time she had them (I have mentioned this before) and my vet said it was probably down to the Felv jab (feline leukaemia) and as Molly no longer goes out it is not necessary for her to have it. So I have stopped that. She also said that Molly could go longer say 14 -15 months and that is what I do now, I do feel that given she is 17 and has had so many boosters in her life, I want to try and cut back a little. Plus with all these chemicals, including the spot on flea/worm treatments I personally wonder how much of that has contributed to Molly's hyperthyroidism as it is only in recent years that cats are now starting to live a lot longer and not enough is known about the long term affects of all these treatments and boosters.
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candy
Settling in well!
Posts: 62
Animals I love: ALL ANIMALS...
Pets I own: CANDY ....MY FLATCOAT RETRIEVER....MY BABY.... x x
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Post by candy on Apr 21, 2013 18:18:51 GMT
HI.. this is a worry of mine... I used to give my cats jabs every year.... but not going to now with my 2year old dog... on the old dog forum there was a number of web sites posted up which made interesting reading.... made me change my mind on yearly jabs... .....
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Post by SarahHound on Apr 21, 2013 18:42:23 GMT
No, its not needed. Even the manufacturors of most vaccines recommend every 3 years between boosters, giving them yearly is simply recommended by vets to make money!
Personally, I think every 3 years is too much also, but that is each to their own. I'd rather titre test every 3 years and see if there is a need for the vaccine before I put it in them. Mine go out every single day, and all are fit and healthy.
Rigsy was last vaccinated in 2001, Lucky in 2004, and Skye was done before I adopted her last year.
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Post by tonib on Apr 21, 2013 21:13:21 GMT
In our case as they go to a cattery we have no choice as all catteries insist on a current vaccination.
Also with Roman, in particular, as they go out & can get involved in fights I'd rather be safe than sorry. FeLV is a a recommendation for our area as there are definite pockets of it here according to the vet.
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Post by spider on Apr 21, 2013 21:50:18 GMT
my fear would be if i dont and something goes wrong i would never forgive myself but thats just coz i trust the vet to do what is best for animals in his practice not just to be a money spinner i think i will have a chat with him this year before we make our minds up
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Post by vonnie on Apr 23, 2013 21:18:53 GMT
It is needed to keep them up to date. However, you don't have to go bang on the dot of one year. Different manufacturers state their own 'expiry' date. The one we use 'expires' after 16 months, so some people stretch it to then. We give a discount to those who come nearer the due date. In the case of gorgeous lady Molly, there is a very good reason to push the date as much as possible. Different pets need different kinds of approach to treatments, vaccs included! Check with your vet what lengh of time they're happy to leave it for. It's safe to do, just don't go over the 'deadline' or you'll have to restart vaccs (more pricy + 2 jabs iinstead of 1). That way you can make it maybe almost 2 jabs per 3 years (ish). It is NOT a way to make more money, I VERY much disagree with that as it is purely from our manufacturers, not the vets who state dates. For instance, the manufacturer we used to use said it expired after 18months. We changed from those as a few pets had mild vaccine reactions. The manufacturer we use now hasn't caused a single problem, even though the 'date' is shorter. Most vets(especially ours, we have also just reduced some prices) would happily change to a vaccine that is PROVED safe in the UK tests and is longer lasting. We do keep asking our reps. Mind you, the rabbit vaccine has just (about 2/3 months ago) been changed so it now lasts 1 year rather than 6 months, so it does happen. There is no research that shows cats or dogs (or rabbits for that matter) get overdosed by injecting every year. If a problem develops, then the vet will assess the situation, just like Molly! Also remember that there is a lot of information and opinons on the internet that is put there by anyone who have not a slightest bit of veterinary training and what may be deemed safe in one country may not be actually proved safe in another. Hence why a vet will not switch unless it is set in stone that it is safe. This is lives we deal with and damned important. Some insurers demand a yearly booster or at least check to stay insured for things like dentals and as Toni says, it is a must for catteries/ kennels. For Kennel cough for example, although not fatal, the places that do not insist on it always have trouble with it...when a client says the dog has it and they've been in a kennel we know which one it will be! A final note too...I have seen many of the diseases in cat, dog and rabbit and treated those animals suffering. It is horrible, there is no way around that. It is also horrible to spend so much time with the animal to see it die in front of you and the feeling when you have to hand that deceased pet back to the owners is not one I can put into words. There are many pets I still think about (we nurses care more than folks think!). Fatalities are always very high, as owners often cannot afford the treatment needed to get the pet well. Not all animals that are not vacc'd get the diseases, true. Good for them, genuinely! But these diseases are around and do kill the many unlucky ones. I know I'm coming over strong here but as someone who deals with the nasty side of preventable diseases it is something I strongly care about and research. Elsa is an indoor cat but I still vacc her as I am happy and confident over the safety and would never forgive myself if she escaped and she caught something. For the sake of £27, it is a price I am more than happy to pay! Here's a smiley face cos I'm not used to being so serious on here!
