Pammy Posted December 16, 2008 Share Posted December 16, 2008 My mom just got a 7 week old pomeranian puppy and was told she could buy the vaccines at a feed store. She bought this: distemper and canine coronavinus vaccine the pup is only about 2 lbs, so I am worried she doesn't know the proper dose to give. The store clerk told her it was one size for all??!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Country Mouse Posted December 16, 2008 Share Posted December 16, 2008 I have heard of this and know they are available but I would suggest your mom take her new pup to the vet. If the dog has not been vaccinated before there is the potential for vaccine reaction. The vet is equipped to handle such a situation. There is no substitute for a good, thorough vet exam along with vaccinations and worming that the puppy may need. Plus, now is the time for your mom to establish a relationship with the vet if she doesn't already have one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kris Posted December 16, 2008 Share Posted December 16, 2008 Yes, you can get the vaccines and the needles at the feed store, and I've been doing this for decades. However, the first time I gave a litter of puppies their shots, my neighbor was there to show me how. If it's just one puppy, and she's never done it before, she should probably just take it to the vet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jean in Newcastle Posted December 16, 2008 Share Posted December 16, 2008 We do this. But it is only certain vaccines (you can't get a rabies vaccine anywhere but from a vet for example). And it comes pre-measured by weight but I'm not sure of those specific vaccines. We give the dogs their shots but pull off a sticker that comes with the vaccine and put it on a sheet of paper to give to the vet when we take them in for those shots not available at the feed store. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StaceyinLA Posted December 16, 2008 Share Posted December 16, 2008 our feed store does sell them all, including rabies. There is a pre-measured vial AND it comes with the tag. The difference is that your dog isn't registered with the vet so a person couldn't locate you by contacting the vet on the tag. Our neighbor vaccinates all 30 of her rescued cats for rabies and she usually brings extra vaccines over and does our stray/rescue cats. The only thing we do to the rescue cats is spay/neuter and give rabies shots (and feed them of course). I just think it's worth a trip to the vet, but she could follow up by doing her own boosters after that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Alte Veste Academy Posted December 16, 2008 Share Posted December 16, 2008 If the dog has not been vaccinated before there is the potential for vaccine reaction. The vet is equipped to handle such a situation. Yes, one of my cats almost died of an allergic reaction the first time she had her shots. Thank goodness the vet was able to treat her immediately. It was tricky because they couldn't say what shot she was allergic to (because we get them all) or if she was actually allergic to the substance that the vaccine was mixed in with. Because she is an indoor cat, my vet recommended that I only have her get the rabies shot required by law. She still has to have something akin to Benadryl before she receives that. A few years later, after a move, a new vet tried to convince me that she had probably outgrown the allergy and insisted on giving the shots without the Benadryl. She had the reaction again and it was even worse. I hope that vet doesn't try that on anyone else's beloved! I wouldn't risk it. It was scary. :crying: Kristina Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happy Posted December 16, 2008 Share Posted December 16, 2008 I used to do this all the time. Cats, dogs, horses, cattle. The only thing I couldn't give was rabies because of a law here in Texas. I had a great working relationship with a vet who showed me how to do administer the shots. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TwinMominTX Posted December 16, 2008 Share Posted December 16, 2008 We do it all the time. The only thing you can't get here in Texas is rabies so at some point (because we board at a kennel) we must have proof of rabies. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soph the vet Posted December 16, 2008 Share Posted December 16, 2008 our feed store does sell them all, including rabies. There is a pre-measured vial AND it comes with the tag. The difference is that your dog isn't registered with the vet so a person couldn't locate you by contacting the vet on the tag. Our neighbor vaccinates all 30 of her rescued cats for rabies and she usually brings extra vaccines over and does our stray/rescue cats. The only thing we do to the rescue cats is spay/neuter and give rabies shots (and feed them of course). I just think it's worth a trip to the vet, but she could follow up by doing her own boosters after that. OK, selling rabies vaccines violates federal law. Rabies vax can ONLY be administered by a veterinarian or personnel under the direct supervision of a veterinarian. Wow. Please do not vax a pomeranian with a feed store vax. First of all, that breed has plenty of vax reactions. Secondly, the vax at the feedstore may not have been handled or stored properly (this is the same problem with catalog vaccines). Many vet clinics have affordable "puppy plans" that include all vaccines (6, 10, 14, and 18 weeks) plus heartguard, a fecal, an exam, deworming, etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Country Mouse Posted December 16, 2008 Share Posted December 16, 2008 OK, selling rabies vaccines violates federal law. Rabies vax can ONLY be administered by a veterinarian or personnel under the direct supervision of a veterinarian. I was wondering about that when I read that post, I knew that in our state it has to be administered by a vet but I didn't realize it was a federal law. It makes sense, though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OHGrandma Posted December 16, 2008 Share Posted December 16, 2008 We vaccinate our own pets, except the rabies for the reasons noted above. But we also vaccinate all 150 head of cattle we own. We've never had an issue with the feed store mishandling the vaccines, but do watch expiration dates! There are several catalog places we order from, they're also handled well and will replace them if mishandled by the delivery service. We do take our pets to the vet for an initial exam where they are checked for heartworm, etc., and after the first rabies shot the rest are 3 year shots for rabies. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LisaNY Posted December 16, 2008 Share Posted December 16, 2008 OK, selling rabies vaccines violates federal law. Rabies vax can ONLY be administered by a veterinarian or personnel under the direct supervision of a veterinarian. Wow.Please do not vax a pomeranian with a feed store vax. First of all, that breed has plenty of vax reactions. Secondly, the vax at the feedstore may not have been handled or stored properly (this is the same problem with catalog vaccines). Many vet clinics have affordable "puppy plans" that include all vaccines (6, 10, 14, and 18 weeks) plus heartguard, a fecal, an exam, deworming, etc. ITA!! I would be VERY wary of vaccines sold in feed stores. I am even leery of vaccines you can get via catalogs. I used to vaccinate my dogs myself, until my Rottie had an anaphylactic reaction to one. It was very scary, and ended up costing me an emergency vet visit on the weekend. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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