I did a quick search but didn't find what I was looking for. I need someone to help point me in the right direction.

I am considering adopting a puppy. Where do you fellow pet owners recommend getting his immunizations from? (I'm in Raleigh btw). About how much would it be for all the immunizations (in comparison to a Shelter that charges ~$150 for adoptions which include all immunizations?) Any suggestions on pet insurance?

Thanks!

6/10/2009 4:04:20 PM

my suggestion for pet insurance is NOT to get any.

6/10/2009 4:06:01 PM

wtf is pet insurance?

6/10/2009 4:13:41 PM

Every clinic should be able to give you prices quickly over the phone. Just call up whichever one & ask how much they charge. Make sure you ask about the total for all the boosters, not just the first puppy visit. Most clinics that I've encountered charge about $12 to $22 per shot. Your 3 main shots being Rabies, Distemper-Parvo, & Bordetella (not always recommended if you don't board, go to dog parks, or take your pet around many other dogs). Shelters are sometimes cheaper on shots than vet clinics, but when it comes to a spay or neuter I'd usually recommend a vet clinic b/c some (not all) shelters & spay & neuter clinics & the like are cheaper because they skimp on monitoring & pain meds and all that for the surgery.

Back when I lived in Raleigh, I went to Brentwood Animal Hospital on Atlantic Ave, I loved its proximity to Sonic. But I selected that clinic solely based on the fact that the person who gave me the kittens used to work there & had taken them there. And the staff there were always really nice.

If you want to find a good vet near you, try this link:
http://www.healthypet.com/
The "Find A Hospital" option lets you put in a zip code & find an AAHA accredited vet near you. Only about 15% of vets are, and having worked/interned/volunteered at a few different clinics & having worked at Carrboro Plaza Vet where I work now which is accredited, I can say it makes a difference when they are & when they aren't due to the standards they have to live up to, the inspections, and all that.

A few other tips are to just go and visit a few clinics. If they will give you a tour right away then that is a good sign, but if they say you have to schedule a tour that means that have to clean up before they will show you the place which is kind of sketch.

Also you can ask if they offer 1 yr rabies vaccines for cats. Since it is relatively new, it is a decent barometer on how current they are. Also, having at least partially electronic records is a must. (not all clinics around here do)

I've seen Pet Insurance Pay off for some people. And I've seen that they are creating more and more options for what you can pick. The VPI Pet Insurance ( http://www.petinsurance.com/ ), and the ASPCA Pet Insurance are the 2 that I'm at least sort of familiar with, although I don't have it for either of my pets. I think they both work on a system where you pay for everything upfront & then get reimbursed a portion based on what plan you sign up for. I've thought about getting it, and while if I were to get it I'd want to before my pets developed any problems so as to avoid the who pre-existing conditions thing, I couldn't see getting it for my pets until they are 5 or older.

No matter which way you go, remember puppies aren't cheap, they'll need 3 sets of shot boosters before going onto a yearly routine, they'll need to be spayed or neutered around 6 months old, and they are rambunctious and are likely to destroy something, make a mess on something, or eat something they shouldn't have, so you should always budget for a little more than the bare minimum to get their standard care done when thinking about a puppy, but despite all that I've never seen someone who was unhappy with their decision to get a puppy after the fact.

6/10/2009 4:34:04 PM

^ Awesome post. Thank you very much

6/10/2009 4:39:37 PM

^^ He covered most of what I'd suggest but let me throw in this link anyways: http://www.snap-nc.org

They were the best prices that I could find last year when I found my dog, and I knew one of the vet techs who used to work for them, so that made me feel better about it.

6/10/2009 4:43:34 PM

Quote :

"in comparison to a Shelter that charges ~$150 for adoptions which include all immunizations?"

I assume this includes spay/neuter as well. If not, fuck that.

I just took my dog to the vet and it was $120. That included 2 vaccinations, a 3-year rabies vaccination, bloodwork, and 6 months of heartworm preventative.

6/10/2009 5:42:36 PM

this is the outcome of my pup's distemper vaccine



apparently some dogs are allergic...my poor buddy's fur fell out and skin flaked away and the muscle deteriorated

but....this is really rare so it probably wont happen....i have her on my lap now and just thought i'd post really.

and - the vet does NOT cover any of the charges for surgery




[Edited on June 10, 2009 at 11:09 PM. Reason : sfdfssdfd]

6/10/2009 11:06:40 PM

You also have the option to give your pup's its vaccines too. The only vaccine you need to see a vet for is rabies... and they have clinics that charge you like $5-10 and they do microchipping. If you know nothing about giving vaccines or which vaccines to give when, I suggest you see a vet and the further from Raleigh you go, the cheaper. My vet here charges me 60.00 for a urinalysis and my vet in Advance (close to Winston Salem) only charges me 18.00...