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Post by puddycats on Apr 23, 2013 21:37:54 GMT
Thank you Vonnie. As i have told you before I really value your comments and appreciate your feedback on this subject and hopefully others will too.
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Post by spider on Apr 23, 2013 22:16:30 GMT
and i also thank you i guess i was never going to let the booster laps i never did with spider i was reading something on the INTERNET and decided i would ask just to see how it would go moonbeam will have his boosters when the vet tell us coz he knows thats why he is in the job he is in
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Post by broken04 on Apr 23, 2013 23:52:40 GMT
Neo is a indoor and outdoor cat so he had to get his done every year.
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Post by SarahHound on Apr 24, 2013 9:47:40 GMT
It is needed to keep them up to date. However, you don't have to go bang on the dot of one year. Different manufacturers state their own 'expiry' date. The one we use 'expires' after 16 months, so some people stretch it to then. We give a discount to those who come nearer the due date. In the case of gorgeous lady Molly, there is a very good reason to push the date as much as possible. Different pets need different kinds of approach to treatments, vaccs included! Check with your vet what lengh of time they're happy to leave it for. It's safe to do, just don't go over the 'deadline' or you'll have to restart vaccs (more pricy + 2 jabs iinstead of 1). That way you can make it maybe almost 2 jabs per 3 years (ish). It is NOT a way to make more money, I VERY much disagree with that as it is purely from our manufacturers, not the vets who state dates. For instance, the manufacturer we used to use said it expired after 18months. We changed from those as a few pets had mild vaccine reactions. The manufacturer we use now hasn't caused a single problem, even though the 'date' is shorter. Most vets(especially ours, we have also just reduced some prices) would happily change to a vaccine that is PROVED safe in the UK tests and is longer lasting. We do keep asking our reps. Mind you, the rabbit vaccine has just (about 2/3 months ago) been changed so it now lasts 1 year rather than 6 months, so it does happen. There is no research that shows cats or dogs (or rabbits for that matter) get overdosed by injecting every year. If a problem develops, then the vet will assess the situation, just like Molly! Also remember that there is a lot of information and opinons on the internet that is put there by anyone who have not a slightest bit of veterinary training and what may be deemed safe in one country may not be actually proved safe in another. Hence why a vet will not switch unless it is set in stone that it is safe. This is lives we deal with and damned important. Some insurers demand a yearly booster or at least check to stay insured for things like dentals and as Toni says, it is a must for catteries/ kennels. For Kennel cough for example, although not fatal, the places that do not insist on it always have trouble with it...when a client says the dog has it and they've been in a kennel we know which one it will be! A final note too...I have seen many of the diseases in cat, dog and rabbit and treated those animals suffering. It is horrible, there is no way around that. It is also horrible to spend so much time with the animal to see it die in front of you and the feeling when you have to hand that deceased pet back to the owners is not one I can put into words. There are many pets I still think about (we nurses care more than folks think!). Fatalities are always very high, as owners often cannot afford the treatment needed to get the pet well. Not all animals that are not vacc'd get the diseases, true. Good for them, genuinely! But these diseases are around and do kill the many unlucky ones. I know I'm coming over strong here but as someone who deals with the nasty side of preventable diseases it is something I strongly care about and research. Elsa is an indoor cat but I still vacc her as I am happy and confident over the safety and would never forgive myself if she escaped and she caught something. For the sake of £27, it is a price I am more than happy to pay! Here's a smiley face cos I'm not used to being so serious on here! That's entirely your opinion, and I respect that However I personally think its far more dangerous to pump a vaccine in a dog and cat every year than not. However, I do vaccinate the rabbits on an yearly basis, as I have found no evidence to support over-vaccination in rabbits. It's also nothing to do with money, mine are off for their vaccs in 10 days and its going to cost me around £250 for the 5 rabbits. Now tell me vets don't make money on that
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CKme
Settling in well!
