Well said Rich.

There is a lot of merit in Richards words. I have got to meet him someday.

So far as vets getting rich, well, most aren't. The cost to go to Vet school is as much and in some cases more than going to med school. I am a pre-vet student and currently considering switching to pre-med. If I follow through with vet school I will be lucky to get out and make 50-60 grand. To go to med school and become a pathologist(best patients in the world, they are already dead) and START out in the $140,000 range. You do the math. Not to mention the competition is not as hard, especially in the female sector.

I have seen some Vets recommending vaccines every three years for clients that are not in the mainstream with their dogs. I have had my dogs vaccinated yearly because I do on occasion have to board my dogs. Neither are ill from vaccinations currently nor have they ever suffered from any signs of distress after boosters. I do not run out and vaccinate when I receive the card, I do it more when I know I am going to have to board. The vaccination I will never let run out is Rabies. I know the dangers associated with it, I have had the vaccine myself.

I am working(volunteer) with a vet that is into homeopathy and I was very skeptical at first, but I have had good results with the remedies that I have tried for my dogs. I have used colloidial silver on myself and it also worked well, but I would not say that it is a cure-all. I am still unsure if the 100% homeopathic approach is for me, but for now I will entertain the ideas of treating the whole animal.

Bounette, about home vaccination... I have in the past given my own vaccines, but I do not do it anymore. You can not give your own rabies vaccine in most states and even if you can get the vaccine most states will not accept the vaccination as valid. You can also run into problems with boarding if your state requires that the dog have proof of vaccinations. Some will not take a dogs vaccination record that was not filled out by a vet.

Way to get control of things Rich.

I also vaccinate....however there are a couple of vaccines I will never give my dogs, one is the Lyme vaccine, and the other is the new 6 month heartworm vaccine. I too respect others opinions on the subject. Rich said it best, accept the risks and consequences of both sides of the argument.

well. thakyou to everyone. i believe i am finished with my questions on this matter for now. I figured i would just home vaccinate with my next puppy, but i see there can be problems with that also. I'll continue to do my research, and be ready for my next puppy

bounetteyvette,

If you are going to do home vaccinations make sure the preperations are fresh. In places that don't sell a lot of vaccines they can sit around for a long time. There may be a question of effectiveness with older vaccines. A consideration when getting vaccines from a Feed store or a Pharmacy.

Richard and all those in the Valley, FYI Parvo is kicking our collective ass here in Winslow. No particular reason as of yet.

Gordon,

Check your P.M.s.

let me ask you all a question.
i know some one brought up the fact of if you do your own vaccinations at home then you have no proof,incase you need to go to a kennel or boarding. or for AKC purposes, or joining a club etc......now i just saw that Dr. Foster's and Smith sell record books for your home vaccinations. they said that these books are acceptable for any proof that you would need of vaccines. is this true??

Depends on who is accepting the books as proof. Anyone can buy the book and write in the dates, but if you can affix the label to the page as well it looks more legit. Here they will not take those, they have to be these stupid little sheets like you get for your rabies vaccine that have the Vets seal.

Hi there Bounette - vaccines will come in two parts the powder part and the dilutant, which you have to mix. On the outside of the vial there is
be a little peel off sticker on the side that will
have the type and lot#, expiry date, etc of the vaccine. The little sticker then gets put in your vaccination record book. I have never had problems getting this accepted as proof of vaccination. As in the states, rabies must be given by a veterinarian. Single type vaccines(not given in combination with other vaccines can also come in a 10 dose vial. In a higher risk situation parvo is sometimes given as a single shot at 3 week intervals apart from other combo vaccines starting a 5 weeks(parvo at 5,8,14 wks and 5-way at 11,17 weeks).