Third Kitten Injection

pollyanna24

This follows in from my earlier questions about boosters (thanks for everyone who replied). My own vets health/booster plan does not seem anywhere good as the other one re boosters.

Took the kittens today to a well known vet for their second injections which I thought would end it for a year.

But the vet started going on about their practice for a third injection in a months time for various other illnesses.

I know Im naive about the whole thing, but I genuinely thought after the two injections, that was it.

Cos I was a bit bambozzled by what he was saying, I could not figure out if he was saying that most vets stop after two vacs or if this particular (well known) vet spread the vaccines over three, so if I do not get the third, I have wasted my money and might not have bothered getting the first two.

Is the third vaccine normal?

SensibleSarah

Most vets just do two. Occasionally a vet will adopt a new version of a vaccination that requires an extra injection, but it's generally optional and I always say no. It would generally cost no more if there was another one though - the whole primary vaccination course is presumably what you have paid for? Rather than per injection?

pollyanna24

Thanks for that.

The kittens are rescue ones, so they had the first jab at the cats’ home.

I made an appointment with my own vet for the second one and had assumed that was it until he mentioned a third one.

He kinda made it sound as if was necessary, but up to me and looking at the kitten vaccination records, there’s no space to put a third sticker anyways, haha.

The vet also gave the leukaemia jab even though on the phone I was told I would be given the choice when I got there.

I felt as though it was quite expensive as the second jab cost £46 and the third one will be a further £42, so if I had gotten the entire vaccination course there, seems it would have cost £150 per cat!

I had seen offers for the whole course at vets 4 pets for £49 which had other things included like chipping and money off neutering, but as I didn’t need these or the first jab, and just needed one injection, I thought it would be cheaper just to go to my vet.

I guess it’s a lesson learned.

sheramber

Is your vet using the same make of vaccine as the rescue did?

If not, then your vet may be doing a full course(2 injections) of the one he uses.

If you Google the name of the vaccine used you should find the protocol for that make.

Brambling

sheramber wrote: »

Is your vet using the same make of vaccine as the rescue did?

If not, then your vet may be doing a full course(2 injections) of the one he uses.

If you Google the name of the vaccine used you should find the protocol for that make.

This was the case for me, my vet didn't use the same make of vaccine as the Cat Protection vet, my vet phoned the manufacturers emergency line and was advised this so gave me three choices going back to CP vet which was 40 mile round trip, starting again with the two jabs or seeing if another vet in town could help (it seems none used the CP make!).

She said I'm not the only client of theirs with the same issue and the CP vet used a make not used by a lot of vets. Mine's not a kitten and although I could have gotten his second jab free if I had gone back to the CP it didn't seem fair on him when he was still nervous to put him through a 90 minutes car journey a week after I brought him home.

If you have the name of the original vaccine you could probably find a advice telephone number or email address on www. Just be aware that if they need another jab there is a time limit of when it needs to occur before you will be advised you will need to start again.

pollyanna24

Thanks for this. I will have a look when I get home and might ring up the vaccination company.

At no point did the vet say he was starting the course again and stuck the stickers in the second spot on the vaccination record. He said the third vac was for cat flu and something else now which I can't recall.

Brambling

I not sure what rescue you got them from but could you ring them I know the CP say call them with any queries.

The injection from my vet was nobivac, tricot trio and FELV (felv is the leukaemia one) and was over a course of two visits, I always have the FELV having lost young cats to it before there was an vaccination. Sorry can't find the name of the one the CP used think it began with M.

Merlin's_Beard

Another alternative: some rescues don't routinely use the FeLV as standard.

So sometimes kittens with get:

1st: calicivirus, panleukopaenia, herpesvirus (core vaccines)

2nd: core vaccines + FeLV

3rd: FeLV

It's also possible to overrun on vaccines - 1st and 2nd must be given 21-28 days apart - if someone turns up on day 29, the recommendation is to start again, leading to 3 vaccines total.

Or as others have said, the vaccines are only tested with themselves, so sometimes a different brand might trigger the recommendation of a an extra top-up injection.

I would say, if you're unsure, ring the vet back and ask for an explanation. If they didn't realise they weren't comprehensible the first time around, they're probably happy to have another go at explaining.

pollyanna24

Thanks for everyone's answers. I have finally gotten around to bringing the records to work with me and was going to ring the vaccine company, but I can't find a number for them.

I am of the mind that I don't think I will go back to the vet and will go somewhere else in future as the look on his face was clearly, "Why get cats if you can't afford them?" when this wasn't why I was questioning yet another vaccination.

So I thought I would make a note here of what the records say and see if anything is missing.

Everything is ticked, but these were ticked by the cats' home who gave the first injection:-

Feline Herpes Virus
Feline Calici Virus
Rabies
Feline Panleucopenia Virus
Feline Leukaemia Virus

The three stickers from the actual vaccine bottles say:-

Injection 1 from cats' home: Purevas RCPCh

Injection 2 from vet: Purevax RCP and Purevax FelV

So the vet has stuck to the same brand. I have done a little bit of looking on the net and believe that cat flu is included in these vaccines, but this was one of the things mentioned by the vet that the third injection would do. And then he spouted a load of letters at me by which point I just decided to cut my losses and leave.

Jemima09

Just to agree with some of the other posts, mine was a rescue cat from the RSPCA. They did her first booster but it didn't cover everything, so when I took her to the vet for booster 2 he explained I'd have to go back for a third. Since then we're just on the routine one per year. Couldn't tell you the specifics of what was/wasn't included, this was years ago!

sheramber

http://www.noahcompendium.co.uk/?id=-453961

http://www.noahcompendium.co.uk/?id=-453979

The vaccination given by your vet does not include Chlamydophila felis infection which is a form of conjunctivitis and upper respiratory infection.

Sneezing
Watery eyes
Discharge from eyes
Coughing
Difficulty breathing
Runny nose
Lack of appetite (anorexia)
Fever
Pneumonia, if left untreated