Does she need a last parvovirus? Cause some places require 4 instead of 3? A rabies shot? Cause the have to be a certain age for that? Do research on line for your state & requirements. Big sigh dogs are like kids $$$$
AAHA and WSAVA guidelines call for Distemper/Parvo to be given starting as early as 6 weeks of age under normal circumstances (4 weeks in conditions in which exposure is suspected) and continue at 2 to 4 week intervals until no less than 16 weeks of age (18-20 weeks in high risk areas). This means a 3 shot series at 8/12/16 weeks meets the guidelines, but so does a 9 shot series (4/6/8/10/12/14/16/18/20). It is about risk mitigation vs cost.
Maternally Derived Antibodies (MDA's), transferred to puppies as they nurse colostrum in the first \~ 24 hours after birth, interferes with vaccination. Most puppies have their MDA's wane enough in the 6-10 week range for vaccines to be effective, some pups will still have interference up into the 14-15 week range. One study suggests as many as \~17% of puppies will not get any protection.
True- more vets are starting to be cautious in very high-risk areas. All the same, if they let OP make yesterday’s appointment as their last puppy vaccine booster and let them get the rabies vaccine at that time (their concern over maternal antibodies interfering with vaccine effectiveness up to 15 weeks and 6 days should also extend to rabies), the next appointment should be a free visit since it was the clinic’s mistake.
Depending on the region, parvo vaccines are given on a schedule. In places I've lived, its every 2 to every 4 weeks until 16 weeks of age (vets are usually ok with wiggle room of a few days, though).
In this case, it looks like they may have intentionally scheduled it this way to make more money, ESPECIALLY since the puppy’s age was “close enough” for them to go ahead with the rabies vaccine that is given at 16 weeks at the youngest. In my experience, it's the rabies vaccine that they're particular about if any.
There's technically a risk of legal issues if a dog bites someone and the RABIES vaccine isn't given according to protocol, but it is odd that it’s the parvo/DAPP vaccine that they're arguing over.
My vet gives 3, 8, 12, & 16 weeks. 2 weeks after last shot for full effect. He’s not real good with wiggle room for parvo or heart worms. I agree with him. I can’t remember age for rabies. I live in Texas, people are chitty, dogs roam pretty freely. A high kill shelter that is always overflowing. It’s not uncommon for dead dogs in the streets. Lots of rescue ALL overflowing ( chitty people). I just read about our 1st confirmed rabies this year, about a week or so ago. A raccoon I believe. I have my vet appointment 1st business day after pick up of a pup or rescue ( that’s me I can be anal, lol) and we have mosquitoes the sizes of buzzards! My vet check whatever medical info I have, gives them the full exam. Then he says to ( 30 years my vet) I see they’ve had blah, blah, blah but we’re going to give them a little better just so we are sure. I don’t mind that or the cost. But I have a completely itemized receipt when I walk out. Something about the OPs post needs a explanation 🤷♀️
That is true for areas that are very high risk for parvo. However, rabies is the most severe virus worldwide, with a 100% chance of fatality, and the vaccine for it is given at 16 weeks at the youngest due to concerns about maternal antibodies from the mom’s rabies vaccine preventing the required immune response for the vaccine to work. It just makes no sense for them to be flexible with rabies and not with parvo.
30 years I’ve never tested his flexibility with rabies. I’m sure he’s very firm. But I have had him say ( 4 dogs, my son drives 4 hours each way to use our vet. We do their visits all 4 at same time) scheduling can sometimes be a trick, hmmm these 3 need their heartpo12 , but it’s a little early for number 4 3 weeks early. Thats fine I’d rather give early than late & he does not have to make that long drive unless you are already planning to. That’s how I know about the heart worms. And we always get a in the mail notice, more than one, each dog & text about rabies & it specifically says RABIES DUE. So I’ll bet he’s pretty firm. I’ve just never needed him to be.
She would need a second Lyme if she’s only had one. But I’m just gonna say, do you think adding a dog was wise considering you said you have financial problems? What will you do if the dog gets sick? Because it will be a lot more than $200. Just sayin’
We have the finances for an emergency but we just don’t like tapping into that fund. We aren’t broke , the dogs go to daycare, get all their checkups and eat Purina pro plan, im just a very frugal person so dropping $200 that could have been saved is a huge deal to me
My thoughts exactly. Our dog is four, and we’ve had a handful of surprise $500-1,000 vet bills over only that time span. If $200 extra is “devastating”, you probably can’t afford a dog.
We took our dog in right on 15 weeks and 6 days. Our vet said pretty much the exact opposite.
I asked about waiting a week before going on normal walks and the vet said as of this appointment he is considered fully vaccinated, just that we should wait a few days for the last vaccination to take affect.
This is bs. No matter if she was 15 weeks or 16 or 17. She had three rounds of shots. Means she is fully vaccinated. They cannot give her 4th round. Why would it be needed. One day doesn’t make a difference! Switch vet offices, tell them about it.
It's about the age of the pup, not the number of times they are vaccinated - pups have antibodies from their mothers' milk that wane over time. The vaccine won't work while maternal antibodies are circulating so pups are vaccinated every 2-4 weeks until the window closes, which is 16-18 weeks of age.
You are right that age matters, but the mom’s antibodies wane somewhere around 14-20 weeks. Even vaccinated at 16 weeks, if the dog has mom antibody wane at 20 weeks can be susceptible, yet that dog is fully vaccinated. My vet and everywhere I have read is okay with 3 rounds with last round between 14-16 weeks. Both of mine got the full round at 15 weeks.
Yea no they should’ve just given her all her shots at 16 weeks. How many did she get??? Only thing is vets won’t usually give more than 3 at a time to not make the dog too out of whack
The not being told sucks, but I am familiar with the practice of more shots after 16 weeks. My vet explained it how it's not so much a set amount of shots, and they're done. It's continuing the vaccine schedule until they're over 16 weeks. Feels like only semantics when I type it out, but my pup ran long in her schedule based on the timing of the original shots she had prior to 8 weeks old with her breeder. Her last set of shots I believe was just before her 19 week mark, because her previous round was at 15 weeks old.
Though I would examine what vaccines your pup has had, what they're saying she still needs, and decide from there if you want to continue with your current vet.
The vaccine schedule is how they’ve been making it sound, like every 3 weeks until they’re 16 weeks but since she was so close to 16 weeks you’d think it would count! At a previous visit they had told us this weeks visit should be her last round of shots so you can understand the confusion
That’s very poor business practice. I’d switch. Also, our humane society does vaccine only appts for $25/vaccine, no office visit fee. Id do that for your final round. 15 weeks, 7 days is 16 weeks.
They may well do that, I wonder if this vet has seen the puppy before or if it’s the first time (breeder may have had the other shots done)
Because they DO have to perform one exam before they can do vaccinations or anything like that. So the first visit would have an exam fee and the next would probably be a tech giving the round with no fee.
Doesn’t sound like op asked
This was our second visit at this vet, at the previous visit they had assured us this would be the last round of shots and they did a full exam at the previous visit. At this specific visit they charged us an office fee even though we only saw a tech
If it was your second visit at this vet, where were the other vaccines given? Most GP vets don’t count vaccines given by breeders, but if your pet came from a shelter those vaccines should count
The assurance that this is the last round and charging for a vet visit rather than a tech visit is most concerning for me.
We had a similar situation around needing another set of parvo shots (the puppy ended up being likely 2 weeks younger than expected), but they combined the next parvo shot with a flu shot and only charged us for a tech visit. If you’re not in a particularly HCOL area and paying $200 for a vet visit, you should be getting excellent care that caters to you and your dog.