Posts: 69
Animals I love: Dogs, and everything else
Pets I own: 1 cat bengal cross - Niles
1 lutino indian ringneck - Myavi
MANY fish
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Post by CKme on Apr 24, 2013 10:02:41 GMT
My Niles is an indoor cat an when I got him last year he was over one years old and had never had any but he has now had all his vacs done, I also use to have a house bunny and she had her's done it was just one less thing to stress about.
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Post by daintipawz on Apr 24, 2013 11:38:32 GMT
Being a breeder we vaccinate every year and as ours are insured I think it is needed so we can claim when things go wrong. Before breeding we vaccinated every three years as our cats are indoor cats so not much chance of picking anything up, I know there is a slight chance at bringing things in on our clothes but not a high risk I wouldn't have thought. Like I say ours are yearly nowadays.Our vet wont do it a day earlier though, as we did want one of our kittens done a day early from our last litter but they refused and said it had to be to the date.
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Post by vonnie on Apr 26, 2013 20:50:32 GMT
Hey Sharon. It's a very fine timing between kitten/ puppy vaccs and can't be a day early or late or it won't work properly. General yearly boosters can be given early or late but we always try to get clients in on the year or later, no point early as no need and wastes money they paid the previous year for the full year (if that makes sense!). Sarahhound, it IS a lot of money, it's also rare that folks bring all the pets in at the same time (most prefer to spread it over the year). Why don't you ask if they'll give you a discount deal for bringing them all at once? We usually do, plus we give a discount for bringing back every year (there is a time limit but us nurses are sneaky and generally give it anyway! ). If you don't ask, you don't get! Also we do have to make money, we are businesses after all. Out of interest I priced up 5 bunny vaccs at my work and it came to just over £200. Looking at the vacc costs (and for rabbits the actual manufacturers prices are much more for bunnies than cats and dogs, assume more costly to make+ licensing which adds a HUGE extra cost) it works out at the cost of vacc + 20% VAT (boo, hiss) + mark up by vet + consult fee. At our place the consult cost is massively reduced (we don't make much on vaccinations/ microchipping or neutering). I can't speak for your vet or how they price or how much they are charged by the supplier but hopefully this gives you an idea of why things cost. Given that vets spend more time than a GP at university studying, have to pay a large fee to stay as a registered vet every year plus fund compulsary and optional courses (CPDs) every year, they do command a high price. Unlike the nurses (I am a nurse assistant and do almost everything the VNs do and I get paid £7.20 an hour. Plus if a vet specialises in something, like orthopaedics, then their wage goes up. The knowledge they have is ridiculous, plus they have perform all sorts of operations, life saving and routine. At our place we work them damn hard too- they often go without lunch breaks and a 10 hour working day is tough! Some surgeries will also have xray machines, xray developers, ultrasound machines, blood testing machines, computers and lots of other equipment to maintain and fix when they go wrong. That's why we have to charge a consult fee for consultations, so we can pay staff and machine stuff, as well as other overheads. One thing I wonder is if we didn't have the NHS clients might not be as bothered about our costs as human medication or surgery and doctor time is insanely expensive! Hopefully that will explain why some vet fees are so much but the other part is is that it is up to the practice owner what they charge. I do think I am lucky as I work for a vets who care, and work hard to keep costs down (probably why we almost had to shut down 2 years ago as a cheap chain vets opened near us. People went to them over us. Now many have come back as the other vets have proven..um..not a good as us! We are ok now but it was a worrying time). I can't be naive, I'm sure not all vets are the same and maybe do charge too much but not all vets are evil moneygrabbers! Please don't tie us all in together- I am proud of where I work, we try very hard to keep costs down for our clients. That's why I can't afford to fix the big crack in my hallway at home!
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