Dog annual booster

vicx

My two dogs are booked in for their first year booster tomorrow (where has the year gone?!). For some reason I thought they were due 03rd Oct but their first puppy shot was on 05th Oct then their second on 19th Oct 2011. Is the booster due 1 year from the 2nd injection so around 19th Oct?

I can't imagine a few weeks either side making any difference but would rather they have them on time.

My vet is closed until 6pm but will ring to confirm as soon as they open.

krlyr

From the 19th. The reason that puppies are given two boosters is because the mother's antibodies that remain in the body can basically counteract a vaccination and void the benefits of the first one - however, it does provide the immediate protection needed when a pup goes out into the world. At the time of the second jab, all the antibodies should be gone and the jab should now remain effective. Therefore your booster would be annually from the date of the second jab.
It's not going to expire dead on October 19th this year though - some argue that boosters aren't even necessary, but ignoring that, vets will allow some leeway on late vaccinations anyway, normally at least a few weeks.

Person_one

krlyr wrote: »

From the 19th. The reason that puppies are given two boosters is because the mother's antibodies that remain in the body can basically counteract a vaccination and void the benefits of the first one - however, it does provide the immediate protection needed when a pup goes out into the world. At the time of the second jab, all the antibodies should be gone and the jab should now remain effective. Therefore your booster would be annually from the date of the second jab.
It's not going to expire dead on October 19th this year though - some argue that boosters aren't even necessary, but ignoring that, vets will allow some leeway on late vaccinations anyway, normally at least a few weeks.

Hmm, if that's the reason then I wonder why adult dogs have to have the two jabs two weeks apart if they need to start again...

Mine were due yesterday but they're actually booked in for the weekend, there's a buffer zone of a good few weeks so don't worry.

vicx

I have re-arranged the appointment for Friday 19th. The receptionist confirmed they were due 19th Oct but said 'it doesn't really matter' however I would prefer to have the booster on time, not a few weeks either side of the due date.

There is an offer on at another vets nearby (Vets4Pets) £99 covers the vacc's for life which is a great offer. I would have chose this had I noticed it when I got their puppy vacc's. I will check at my vet to see if they have an offer like this.

rising_from_the_ashes

Vixc if you mention it, your vet may well match the price. We've had a discount vet open near my vets and they will always match prices (they want to keep their customers after all!)

vicx

rising_from_the_ashes wrote: »

Vixc if you mention it, your vet may well match the price. We've had a discount vet open near my vets and they will always match prices (they want to keep their customers after all!)

I didn't think they would do a deal like the Vac4Life which Vets4Pets offer. I will check when I take them for their booster.

I noticed the Vac4Life offer just after I got their puppy vacc's last year, I would have paid the £99 each to have their puppy vacc's and booster for life.

Instead I paid paid £50 each just for their puppy vacc's and now £27.50 for their booster. It would have only been an extra £20 to pay to cover their vacc's for life. The booster is £30 at Vets4Pets but they did have a half price offer on until the end of Aug, if only their booster was due then I would have got them on a BOGOF offer

rising_from_the_ashes

Ohhhh can I move to where you are!

Old vets used to charge £49.85 (!!!!!) for the CATS booster - new vets slightly better at £40.

Dog was £50 for her 2 (had to get them both done as she'd not been done for 4 years) - but that was matching an offer which was 1/2 price!

vicx

I think all vets around here are around the same price, £50 for puppy vacc's and £30 for booster.

I was expecting to pay around £50 each for their booster. So I thought £30 was really reasonable but even better if I could have got their booster in Aug when it was on special for £15.

I have never bothered getting my last 3 dogs their booster each year, only their first year booster so unsure whether to do the same with these two or keep them up to date with the vacc's.

Do you not have a Vets4Pets near you? This is the £99 Vac4Life offer which I think is a great offer http://www.vets4pets.com/healthy-pet-special-offers/vac4life/

krlyr

There's also Easipetcare that do booster clinics and a lifetime booster deal, several branches/clinics over the UK.

wondercollie

I've had this chat with my Vet. He told me it is ok to do Rabies every other year unless you are planning on travelling and then it's best to vaccinate that year for the travel documents. I do the everything (including kennel cough) yearly and the Rabies every other year because WonderCollie doesn't leave the country!

Dollardog

My dog, and me come to think of it, never leave the country and I have never even thought about a rabies jab, never been offered one either.

I decided, since hearing about dogs that have had bad reactions to boosters, that I wouldn't have mine done again after he got to four years old because he should have enough antibodies in his system by then.
He got a bad tummy bug though, which the vets thought was parvo, it wasn't, it was a bug, but they were very concerned at the time and only told me the next day when they insisted I must take him back, that they had thought the worst. One of the vets said that if I saw as many cases as they do of dogs which hadn't had the booster which ended up contracting parvo, I wouldn't miss it again.
This I have to say made me feel really guilty, I had thought I was doing the best for my dog, avoiding unnecessary reactions to the boosters. I ended up starting him back on vaccinations. I still don't know as I agree though that they all need to be done every year but as that is also what the insurance companies insist on too, it doesn't really give us a lot of choice.