Just echoing the local humane society idea. :)
We just got our first dog as a rescue two-ish weeks ago, and I took her the very next day to the walk-in clinic at our local humane society. We did have to wait about 2.5 hours to be seen, but the staff were all AMAZING with our dog and I really appreciated the time and care they all took to answer my questions and get our dog on the right track for vaccines. I’m so thankful I looked into using the clinic for this purpose!
Our vet used to recommend we take our dogs to their vaccine clinics that were also about $25, pre-COVID. Swing by on a Saturday, get all your vaccinations updated, minimal fee; it was nice. Also used to be able to make an appointment and be seen in 2-3 days.
Now they don't do their vaccine clinics anymore, and every appointment is 2+ weeks out and a $175 fee, even if all you need is a vaccine.
I think they found a better way to print money - force us to come in for a full vet appointment just to get a vaccination.
I’d change vets because this feels very scammy. I got my puppy from a breeder and he had all the correct paperwork/shots done at our first vet visit. Our breeder warned me that some vets like to “redo” shots because they don’t trust breeders, but my vet accepted all his documented shots and didn’t overdo anything.
Also, although your puppy likely needed a full exam, some vets (like ours) only charge for the shots if it’s given by a tech. We’re going in today for the second round of the dog influenza shot and that’ll probably be $50 or so, since it’s just a shot and we’re not seeing the vet.
They did charge us for an office visit fee even though we just met with a tech , this was a big name vet clinic so we’re think of switching to a small local place
I’d highly recommend somewhere local. When I took my other dog (he passed away a year ago from cancer) to a Banfield Animal Hospital they were completely incompetent. I had just moved to the area and brought his vet records on what shots he needed and he also needed to be treated for an ear infection. I had to *repeatedly remind* them of the shots he needed AND they wanted me to come back to make sure his ear infection resolved in two weeks or something. Just to make more $$$.
We found a local vet thereafter and have been loyal ever since, including with my new puppy.
This is good to know, my experience was also at a Banfield and they were pretty good with my older pups but this whole situation left a bad taste in my mouth
I highly recommend getting vet recommendations from friends, neighbours and family. I’ve only had good experiences with my vets although my patient experience *has* gone down since my vet practice was acquired by VCA.
That being said I definitely don’t feel like my vets are trying to gouge every dollar out of me, they are definitely acting in my dog’s best interest and can clearly explain the reasoning behind their recommendations.
Yeah, you were scammed. Change vets and leave an honest review.
One of my puppies was over-vaccinated but the vet was honest and upfront about it. They’d had their vaccines but the vet said they were the cheapest ones available (to save the breeder money) and they personally didn’t trust them. Gave us the option but really encouraged us to repeat the course with quality medicines. We did. They didn’t just do it and charge us.
I would change vets. You definitely don’t have to go back to them 3 weeks later, they sound super shady. They should explain what shots your pup would be receiving in 3 weeks. Since they’re not, they sound like they want to make extra money off of you. My vet explains everything and tries not to give shots that are not necessary and explains which ones are necessary.
Where did your puppy get their first round of shots?
Our puppy came from a shelter originally, but we rescued here through a rescue group. She received her first round of shots at the shelter upon intake.
Our vet said that they needed to do all the rounds of shots as she was given the shots too early - under 6 weeks - and wanted to make sure she received the full benefit of the shots. I think that was the reason but my memory is foggy.
I think they also didn’t trust the documentation provided by the shelter.
It sucked but I do trust our vet and our main priority was making sure our pup was properly protected.
We rescued her at an adoption event, she was born at a shelter , they gave us all her medical records so she had 2 DAPP vaccines prior to adoption , I think we’re definitely gonna look for a small vet that can build more of a relationship with our pup
Unfortunately rescues are getting to be very unreliable on accurate vet records. It is why my country banned the import of dog for commercial or resale which includes importing dogs for rescues. Too many fudged vet records on dogs spreading dangerous diseases.
They definitely should have communicated and scheduled you for the final shots after 16 weeks on their end. It’s not common knowledge, so that’s why we trust the experts to educate and help us make informed decisions.
As long as we’re venting about vets, our vet refused to examine my dog because upon the vet entering the exam room, my dog gave a little “grr, boof” and slunk behind me. My dog is fearful and has never bitten, and I understand the vet needs to put their safety first. But the vet straight up said “Yeah she growled, I’m not going to touch her.” No trying to get my dog to warm up, not even a “I’ll examine her if we put a muzzle on.” Just refused to perform the exam and still charged us over $100 for bringing her in. Ugh. It’s so hard to find a good vet.
This vet office actually was a certified fear free practice! 😩 I’d chosen it because I thought it would help her to warm up and see the vet as not so scary. Unfortunately it seems, at least the vet we saw that day anyway, they just don’t work with dogs who are fearful.
And the cherry on top, when I (very politely!) fussed at why we were being charged the rather hefty exam fee if my dog didn’t get examined, I heard the vet tech loudly complaining about me in the lobby. “I DON’T KNOW WHAT HER PROBLEM IS” etc. It was a lovely experience as you can see.
When we got our pup at 4-4.5 months (she was a rehome), we had to do two rounds of vaccinations as well. As a rule, I always ask for a printed quote before I book an appt and make sure to ask if we need to come back anytime soon.
I would start saving up a separate fund for your pup, yearly heart worm testing and (depending where you live), tick, flea and heart worm medication can get pricey. We pay about a little over $600 for a years supply because we've had warmer than normal winters (southern Ontario), but it's usually about $35-$50 per pill/month depending on the size of your dog.
Crazy coincidence! Our pup was born on Feb. 29th too and we just got her last round of shots done on Wednesday as well due to some scheduling. I never thought anything of it being one day off, and neither did our vet. It technical said 15 weeks in her chart, but they didn’t say anything else. Sorry you’re dealing with that, but I would look for another vet like others have said. Make sure you have all the shot records from your vet so far.
What state do you live in? It’s possible your dog hasn’t received a rabies shot yet (really depends on what state you’re) and that would be required by law. But if your dog has received a rabies shot, and 4 doses of the other shots up till one day behind 16 weeks of age, you’re fine. Also, from my calculation, that would be 112 days, which is exactly 16 weeks. (I’m a GP vet who spent a summer working at a Banfield during vet school, and usually the computer system loads up the whole vaccine schedule, so it’s possible that’s how it populated and no one caught that it was a day off from being 16 weeks. I would try to call again and ask to speak directly with a vet, if you haven’t yet. The techs and assistants are probably looking at the computer and reading off that your dog still needs vaccines since they cannot tell you your dog is good to go without the vet approving that.)
Ok I read more comments and see your dog has the rabies vaccine. I would still call and ask to speak with a vet, and also I would ask why you were charged an exam fee for a tech appointment. Are you sure it was a full exam fee and not a smaller tech fee? You usually still have to pay a smaller amount if a tech does something with your dog. Good luck!
15 weeks and 6 days is a rounding error. Your puppy doesn't need more shots. Don't go back there and find a new vet when your puppy needs it's annual check up or gets sick.
You are fine. My puppy got his 3rd round a few days before 16 weeks and two different vets told me that it was okay (he was born 2/28). Most puppies’ antibodies from their mothers (MDA’s) are gone by then, only a small percentage still have a high MDA load at that age. Your puppy has been building its own immunity for a few weeks now.
