Giving your own horse vacinations?

$400.00? good heaven's that's alot. Yes, I do all my vaccines for my 5 horses, worming also. I buy the vaccines online. They're cheaper that way and they are shipped overnight in a cooler so that's not a problem. You can buy through your feed stores, for 2 horses it's not that much a savings. But when I give west nile, 2 shots 6 weeks apart it's alot cheaper to buy a vial with 10 doses than individual shots.

Giving your own shots is just part of good animal husbandry, along with knowing how to take your horses pulse and resp.

I also always have on hand a "colic kit" with an injectable for anytime a horse colics. Waiting on a vet just to give a shot isn't worth the risk.

Oh, and no, there are no vaccines that are iv. The only vaccine you can't do is rabies but not all horses need that.

Jeffers is a good site for buying vaccines if you want to check it out.

http://www.jeffersequine.com/ssc/products.asp?CID=...

Good luck. ;)

First, sure, you can vaccinate your own horses. All except the rabies vaccine is available to anyone.

You can buy the vaccine on line, at a feed store or from your vet. Be aware not all places handle the vaccine properly. Veterinary offices usually handle it properly. I've seen things, though, so I won't vouch for every veterinary clinic's protocol of the handling of vaccine or other pharmaceuticals.

As for the price you paid: If you feel like you got ripped off, then you did. If you didn't feel that way until these folks told you you did, that's too bad. I'm not at all sure why people think veterinarians should give away their services. Try calling a plumber out at 2 am for a colicy water pipe.

But anyway....I'd want to see an itemized bill before criticizing the charges. If the vet came to your place, there's a call charge. If you went to the clinic, there's often an office fee--they gotta clean up after the horse, you know, pay the office personal, keep records. Even if the horse didn't poop there, the place should be sanitized between patients. That's how the good guys do it.

Vaccines are not cheap. If you get just the basics, which to me is VEWT, West Nile and rabies, that's one thing. If you also had your horse vaccinated for flu, rhino, strangles, Potomac Fever, botulism and whatever else is out there in your area, then of COURSE it's going to cost more.

And did the $400 include worming, Coggins or other services? I'd want to know!

I think it's great if someone wants to save money by vaccinating their own animals. Whatever it takes to protect them. If someone is willing to pay a veterinarian to properly administer the vaccine, let them. Step back!

Some farm supply stores sell over the counter vaccines, and you can order them from some catalogs, too.

The only things you probably won't be able to get your hands on without a DVM behind your name are rabies and west nile. Some places still west nile, but you have to buy a ten dose pack that is over $180.

As far as flu/rhino, EWT, PHF, pneumabort, and even strangles - you can get those over the counter - or just have your vet sell them to you ~it may be cheaper than having him out to do all the shots.

Around here, our vets charge a farm call fee, a charge for each vaccine, and a fee for giving the vaccine. Buying from the vet but doing it yourself, saves about $12 a shot, and that really adds up when you have 4 horses that each get 3 vaccines twice a year, coggins, and dental in the spring, too!

It isn't difficult to give your own vaccinations, and they can easily be ordered from Jeffers, Country Supply, or one of the other online markets. They're all IM, except there are some that are intranasal. (Strangles and flu) You do NOT want to make a mistake and give an intranasal vaccine IM. They cause HUGE abcesses. The only thing is, I can say from experience, it's also a good thing to have a good working relationship with your veterinarian. If you do your own shots, and only have them out for a coggins, or if you don't do them that year, for emergencies, you're not going to be "A list". For instance....vet already has a full day scheduled. Client A, and Client B both call in with emergencies. Client A gets all of their work done there, Client B only calls for emergencies. Guess who gets worked into the schedule sooner? Guess who doesn't get seen if time will not allow?

You can LEGALLY give ALL the vaccines EXCEPT rabies. That and the Coggins test have to be done by a licensed veterinarian. I would not buy the vaccines at a feed store because no matter what they say there is NO WAY to guarantee that the vaccines have been kept properly refridgerated. Instead either buy them from a supplier like Jeffers OR buy the directly from your vet. I would also suggest you get your horses vaccinated against rabies becasue you never know when they will have a run in with a skunk, racoon or rabid bat in the pasture.

I also get my vaccines from KVet supply. In my state, I can't give my own rabies shot, so I have the vet out for that and coggins tests. When you look in the catalog, you'll see that it is legal for you to give your own rabies shots in SOME states.

All of the vaccines come with expiration dates on them, so I do not worry about ordering them online. They come packed with cold packs, too.

Wow! I'd freak out if my vet charged me that!

Like the others, I prefer to purchase online. I get them from my dog vet too.

Yes, I have 3 different vets. A mobile large animal, the dog and cat vet is old...doesn't do large anymore, and a 24 hour clinic for all animals...just an hour away.

Anyways...the old vet will order anything I ask for...except no coggins test, or rabies. Any meds too. Mine always throws in the syringe and needle too.

ADD: Is there a troll here, who obviously can't learn to give shots??

Ha! Ha!...I'm sorry!!!!! I just read the name of your vet..."Con...Over!!!" That's sooo rude of me...I apologize!*grin*

Holy crap on expensiveness.

Cogging by the vet : $50 each here,

You can buy most shots online, I prefer KVvet.com

I get the 10 dose vials, and it runs me about $16 a shot for most of them. If you get them individually, I think it is $18. Shipping can be expensive, but if you know other who need shots, it helps out tremedously.

If I got the shots from the vet, they are $30 each, $28 dollars if you buy from them but give them yourself.

What I get from KVvet.com:

6 way, west nile, rabies. Strangles is available in the shot form, but not as effective as the internasal form (only from the vet).

You can give your own vaccinations & I would have freaked out at $400 for 2 horses, but I would purchase my vaccines from the vet. Many times you do not know how old the vaccines are at a feed store, etc. or how well they were stored & they may be useless.

We just get our vaccines from the vet's office along with the syringes & needles prn (as needed).

Ouch!!! $400.00....no way would I have the vet clinic over to do something I can do myself except for "hot" shots, rabies, and the Coggins test.....

I purchase my vaccines from our vet clinic.