Anyone know where I can purchase safe vaccines over the counter?

first of all, I am an RVT and have giving many vaccines for many years. Anyways, I moved and currently am not working in the veterinary profession at this point in time although I am keeping all my credentials current. Well, I have taken in my older animals to the vet for their yearly exam and vaccines. My youngest cat is super healthy and just turned 2 years old. He was seen by my new vet just a few months ago and was deemed healthy besides the minor URI he had.
Well, this month he is due for his vaccines. Mainly FVRCP. He is completely indoors and so I don't vaccinate for leukemia because of the fear of sarcomas. I know I can't get Rabies over the counter and will bring him in to get that at a later point (again he is indoors so exposure is nil). Well taking him in will be over 100 dollars 50 of that being an exam which he had just a few months ago. Now I am not trying to be cheap although funds are a little tight this month. I have pet insurance for the major stuff, I don't have the wellness rider. Anyways, I know from experience that he is fine and I just want to get him his vaccine. I asked my vet clinic that I go to if I can purchase the vaccine over the counter and they said it was against policy. I know rabies can't be sold but I just want FVRCP. I even told them I was a vet tech and know how to give them plus look for reactions ect. Well, that was a no go. I can get the vaccine from my local petstore, but I don't really like that store as it is kinda dirty and they sell puppies and kittens(needless to say I don't shop there) but I know they sell vaccines, I just don't trust how they are handled. I was thinking online but it seems like most places you have to buy a tray which I don't need. Any other ideas? I suppose I could wait till next month, but I still don't want to pay for an exam when I don't feel it is necessary.

Drs Foster and Smith sells single-dose vaccines. But after paying for the ice pack and overnight/2-day shipping (I wouldn't trust vaccines shipped longer than that, especially in the summer) it would probably cost less to just have your vet do it.

You might also consider an alternative vaccine schedule. There's no reason an indoor cat needs vaccines every year, many vets are going with a 3-year schedule.

Do you have a feed store near you? Sometimes feed stores will sell vaccines as well. Also, you might look at some of the vaccine clinics, such as these, where you wouldn't need the exam:

http://goodneighborvet.com/
http://www.coalitionhumane.org/html/...ces_animal.htm

The shelter where I volunteer has a clinic day for the general public once a month. They give vaccines for close to cost. Also, there is a local veterinary practice that advertises in the newspaper about their low cost vaccine service. You could look for something similar.

I'm going with a 3 year cycle myself for my cats. Except for rabies because the 1 year ones are safer.

Robin

I agree that you could try to find a low-cost vaccine clinic. They are all over the place. Even the large pet stores offer vaccine clinic days. After the cats are over one year and had all of their kittens vaccines, I go to the three year plan too. I was also told by a few different vets that the three year rabies is the exact same dosage as the one year rabies, there is no difference and I was surprised to hear that! Although, in my county they don't require rabies on cats so I don't give my indoor cats rabies.

You are in the next county, apparently. My county is very serious about rabies. And since I had a bat in my house a couple of years ago, and since bats are major rabies carriers in our area, I'm glad to get my cats rabies shots each year.

I've looked into the issue of 1 year vs. 3 year rabies shots a great deal. There is lots of info available regarding the difference. I'm surprised you got that answer.

Robin

I have not done any research on the difference between the one year and the three year rabies. I don't even give my "old" dogs shots anymore, too risky with their health issues so I am not really up on the rabies shot thing anymore. This was a few years back at one of those Petco low-cost shot clinics that I was told to just get the three year because it is the same thing as the one year and then a vet at the barn where I used to board my horse told me the same thing once. . But, now, if it were necessary for some reason to get my cats the rabies vaccine, I would definitely look into the difference now!! Thanks for mentioning it . I would give rabies too, if I had a bat in the house at one time . I know bats carry rabies!!!!!

Usually, the "one-year" and the "three-year" rabies vaccines are the same thing, only difference is how the vet will sign the certificate.

Except for PureVax, which is currently only approved for one year (they are working on three-year approval). PureVax is much safer, because it doesn't have adjuvant or other nasty additives.

So unless your vet is using PureVax, the "one-year" vaccine is NOT safer.

Oh yes, PureVax it is. I make sure.

I had a bat inside another time, too, when I lived in an apartment in Chicago, about 20 years ago. I guess I'm just lucky that way. That's the time I found out I could scream - really well!

Robin

Originally Posted by Willowy

Usually, the "one-year" and the "three-year" rabies vaccines are the same thing, only difference is how the vet will sign the certificate.

Except for PureVax, which is currently only approved for one year (they are working on three-year approval). PureVax is much safer, because it doesn't have adjuvant or other nasty additives.

So unless your vet is using PureVax, the "one-year" vaccine is NOT safer.

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Got the vaccine at a low cost clinic and now my kitties are on a 3 year schedule as they are strictly indoors. Also as to the Rabies vaccine. The one and three year one was the same at the clinic I worked at. Unfortunately it wasn't Purevax, which is the prefered vaccine for kitties. The vaccine came out of the same vial, if it was the first RV for the pet it was a one year and after that a three year. It was the same vaccine just different Certificate for the doctor to sign off on.