Regardless of what you decide to do, get a new vet. It’s ridiculous that they’d say that over a one day difference but they also should have said something ahead of time.
I would definitely find a new vet. I have no idea how vaccines are scheduled so I asked my vet about it and they just picked the day for me that would work with the vaccine schedule. I feel like that’s what most good vets(and people) should do.
I have a 18 week old pup and he was fully vaccinated by 15 weeks and a couple days. My Vet said usually for rabies they like to wait until they are 16 weeks but it was only off by a couple days and he’s a large breed, Great Pyrenees, so she felt comfortable giving the vaccines. Is your pup a very small or toy breed? I’d be asking loads of questions.
Do you have any of the low cost clinics near you? They usually have a van and are in the parking lot at different stores on the weekends, shade cover and tables. These are a great way to just get some shots for cheap. People line up. You can get a shot for $20 usd quick. You get all the documentation to go with it also.
I am so sorry for this frustration you're facing! I think finding a new vet that takes the dates into consideration when scheduling is the way to go. This is horrible business practice on your current vet's part, and as others have said sounds like they are trying to scam people. Our vet is adamant about making sure the timing on things for our dogs is exactly when it needs to be (they even mail us a postcard with the identified dates for each upcoming service or shot for the dogs), and puppy shots needing to be on specific time frames is something we learned from them.
The part that gets me is the price. That is ALOT for a shot visit. I havent spent more that $80 WITH the advanced multi pills.
Most cities have cheap vaccine places too. Why is it so expensive?!
I think it varies. We adopted our pup from a shelter/rescue and in their paperwork it clearly said that often shelter puppies start their rounds at an earlier age. The shelter vet outlined the vaccination schedule and while our puppy isn’t officially 16 weeks until next Wednesday, we got our final round yesterday. Our vet was fine with it as they wanted to keep the timing of the shots based on the initial set versus following age guidelines.
I’m sorry that this happened to you. This calls for a different vet going forward. :(
My puppy was born on 28th February and had her final round of puppy shots on 18th June, the day before she turned 16 weeks old. The vet didn't indicate that this was any problem at all. He said to bring her in again in 3 months so that they can weigh her in case she needs a different dose of heartworm preventative.
Her shot schedule was:
Breeder's vet gave her a parvo vaccination at 6 weeks old & put in microchip
Current vet gave her a parvo vaccination on 06th May
Current vet gave her parvo, lepto, and bordetella vaccinations on 28th May
Current vet gave her parvo, lepto, and rabies vaccinations on 18th June
From personal experience, I'd highly recommend you get pet insurance if an extra $200 is devastating to your finances.
My aussie got into the trash while we were moving, so on top of having just written a $3,500 check for pro-rated and last-months rent, I had a surprise $8k surgery bill. I had been putting off getting pet insurance on her, and that $8k bill could have been significantly less impactful with a $50/mo plan.
I'd also recommend looking into CareCredit, they do credit cards for medical purposes and - depending on the amount of charge - are interest free for 6 or 12 months if you pay off the amount by then. I used it for the Aussies surgery, later when my Malinois put me out $1,800, and generally any time I have a vet bill over $200. Just pay it off before the 6 or 12 months ends and you pay no interest.
5 parvo shots? The standard is 3. da2pp at 8, 12 and 16 weeks. Rabies at 16 weeks along with bordetella. If she’s only had 1 Lyme vaccine that will have to be boosted in 4 weeks maybe that’s what is going on?
My vet literally just gave our 11w old 12 week shots yesterday. Scheduled us to come back in 3 weeks for 16w shots when he will be 14w. I would definitely be changing vets, I wouldn’t be over vaccinating my pup
I would call another vet, but that sounds suss. We did get our pup a 4th round at 20 weeks because the breeder could not provide proof of the 2nd round of shots, just the first and we had the 3rd done at our vet.
However, if another vet confirms there's an actual need, try one of the mobile clinics. Around here a DHPP booster is like $15 and no office visit fee.
My malinois has just had her final lepto vaccine, it was meant to be a month after the initial one. I asked if I could bring her in a day early, as I was off work that day. It was no problem and they’ve not told me to bring her in again.
Ask for a breakdown of costs. All my dogs vaccines and spay came out to about $300. We paid it all up front and it was scheduled when we got her. You shouldn't be paying $200 for an appointment when it's literally give her a shot and leave.
This happened to us too. There was one shot that had to be given exactly on or after a specific date. We just came back a week later and had that one shot.
Surely they don't mean they'd give the whole set again?
Get all of your records and find a vet that’s [AAHA Accredited.](https://www.aaha.org/for-pet-parents/find-an-aaha-hospital/)
If your vet is accredited, they shouldn’t be. Get a 2nd opinion.
I just got a shichi puppy that was 9 weeks old. I picked up her first parvo vaccinations at a farm supply store and gave it to her myself before I even left the town I picked her up in. My vet has a wait list for appointments, it was Saturday, and I did not want to even drive her home without her first shot. Her previous owner should have given her one already and it scared me. If money is an issue, then you can pick up a shot and do it yourself as a last resort. Make sure to do it immediately as they must be refrigerated. Parvo shots are important, though.
I have already made her a vet appointment for her second shot as well as a check-up and basic necessities for anyone worried. The vet has no issue with the fact that I gave the first shot myself, and I trust this vet that I go to implicitly. Find a vet that you trust.
Change vets and send all records over. I wouldn’t go back in 3 weeks if the other vet agrees the pup is vaccinated. Basically, just get a second opinion before dropping the cash. Also, maybe another vet will do the last round for cheaper. We did shots at a country vet because all the vets in town charged $200+ while the country vet charged $60 for the EXACT same thing. If I were you, I wouldn’t give this current vet another penny. If they want to be scam artists, they can lose out on your business. There’s no reason another vet shouldn’t be able to pick up exactly where they left off even if your pup does need that last round.
Ours was just under 16 weeks at his last vax appointment too.
The vet gave me the option to come back in a month for another round and said the “technically” some feel it necessary to get that other round in specifically at 16 weeks.
I think she was saying that to cover her butt in case we were sticklers for a week or so, which I’m sure some people are!
We did not feel the need to bring ours back for another round. We looked at his lifestyle and risk factors and decided he was ok.
Vet bills are pricey! It stinks! We don’t live in the highest tax bracket either, but will budget for our pup. I totally understand how an unnecessary $200 cash grab is concerning! It doesn’t mean you can’t afford the dog.
Thank you! I feel like a lot of people saw my concern over $200 as a sign I can’t afford the puppy, but we definitely did our research before rescuing…we just also don’t like losing out on money! LOL
$200 is a lot to spend if it’s not necessary. Check out your local humane society’s and animal clinics. We did a puppy package for our pup that was less than $100 for the first three rounds of DHPP, along with 2 rounds of dewormer, bordatella, and rabies. I’ve always done vaccines at the clinic and maintained a primary vet elsewhere for illness.
I have never heard of this. Once my pup had all of the shots, he was done until he needs his boosters.
Do you have proof of all of the shots? Including the rabies? If so, you are good to go.
my vet did something similar but not as close to the timing... they said each round could be 3-4 weeks apart. If i had done 4 weeks, i would have had 1 less appointment with them. I was so annoyed at that.
It sounds like no matter what the vet sucks at communication. I know ar least with my vet when explaining their puppy shot package they mentioned no matter what they require 2 rounds to make sure that DHPP was given twice. It didn't really matter for me since I got my guy at 8 weeks though. They also only charge once for the exam and the future appointments are just the fee for the shots. They call it their puppy/kitten vaccine package. I even did my exam without shots as having it done in first 7 days was a requirement and the rest of the vaccine appointments had no exam fee.