I use to be a vet tech for about 4 years and I had been taking them to a vet, but if I can do my own vaccines, I'll do it... I know when, where and how to give vaccinations... So why pay a vet to do the same thing I can do. If Jinzo becomes seriously ill, I have a few established vets I can go to... Otherwise just like Doctors, Lawyers and such, they are mostly crooks... My vet in Advance I would say is pretty reliable...

6/11/2009 10:18:52 AM

Oh damn, you're from Advance? I didn't know that

6/11/2009 11:06:42 AM

you can do all immunizations except rabies by yourself. if you're uncomfortable doing it i will do it for you. it's easy.

[Edited on June 11, 2009 at 1:38 PM. Reason : looks like squirt already said the same thing. i didn't read.]

6/11/2009 1:36:43 PM

Joie is that the dog in pictures you have labeled 'lebron james'? poor guy. looks painful. my dog's name is kobe btw.

6/11/2009 2:00:35 PM

^^ thanks for the offer. The owners haven't gotten back to me. >_< So yeah, waiting to see...

6/11/2009 4:03:47 PM

^^no sir that would be carter, lebron's mom

6/12/2009 8:20:16 AM

It's been a couple of months since I heard some guy speak on NC rabies laws, but if you are vaccinating your own animals for rabies you're putting yourself and yoru pets at risk.

If for any reason it happens that your pet bites a person or another pet and is reported. The first thing authorities do is check with the city for your pets certificate of rabies vaccination. This has to be signed by a veterinarian.

If they don't find this, two things happen. Your pet 1) goes into mandatory quarantine for a period of 30 days to 6 months on your dime. 2) goes in for rabies testing, which amounts to euthanasia so they can cut off their head and test brain tissue.

As morbid as it sounds this is the risk you are taking when you vouch to do-it-yourself, versus fork over the $30 bucks or so every 3 years to have your pet seen and vaccinated for rabies by a vet.

If you do get your pet vaccinated appropriately for rabies and it does happen to be reported for biting. Your certificate is in the system and the worst that will happen is 10 days IN HOME quarantine.

This doesn't even take into consideration the potential for virus deactivation in vaccines purchased without knowledge of storage or transportation circumstances. As well as vaccinating in inappropriate places so that in the rare chance that a reaction, like in Joie's pet or a fibrosarcoma develops...treatment becomes extremely difficult.

It amounts to responsible and educated pet ownership.

6/15/2009 10:07:48 AM

Squirt and Neuse, if the original poster knows nothing of vaccinations or even where to get them, do you really think they're in a position to vaccinate their animals themselves? Under no circumstances should an owner vaccinate their animal themselves unless they are a trained vet or vet tech. Not onyl can they fuck up mixing the vaccines but they could also inject them incorrectly. That's not something you want the average pet owner to mess with.

6/16/2009 2:21:15 PM

I know how to give insulin shots, but that's the extent of it (I don't know if you can apply the same thing to vaccinations, probably, but I'm not concerned). I just feel better about going to someone who actually is trained and knows what they are doing.

[Edited on June 16, 2009 at 2:58 PM. Reason : .]

6/16/2009 2:57:59 PM

Quote :

"Squirt and Neuse, if the original poster knows nothing of vaccinations or even where to get them, do you really think they're in a position to vaccinate their animals themselves? Under no circumstances should an owner vaccinate their animal themselves unless they are a trained vet or vet tech. Not onyl can they fuck up mixing the vaccines but they could also inject them incorrectly. That's not something you want the average pet owner to mess with. "

If you know nothing about giving vaccines or which vaccines to give when, I suggest you see a vet and the further from Raleigh you go, the cheaper.

[quote]

You might want to pay closer attention to my posts... I am just stating that the possibility is there... It's pretty straight forward to do them yourself too... You would have to be an idiot to mess it up... I am sure if you could get someone to properly show you, you would be fine there after. Just keep good records of where you give the injection and when you do it. There are vaccinations that are yearly, some that are biyearly and the rabies after their first year shot is every three years.

And I am pretty sure you cannot buy the rabies vaccine anywhere in the state of North Carolina. Like I said, there are rabies vaccine clinics all the time. You just have to search around for it on the weekends. They also do microchipping and I suggest you do that as well while you're there.


ALSO... you have to put your animal on flea/tick prevention and heartworm prevention. I don't think Heartworm prevention can be purchased without a negative heartworm test unless you have a puppy. And I am not 100% sure but heartworm tests can only be done at the vet as far as I know... And heartworms are painful and expensive to treat... Jaeda's mom got heartworms :-( and her treatment begins next month.

And this is just so people know that when the chips are down and its time to vaccinate their animals, they can do it themselves. I am not saying its the best idea, but its better than not giving your animal its routine vaccines incase you lose your job or you just can't afford at the time to take them to the vet.

I would establish a good vet. And once you have a good relationship, I am sure your vet will work with you as far as proper testing, prescription stuff etc in case shit hits the fan.

6/21/2009 7:02:02 PM