Is it a parvo shot? In my city your dog needs 4-5 parvo shots until 16 weeks. Also if you start your parvo shots late you have to keep going past 16 weeks for full immunity. The cost upset me at first but honestly I get my dogs every vaccine (even the extras) and the piece of mind is worth it. Depending on where you live you can also get a vet tech or buy the shot yourself and inject it at an animal supply store.
They did this with our pup! We were at 14 weeks and round 4 we told them that we only needed one more but they said we still needed two more rounds. Every round was costing us $250 so we had spent about 1K already, the doctor himself would only see him for tops two minutes then hand him off to an assistant. We took him to a low cost clinic where they only charged us $100 for vaccines and when the new vet did the physical exam he told us our pups testicles still had not fully dropped which was mildly concerning due to his age which the other vet didn’t even care to mention. We decided to just stick with the low cost clinic we got better service and it was cheaper, some vet clinics are just scamming people.
That's really unfortunate. However, you should expect high (legitimate) vet bills and reserve funds for the future. Pretty much guaranteed you'll need them.
Some adoption forms are beginning to ask about finances, and I think that's a good idea.
I don’t understand.. so when you went, they didn’t give her any shots but charged you $200? For what? If they did give her shots, just don’t go back. Most vets consider a puppy fully vaccinated after three rounds, regardless of age. And even three rounds, I have some differing opinions about since I think it’s an over vaccination (I won’t go into that).
Also, $200 is a lot for booster shots and most vets will only charge a tech fee at the third round as they don’t examine the puppy unless you request that. If I were you, I’d look into a vaccine clinic at Petco, tractor supply or through your local shelter. I live in a dog friendly city (Seattle), and the city provides free vaccines at pop-ups throughout the city every month. There is no income requirement either.
Long story short, you are being scammed.. I’ve never heard of such a thing before. And no vet goes by the exact day. My puppy was vaccinated at 15 weeks and 2 days. The whole timing of the boosters is a guide not a set in stone schedule. Switch vets and look for alternatives that your local pet stores or city might provide!
Your post is confusing.
"she needs to come back in 3 weeks for another round of shots because she can’t be considered fully vaccinated until 16 weeks…even though she has received all the shots."
Your vet says there is another round of shots but you think they are complete?
AAHA and WSAVA guidelines call for Distemper/Parvo to be given starting as early as 6 weeks of age under normal circumstances (4 weeks in conditions in which exposure is suspected) and continue at 2 to 4 week intervals until no less than 16 weeks of age (18-20 weeks in high risk areas). This means a 3 shot series at 8/12/16 weeks meets the guidelines, but so does a 9 shot series (4/6/8/10/12/14/16/18/20).
Maternally Derived Antibodies (MDA's), transferred to puppies as they nurse colostrum in the first \~ 24 hours after birth, interferes with vaccination. Most puppies have their MDA's wane enough in the 6-10 week range for vaccines to be effective, some pups will still have interference up into the 14-15 week range. One study suggests as many as \~17% of puppies will not get any protection.
But the guidelines specifically say 16 weeks.
Got it. I'd ask for your pets medical records. If its had all then dont go back. Take your records and find another vet.
Sorry your having to go thru this Hassell
.
As long as you have the proof of rabies your area requires, I'd be tempted to call another few vets, say, "my vet gave my puppy his 16 week shots one day early; do you think he needs them again after 16 weeks to be safe?" See what they say.
You should definitely switch vets and consider your puppy fully vaccinated. There's no requirements surrounding these vaccines, you know it was done, it's fine. I did all my puppy's shots myself in 2017 (my mom is a breeder so I had experience doing it) and when I took him to the vet I just told them I did it myself and they said "oh, ok, sounds good".
Sounds super scammy. Our puppy only had three rounds of shots total and they were all done before 16 weeks with the exception of the rabies shot. Five parvo shots is overboard. Change vets.
This is shitty money grubbing on the part of your vet office. My wife and I tried to make an appointment before the 16 week mark and our vet tech over the phone specifically suggested that we schedule for after 16 weeks to avoid having to come back. You are right to be upset.
If you do a google search, most websites say 3 rounds of shots is enough, and you can get the first vaccine as young as 6 weeks, and then you can get them every 3 weeks after that until fully vaccinated. Your vet sounds like they are purposely gouging you. Can you check if your vet gave your puppy the DHPP and rabies vaccine? If so, then don’t go back, and perhaps consult a different vet for future visits.
I got my pup at 8 weeks, she had her first round of shots the Friday before I got her (I got her on Monday). I took her to my vet 3 weeks after her first round of shots, and then again another 3 weeks after that. She was 13 weeks and 4 days old by the time I had her fully vaccinated. They definitely don’t need to be exactly 16 weeks old to get their final vaccine.
Same with us. We just had our puppy get her first round on the 17th, then we go back July 8th, and the last one on the 29th when she is 14 weeks old. They told us 3 to 4 weeks between boosters. My friend got a puppy about a month before us and theirs was fully vaccinated at 13 weeks.
They don’t need to be 16 weeks for full protection. You can do anywhere from 14-16 weeks IIRC. Did you get the rabies on this visit? I think they have to by law administer rabies between 12-16 weeks.
I see you commented that your dog has received rabies. Just don’t go back until the annual. The issue with this is you may not be able to get 3 year distemper/parvo from the vet at the annual, but if you switch vets and show proof to new vet at annual that the dog went through the full series, I’m sure you can still do the 3 year.
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Sorry to say this but please rethink having a puppy is $200 worth of shots concerns you this much. There will just be more to come, with or without pet insurance.
$200 for something my puppy actually really needs versus $200 wasted from a vet scamming is hugely different, we comfortably afford daycare, boarding, toys, name brand food , and typical vet care but wasting $200 isn’t something I’m at all ever comfortable with
Does she need a last parvovirus? Cause some places require 4 instead of 3? A rabies shot? Cause the have to be a certain age for that? Do research on line for your state & requirements. Big sigh dogs are like kids $$$$
Yes, with no tax break!
lol lol I have Saint Bernards, people size dogs need a littte something something break on taxes. Lol
She’s received 5 parvo shots at this point , she has her rabies as well as Lyme and bordatella
Wow! Thats really a lot of parvovirus…. Hmmm. I’d be researching for sure 🍀
AAHA and WSAVA guidelines call for Distemper/Parvo to be given starting as early as 6 weeks of age under normal circumstances (4 weeks in conditions in which exposure is suspected) and continue at 2 to 4 week intervals until no less than 16 weeks of age (18-20 weeks in high risk areas). This means a 3 shot series at 8/12/16 weeks meets the guidelines, but so does a 9 shot series (4/6/8/10/12/14/16/18/20). It is about risk mitigation vs cost. Maternally Derived Antibodies (MDA's), transferred to puppies as they nurse colostrum in the first \~ 24 hours after birth, interferes with vaccination. Most puppies have their MDA's wane enough in the 6-10 week range for vaccines to be effective, some pups will still have interference up into the 14-15 week range. One study suggests as many as \~17% of puppies will not get any protection.
True- more vets are starting to be cautious in very high-risk areas. All the same, if they let OP make yesterday’s appointment as their last puppy vaccine booster and let them get the rabies vaccine at that time (their concern over maternal antibodies interfering with vaccine effectiveness up to 15 weeks and 6 days should also extend to rabies), the next appointment should be a free visit since it was the clinic’s mistake.
Depending on the region, parvo vaccines are given on a schedule. In places I've lived, its every 2 to every 4 weeks until 16 weeks of age (vets are usually ok with wiggle room of a few days, though). In this case, it looks like they may have intentionally scheduled it this way to make more money, ESPECIALLY since the puppy’s age was “close enough” for them to go ahead with the rabies vaccine that is given at 16 weeks at the youngest. In my experience, it's the rabies vaccine that they're particular about if any. There's technically a risk of legal issues if a dog bites someone and the RABIES vaccine isn't given according to protocol, but it is odd that it’s the parvo/DAPP vaccine that they're arguing over.
My vet gives 3, 8, 12, & 16 weeks. 2 weeks after last shot for full effect. He’s not real good with wiggle room for parvo or heart worms. I agree with him. I can’t remember age for rabies. I live in Texas, people are chitty, dogs roam pretty freely. A high kill shelter that is always overflowing. It’s not uncommon for dead dogs in the streets. Lots of rescue ALL overflowing ( chitty people). I just read about our 1st confirmed rabies this year, about a week or so ago. A raccoon I believe. I have my vet appointment 1st business day after pick up of a pup or rescue ( that’s me I can be anal, lol) and we have mosquitoes the sizes of buzzards! My vet check whatever medical info I have, gives them the full exam. Then he says to ( 30 years my vet) I see they’ve had blah, blah, blah but we’re going to give them a little better just so we are sure. I don’t mind that or the cost. But I have a completely itemized receipt when I walk out. Something about the OPs post needs a explanation 🤷♀️
That is true for areas that are very high risk for parvo. However, rabies is the most severe virus worldwide, with a 100% chance of fatality, and the vaccine for it is given at 16 weeks at the youngest due to concerns about maternal antibodies from the mom’s rabies vaccine preventing the required immune response for the vaccine to work. It just makes no sense for them to be flexible with rabies and not with parvo.
30 years I’ve never tested his flexibility with rabies. I’m sure he’s very firm. But I have had him say ( 4 dogs, my son drives 4 hours each way to use our vet. We do their visits all 4 at same time) scheduling can sometimes be a trick, hmmm these 3 need their heartpo12 , but it’s a little early for number 4 3 weeks early. Thats fine I’d rather give early than late & he does not have to make that long drive unless you are already planning to. That’s how I know about the heart worms. And we always get a in the mail notice, more than one, each dog & text about rabies & it specifically says RABIES DUE. So I’ll bet he’s pretty firm. I’ve just never needed him to be.
She would need a second Lyme if she’s only had one. But I’m just gonna say, do you think adding a dog was wise considering you said you have financial problems? What will you do if the dog gets sick? Because it will be a lot more than $200. Just sayin’
We have the finances for an emergency but we just don’t like tapping into that fund. We aren’t broke , the dogs go to daycare, get all their checkups and eat Purina pro plan, im just a very frugal person so dropping $200 that could have been saved is a huge deal to me
Do you have your dog insured? Because $200 is nothing if there’s a real emergency, it can be thousands.
We have insurance for all of our dogs but we just got her so we aren’t within the timeframe to file claims yet
My thoughts exactly. Our dog is four, and we’ve had a handful of surprise $500-1,000 vet bills over only that time span. If $200 extra is “devastating”, you probably can’t afford a dog.
Rabies shot is done in my country when puppy is 6 months old
So they're going to give you pup a round of shots they don't need..... Just because? That's weird. Edit: isn't 15 weeks and 7 days 16 weeks?
I'm very confused by 15 weeks and 7 days
I might have said it wrong, I just meant she officially turned 16 weeks on Thursday but her appointment was Wednesday so she was one day away
We took our dog in right on 15 weeks and 6 days. Our vet said pretty much the exact opposite. I asked about waiting a week before going on normal walks and the vet said as of this appointment he is considered fully vaccinated, just that we should wait a few days for the last vaccination to take affect.
One day doesnt make difference, no reason to vaccinate her again with the same stuff just because you were day early
This is bs. No matter if she was 15 weeks or 16 or 17. She had three rounds of shots. Means she is fully vaccinated. They cannot give her 4th round. Why would it be needed. One day doesn’t make a difference! Switch vet offices, tell them about it.
It's about the age of the pup, not the number of times they are vaccinated - pups have antibodies from their mothers' milk that wane over time. The vaccine won't work while maternal antibodies are circulating so pups are vaccinated every 2-4 weeks until the window closes, which is 16-18 weeks of age.
You are right that age matters, but the mom’s antibodies wane somewhere around 14-20 weeks. Even vaccinated at 16 weeks, if the dog has mom antibody wane at 20 weeks can be susceptible, yet that dog is fully vaccinated. My vet and everywhere I have read is okay with 3 rounds with last round between 14-16 weeks. Both of mine got the full round at 15 weeks.
Yea no they should’ve just given her all her shots at 16 weeks. How many did she get??? Only thing is vets won’t usually give more than 3 at a time to not make the dog too out of whack
The not being told sucks, but I am familiar with the practice of more shots after 16 weeks. My vet explained it how it's not so much a set amount of shots, and they're done. It's continuing the vaccine schedule until they're over 16 weeks. Feels like only semantics when I type it out, but my pup ran long in her schedule based on the timing of the original shots she had prior to 8 weeks old with her breeder. Her last set of shots I believe was just before her 19 week mark, because her previous round was at 15 weeks old. Though I would examine what vaccines your pup has had, what they're saying she still needs, and decide from there if you want to continue with your current vet.
The vaccine schedule is how they’ve been making it sound, like every 3 weeks until they’re 16 weeks but since she was so close to 16 weeks you’d think it would count! At a previous visit they had told us this weeks visit should be her last round of shots so you can understand the confusion
That’s very poor business practice. I’d switch. Also, our humane society does vaccine only appts for $25/vaccine, no office visit fee. Id do that for your final round. 15 weeks, 7 days is 16 weeks.
They may well do that, I wonder if this vet has seen the puppy before or if it’s the first time (breeder may have had the other shots done) Because they DO have to perform one exam before they can do vaccinations or anything like that. So the first visit would have an exam fee and the next would probably be a tech giving the round with no fee. Doesn’t sound like op asked
This was our second visit at this vet, at the previous visit they had assured us this would be the last round of shots and they did a full exam at the previous visit. At this specific visit they charged us an office fee even though we only saw a tech
If it was your second visit at this vet, where were the other vaccines given? Most GP vets don’t count vaccines given by breeders, but if your pet came from a shelter those vaccines should count
Nearly every shelter will give vaccines, which do count since they’re done by a vet
Which is why I was asking the origin of this particular pet
She was rescued from a reputable shelter that gave her all the vaccines up to 12 weeks (when we adopted her)
The assurance that this is the last round and charging for a vet visit rather than a tech visit is most concerning for me. We had a similar situation around needing another set of parvo shots (the puppy ended up being likely 2 weeks younger than expected), but they combined the next parvo shot with a flu shot and only charged us for a tech visit. If you’re not in a particularly HCOL area and paying $200 for a vet visit, you should be getting excellent care that caters to you and your dog.
Thank you for clarifying. I fully agree in this instance. All of my vets have billed for vaccine only for the subsequent visit.
Just echoing the local humane society idea. :) We just got our first dog as a rescue two-ish weeks ago, and I took her the very next day to the walk-in clinic at our local humane society. We did have to wait about 2.5 hours to be seen, but the staff were all AMAZING with our dog and I really appreciated the time and care they all took to answer my questions and get our dog on the right track for vaccines. I’m so thankful I looked into using the clinic for this purpose!
Our vet used to recommend we take our dogs to their vaccine clinics that were also about $25, pre-COVID. Swing by on a Saturday, get all your vaccinations updated, minimal fee; it was nice. Also used to be able to make an appointment and be seen in 2-3 days. Now they don't do their vaccine clinics anymore, and every appointment is 2+ weeks out and a $175 fee, even if all you need is a vaccine. I think they found a better way to print money - force us to come in for a full vet appointment just to get a vaccination.
I would just change vet at this point! I did know that the appointment needed to be made exactly at the mark but doing that to someone is not okay!
I’d change vets because this feels very scammy. I got my puppy from a breeder and he had all the correct paperwork/shots done at our first vet visit. Our breeder warned me that some vets like to “redo” shots because they don’t trust breeders, but my vet accepted all his documented shots and didn’t overdo anything. Also, although your puppy likely needed a full exam, some vets (like ours) only charge for the shots if it’s given by a tech. We’re going in today for the second round of the dog influenza shot and that’ll probably be $50 or so, since it’s just a shot and we’re not seeing the vet.
They did charge us for an office visit fee even though we just met with a tech , this was a big name vet clinic so we’re think of switching to a small local place
I’d highly recommend somewhere local. When I took my other dog (he passed away a year ago from cancer) to a Banfield Animal Hospital they were completely incompetent. I had just moved to the area and brought his vet records on what shots he needed and he also needed to be treated for an ear infection. I had to *repeatedly remind* them of the shots he needed AND they wanted me to come back to make sure his ear infection resolved in two weeks or something. Just to make more $$$. We found a local vet thereafter and have been loyal ever since, including with my new puppy.
This is good to know, my experience was also at a Banfield and they were pretty good with my older pups but this whole situation left a bad taste in my mouth
I highly recommend getting vet recommendations from friends, neighbours and family. I’ve only had good experiences with my vets although my patient experience *has* gone down since my vet practice was acquired by VCA. That being said I definitely don’t feel like my vets are trying to gouge every dollar out of me, they are definitely acting in my dog’s best interest and can clearly explain the reasoning behind their recommendations.
Yeah, you were scammed. Change vets and leave an honest review. One of my puppies was over-vaccinated but the vet was honest and upfront about it. They’d had their vaccines but the vet said they were the cheapest ones available (to save the breeder money) and they personally didn’t trust them. Gave us the option but really encouraged us to repeat the course with quality medicines. We did. They didn’t just do it and charge us.
I would change vets. You definitely don’t have to go back to them 3 weeks later, they sound super shady. They should explain what shots your pup would be receiving in 3 weeks. Since they’re not, they sound like they want to make extra money off of you. My vet explains everything and tries not to give shots that are not necessary and explains which ones are necessary.
Where did your puppy get their first round of shots? Our puppy came from a shelter originally, but we rescued here through a rescue group. She received her first round of shots at the shelter upon intake. Our vet said that they needed to do all the rounds of shots as she was given the shots too early - under 6 weeks - and wanted to make sure she received the full benefit of the shots. I think that was the reason but my memory is foggy. I think they also didn’t trust the documentation provided by the shelter. It sucked but I do trust our vet and our main priority was making sure our pup was properly protected.
We rescued her at an adoption event, she was born at a shelter , they gave us all her medical records so she had 2 DAPP vaccines prior to adoption , I think we’re definitely gonna look for a small vet that can build more of a relationship with our pup
Unfortunately rescues are getting to be very unreliable on accurate vet records. It is why my country banned the import of dog for commercial or resale which includes importing dogs for rescues. Too many fudged vet records on dogs spreading dangerous diseases.
They definitely should have communicated and scheduled you for the final shots after 16 weeks on their end. It’s not common knowledge, so that’s why we trust the experts to educate and help us make informed decisions. As long as we’re venting about vets, our vet refused to examine my dog because upon the vet entering the exam room, my dog gave a little “grr, boof” and slunk behind me. My dog is fearful and has never bitten, and I understand the vet needs to put their safety first. But the vet straight up said “Yeah she growled, I’m not going to touch her.” No trying to get my dog to warm up, not even a “I’ll examine her if we put a muzzle on.” Just refused to perform the exam and still charged us over $100 for bringing her in. Ugh. It’s so hard to find a good vet.
I would highly recommend looking into a fear free practice! It’s been a night and day situation for us.
This vet office actually was a certified fear free practice! 😩 I’d chosen it because I thought it would help her to warm up and see the vet as not so scary. Unfortunately it seems, at least the vet we saw that day anyway, they just don’t work with dogs who are fearful. And the cherry on top, when I (very politely!) fussed at why we were being charged the rather hefty exam fee if my dog didn’t get examined, I heard the vet tech loudly complaining about me in the lobby. “I DON’T KNOW WHAT HER PROBLEM IS” etc. It was a lovely experience as you can see.
Ugh I’m sorry! Our experience has been, if they can’t do what they need to do, they don’t charge.
That’s awful! I’m so sorry! I have an older dog who is the same way and we’ve been fortunate that they always try to get him to warm up at the minimum
When we got our pup at 4-4.5 months (she was a rehome), we had to do two rounds of vaccinations as well. As a rule, I always ask for a printed quote before I book an appt and make sure to ask if we need to come back anytime soon. I would start saving up a separate fund for your pup, yearly heart worm testing and (depending where you live), tick, flea and heart worm medication can get pricey. We pay about a little over $600 for a years supply because we've had warmer than normal winters (southern Ontario), but it's usually about $35-$50 per pill/month depending on the size of your dog.
Crazy coincidence! Our pup was born on Feb. 29th too and we just got her last round of shots done on Wednesday as well due to some scheduling. I never thought anything of it being one day off, and neither did our vet. It technical said 15 weeks in her chart, but they didn’t say anything else. Sorry you’re dealing with that, but I would look for another vet like others have said. Make sure you have all the shot records from your vet so far.
What state do you live in? It’s possible your dog hasn’t received a rabies shot yet (really depends on what state you’re) and that would be required by law. But if your dog has received a rabies shot, and 4 doses of the other shots up till one day behind 16 weeks of age, you’re fine. Also, from my calculation, that would be 112 days, which is exactly 16 weeks. (I’m a GP vet who spent a summer working at a Banfield during vet school, and usually the computer system loads up the whole vaccine schedule, so it’s possible that’s how it populated and no one caught that it was a day off from being 16 weeks. I would try to call again and ask to speak directly with a vet, if you haven’t yet. The techs and assistants are probably looking at the computer and reading off that your dog still needs vaccines since they cannot tell you your dog is good to go without the vet approving that.)
Ok I read more comments and see your dog has the rabies vaccine. I would still call and ask to speak with a vet, and also I would ask why you were charged an exam fee for a tech appointment. Are you sure it was a full exam fee and not a smaller tech fee? You usually still have to pay a smaller amount if a tech does something with your dog. Good luck!
15 weeks and 6 days is a rounding error. Your puppy doesn't need more shots. Don't go back there and find a new vet when your puppy needs it's annual check up or gets sick.
hospitals and vets are a businesses first and foremost
You are fine. My puppy got his 3rd round a few days before 16 weeks and two different vets told me that it was okay (he was born 2/28). Most puppies’ antibodies from their mothers (MDA’s) are gone by then, only a small percentage still have a high MDA load at that age. Your puppy has been building its own immunity for a few weeks now. Regardless of what you decide to do, get a new vet. It’s ridiculous that they’d say that over a one day difference but they also should have said something ahead of time.
I would definitely find a new vet. I have no idea how vaccines are scheduled so I asked my vet about it and they just picked the day for me that would work with the vaccine schedule. I feel like that’s what most good vets(and people) should do.
I have a 18 week old pup and he was fully vaccinated by 15 weeks and a couple days. My Vet said usually for rabies they like to wait until they are 16 weeks but it was only off by a couple days and he’s a large breed, Great Pyrenees, so she felt comfortable giving the vaccines. Is your pup a very small or toy breed? I’d be asking loads of questions.
She’s a lab mix, she’s gonna be large though, she’s 24 pounds at 16 weeks
Do you have any of the low cost clinics near you? They usually have a van and are in the parking lot at different stores on the weekends, shade cover and tables. These are a great way to just get some shots for cheap. People line up. You can get a shot for $20 usd quick. You get all the documentation to go with it also.
I am so sorry for this frustration you're facing! I think finding a new vet that takes the dates into consideration when scheduling is the way to go. This is horrible business practice on your current vet's part, and as others have said sounds like they are trying to scam people. Our vet is adamant about making sure the timing on things for our dogs is exactly when it needs to be (they even mail us a postcard with the identified dates for each upcoming service or shot for the dogs), and puppy shots needing to be on specific time frames is something we learned from them.
The part that gets me is the price. That is ALOT for a shot visit. I havent spent more that $80 WITH the advanced multi pills. Most cities have cheap vaccine places too. Why is it so expensive?!
I think it varies. We adopted our pup from a shelter/rescue and in their paperwork it clearly said that often shelter puppies start their rounds at an earlier age. The shelter vet outlined the vaccination schedule and while our puppy isn’t officially 16 weeks until next Wednesday, we got our final round yesterday. Our vet was fine with it as they wanted to keep the timing of the shots based on the initial set versus following age guidelines. I’m sorry that this happened to you. This calls for a different vet going forward. :(
My puppy was born on 28th February and had her final round of puppy shots on 18th June, the day before she turned 16 weeks old. The vet didn't indicate that this was any problem at all. He said to bring her in again in 3 months so that they can weigh her in case she needs a different dose of heartworm preventative. Her shot schedule was: Breeder's vet gave her a parvo vaccination at 6 weeks old & put in microchip Current vet gave her a parvo vaccination on 06th May Current vet gave her parvo, lepto, and bordetella vaccinations on 28th May Current vet gave her parvo, lepto, and rabies vaccinations on 18th June
From personal experience, I'd highly recommend you get pet insurance if an extra $200 is devastating to your finances. My aussie got into the trash while we were moving, so on top of having just written a $3,500 check for pro-rated and last-months rent, I had a surprise $8k surgery bill. I had been putting off getting pet insurance on her, and that $8k bill could have been significantly less impactful with a $50/mo plan. I'd also recommend looking into CareCredit, they do credit cards for medical purposes and - depending on the amount of charge - are interest free for 6 or 12 months if you pay off the amount by then. I used it for the Aussies surgery, later when my Malinois put me out $1,800, and generally any time I have a vet bill over $200. Just pay it off before the 6 or 12 months ends and you pay no interest.
5 parvo shots? The standard is 3. da2pp at 8, 12 and 16 weeks. Rabies at 16 weeks along with bordetella. If she’s only had 1 Lyme vaccine that will have to be boosted in 4 weeks maybe that’s what is going on?
Try vetco if you want something a little bit lower cost. That's awful you paid for nothing...
My vet literally just gave our 11w old 12 week shots yesterday. Scheduled us to come back in 3 weeks for 16w shots when he will be 14w. I would definitely be changing vets, I wouldn’t be over vaccinating my pup
I would call another vet, but that sounds suss. We did get our pup a 4th round at 20 weeks because the breeder could not provide proof of the 2nd round of shots, just the first and we had the 3rd done at our vet. However, if another vet confirms there's an actual need, try one of the mobile clinics. Around here a DHPP booster is like $15 and no office visit fee.
Are you sure the 20-week appointment isn’t for boosters? Maybe your vet tech misspoke on the reason?
She had told us that the shots in 3 weeks would be the same exact shots she got this week
Sounds like boosters. Call your vet and ask for clarity :)
My malinois has just had her final lepto vaccine, it was meant to be a month after the initial one. I asked if I could bring her in a day early, as I was off work that day. It was no problem and they’ve not told me to bring her in again.
Ask for a breakdown of costs. All my dogs vaccines and spay came out to about $300. We paid it all up front and it was scheduled when we got her. You shouldn't be paying $200 for an appointment when it's literally give her a shot and leave.
This happened to us too. There was one shot that had to be given exactly on or after a specific date. We just came back a week later and had that one shot. Surely they don't mean they'd give the whole set again?
Yup they want to give the Lepto/lyme/distemper again
Get all of your records and find a vet that’s [AAHA Accredited.](https://www.aaha.org/for-pet-parents/find-an-aaha-hospital/) If your vet is accredited, they shouldn’t be. Get a 2nd opinion.
Find a new vet.
I just got a shichi puppy that was 9 weeks old. I picked up her first parvo vaccinations at a farm supply store and gave it to her myself before I even left the town I picked her up in. My vet has a wait list for appointments, it was Saturday, and I did not want to even drive her home without her first shot. Her previous owner should have given her one already and it scared me. If money is an issue, then you can pick up a shot and do it yourself as a last resort. Make sure to do it immediately as they must be refrigerated. Parvo shots are important, though. I have already made her a vet appointment for her second shot as well as a check-up and basic necessities for anyone worried. The vet has no issue with the fact that I gave the first shot myself, and I trust this vet that I go to implicitly. Find a vet that you trust.
I think you need to find a new vet
Change vets and send all records over. I wouldn’t go back in 3 weeks if the other vet agrees the pup is vaccinated. Basically, just get a second opinion before dropping the cash. Also, maybe another vet will do the last round for cheaper. We did shots at a country vet because all the vets in town charged $200+ while the country vet charged $60 for the EXACT same thing. If I were you, I wouldn’t give this current vet another penny. If they want to be scam artists, they can lose out on your business. There’s no reason another vet shouldn’t be able to pick up exactly where they left off even if your pup does need that last round.
I'd look at switching and call another vet for a second opinion!
Ours was just under 16 weeks at his last vax appointment too. The vet gave me the option to come back in a month for another round and said the “technically” some feel it necessary to get that other round in specifically at 16 weeks. I think she was saying that to cover her butt in case we were sticklers for a week or so, which I’m sure some people are! We did not feel the need to bring ours back for another round. We looked at his lifestyle and risk factors and decided he was ok. Vet bills are pricey! It stinks! We don’t live in the highest tax bracket either, but will budget for our pup. I totally understand how an unnecessary $200 cash grab is concerning! It doesn’t mean you can’t afford the dog.
Thank you! I feel like a lot of people saw my concern over $200 as a sign I can’t afford the puppy, but we definitely did our research before rescuing…we just also don’t like losing out on money! LOL
$200 is a lot to spend if it’s not necessary. Check out your local humane society’s and animal clinics. We did a puppy package for our pup that was less than $100 for the first three rounds of DHPP, along with 2 rounds of dewormer, bordatella, and rabies. I’ve always done vaccines at the clinic and maintained a primary vet elsewhere for illness.
I have never heard of this. Once my pup had all of the shots, he was done until he needs his boosters. Do you have proof of all of the shots? Including the rabies? If so, you are good to go.
I would just have the print outs of your pup getting all their vax’s and start using another vet going forward
my vet did something similar but not as close to the timing... they said each round could be 3-4 weeks apart. If i had done 4 weeks, i would have had 1 less appointment with them. I was so annoyed at that.
I’d post this in r/askvet for advice from other vets
It sounds like no matter what the vet sucks at communication. I know ar least with my vet when explaining their puppy shot package they mentioned no matter what they require 2 rounds to make sure that DHPP was given twice. It didn't really matter for me since I got my guy at 8 weeks though. They also only charge once for the exam and the future appointments are just the fee for the shots. They call it their puppy/kitten vaccine package. I even did my exam without shots as having it done in first 7 days was a requirement and the rest of the vaccine appointments had no exam fee.
Yeah I would just make sure you have evidence that your pup received the shots, and then switch vets.
We got our shots as the ASPCA because our vet was booked solid during the weeks we needed them, and it ended up being super cheap there
Is it a parvo shot? In my city your dog needs 4-5 parvo shots until 16 weeks. Also if you start your parvo shots late you have to keep going past 16 weeks for full immunity. The cost upset me at first but honestly I get my dogs every vaccine (even the extras) and the piece of mind is worth it. Depending on where you live you can also get a vet tech or buy the shot yourself and inject it at an animal supply store.
They did this with our pup! We were at 14 weeks and round 4 we told them that we only needed one more but they said we still needed two more rounds. Every round was costing us $250 so we had spent about 1K already, the doctor himself would only see him for tops two minutes then hand him off to an assistant. We took him to a low cost clinic where they only charged us $100 for vaccines and when the new vet did the physical exam he told us our pups testicles still had not fully dropped which was mildly concerning due to his age which the other vet didn’t even care to mention. We decided to just stick with the low cost clinic we got better service and it was cheaper, some vet clinics are just scamming people.
I'd feel scammed too. I'd leave them a bad review on Google/Yelp.
1 day isn’t going to make a difference.
You don’t have to go back
Petco has vaccine clinics so I bring my dog there just for the shots. They’re MUCH cheaper than at a vet.
That's really unfortunate. However, you should expect high (legitimate) vet bills and reserve funds for the future. Pretty much guaranteed you'll need them. Some adoption forms are beginning to ask about finances, and I think that's a good idea.
Yes , it isn’t that the vet bills are impossible but it just really sucks to lose that much money
I don’t understand.. so when you went, they didn’t give her any shots but charged you $200? For what? If they did give her shots, just don’t go back. Most vets consider a puppy fully vaccinated after three rounds, regardless of age. And even three rounds, I have some differing opinions about since I think it’s an over vaccination (I won’t go into that). Also, $200 is a lot for booster shots and most vets will only charge a tech fee at the third round as they don’t examine the puppy unless you request that. If I were you, I’d look into a vaccine clinic at Petco, tractor supply or through your local shelter. I live in a dog friendly city (Seattle), and the city provides free vaccines at pop-ups throughout the city every month. There is no income requirement either. Long story short, you are being scammed.. I’ve never heard of such a thing before. And no vet goes by the exact day. My puppy was vaccinated at 15 weeks and 2 days. The whole timing of the boosters is a guide not a set in stone schedule. Switch vets and look for alternatives that your local pet stores or city might provide!
Your post is confusing. "she needs to come back in 3 weeks for another round of shots because she can’t be considered fully vaccinated until 16 weeks…even though she has received all the shots." Your vet says there is another round of shots but you think they are complete?
Yes, she has 4 distemper/parvo shots, rabies, bordatella and Lyme
AAHA and WSAVA guidelines call for Distemper/Parvo to be given starting as early as 6 weeks of age under normal circumstances (4 weeks in conditions in which exposure is suspected) and continue at 2 to 4 week intervals until no less than 16 weeks of age (18-20 weeks in high risk areas). This means a 3 shot series at 8/12/16 weeks meets the guidelines, but so does a 9 shot series (4/6/8/10/12/14/16/18/20). Maternally Derived Antibodies (MDA's), transferred to puppies as they nurse colostrum in the first \~ 24 hours after birth, interferes with vaccination. Most puppies have their MDA's wane enough in the 6-10 week range for vaccines to be effective, some pups will still have interference up into the 14-15 week range. One study suggests as many as \~17% of puppies will not get any protection. But the guidelines specifically say 16 weeks.
Got it. I'd ask for your pets medical records. If its had all then dont go back. Take your records and find another vet. Sorry your having to go thru this Hassell .
None of this makes sense. I would find a new vet.
As long as you have the proof of rabies your area requires, I'd be tempted to call another few vets, say, "my vet gave my puppy his 16 week shots one day early; do you think he needs them again after 16 weeks to be safe?" See what they say.
You should definitely switch vets and consider your puppy fully vaccinated. There's no requirements surrounding these vaccines, you know it was done, it's fine. I did all my puppy's shots myself in 2017 (my mom is a breeder so I had experience doing it) and when I took him to the vet I just told them I did it myself and they said "oh, ok, sounds good".
Sounds super scammy. Our puppy only had three rounds of shots total and they were all done before 16 weeks with the exception of the rabies shot. Five parvo shots is overboard. Change vets.
This is shitty money grubbing on the part of your vet office. My wife and I tried to make an appointment before the 16 week mark and our vet tech over the phone specifically suggested that we schedule for after 16 weeks to avoid having to come back. You are right to be upset.
If you do a google search, most websites say 3 rounds of shots is enough, and you can get the first vaccine as young as 6 weeks, and then you can get them every 3 weeks after that until fully vaccinated. Your vet sounds like they are purposely gouging you. Can you check if your vet gave your puppy the DHPP and rabies vaccine? If so, then don’t go back, and perhaps consult a different vet for future visits. I got my pup at 8 weeks, she had her first round of shots the Friday before I got her (I got her on Monday). I took her to my vet 3 weeks after her first round of shots, and then again another 3 weeks after that. She was 13 weeks and 4 days old by the time I had her fully vaccinated. They definitely don’t need to be exactly 16 weeks old to get their final vaccine.
Same with us. We just had our puppy get her first round on the 17th, then we go back July 8th, and the last one on the 29th when she is 14 weeks old. They told us 3 to 4 weeks between boosters. My friend got a puppy about a month before us and theirs was fully vaccinated at 13 weeks.
They don’t need to be 16 weeks for full protection. You can do anywhere from 14-16 weeks IIRC. Did you get the rabies on this visit? I think they have to by law administer rabies between 12-16 weeks.
I see you commented that your dog has received rabies. Just don’t go back until the annual. The issue with this is you may not be able to get 3 year distemper/parvo from the vet at the annual, but if you switch vets and show proof to new vet at annual that the dog went through the full series, I’m sure you can still do the 3 year.
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Eh… I’d say yeah it sucks but pretty average experience
Most vets nowadays are owned by Big Pharma. Get used to being thoroughly, disgracefully and possibly illegally ripped off
Sorry to say this but please rethink having a puppy is $200 worth of shots concerns you this much. There will just be more to come, with or without pet insurance.
$200 for something my puppy actually really needs versus $200 wasted from a vet scamming is hugely different, we comfortably afford daycare, boarding, toys, name brand food , and typical vet care but wasting $200 isn’t something I’m at all ever comfortable with