Annual health visit

I'm taking my 2 girls in for their annual health check tomorrow.  They are doing well and I hope to leave the office without too much drama.

I have one concern and one question that I would appreciate advice on.

Last year, I refused vaccinations and my vet sternly said "ok, but you have to get them next year (2012)." Well after what I've read, I still would prefer to not vaccinate them this year.  In 2010, they both got the 3 year rabies, distemper and leukemia shots.  From what I read, the distemper shot should be done on a 3 year basis and I'm not not sure why they would need the leukemia one.  My cats are 99% indoors.  I have taken them out on a harness but to be honest, I haven't done so in about 9 months.  And since they are happily indoors, I may retire the harnesses altogether.  I do volunteer with shelter cats at Petsmart and have done so for as long as I have had my cats.  

Do you think I have a pretty good case against vaccinations this year?  My cats got really sick after their shots in 2010.  Aside from not wanting to go through that again, I worry about the long term effects of over-vaccination.  

My other question concerns flea control.  I buy Frontline from my vet but have noticed in the past year that Petsmart now carries Frontline and Advantage.  Is what PS selling the same product as what the Vet sells?  Or do the companies modify the products for the big box stores from the vets?  

Frontline and Advantage are now sold in pet stores, and they are the same product you could only purchase at the vet. :nod: The only one (I think) not sold in pet stores is Revolution, and that's something to do with the heartworm treatment (type of poison it is). :dk:

As to the vaccinations, I wouldn't allow the vet to give them. I would try to have the discussion with him about them, though it doesn't seem to be something he's done much research on. I don't know where you live, but you might want to see if there's a holistic DVM to which you can take your business? I like having the best of both worlds. :lol3: You can search here: http://www.ahvma.org My holistic vet is willing to treat with traditional or holistic medicines/herbs, and discusses the pros and cons of both before we decide upon a course of action.

Most vets are vaccinated for rabies. You can start the discussion by asking him if he gets rabies vaccinations. My vet gets his booster every 10 years. :lol3: So he's not big on forcing vaccines on anyone.

Though you can ask about the cost of titre testing. First of all, the only vaccine most likely mandated by law is the rabies. But if you're concerned about distemper, you can have titre testing done to see if they even need it. Vets may stop pushing annual vaccinations if they can make revenue off people bringing their cats in for annual titre testing. :lol3:

And the leukemia? It's not required, and not needed - it, along with rabies, is the most likely source of fibrosarcoma, and if your cats are indoor-only, there's just no need for it. It's only effective about 70% of the time anyway. If you have this discussion with him, and he still pushes it, I would definitely find another vet.

tdonline said:

I'm taking my 2 girls in for their annual health check tomorrow.  They are doing well and I hope to leave the office without too much drama.

I have one concern and one question that I would appreciate advice on.

Last year, I refused vaccinations and my vet sternly said "ok, but you have to get them next year (2012)." Well after what I've read, I still would prefer to not vaccinate them this year.  In 2010, they both got the 3 year rabies, distemper and leukemia shots.  From what I read, the distemper shot should be done on a 3 year basis and I'm not not sure why they would need the leukemia one.  My cats are 99% indoors.  I have taken them out on a harness but to be honest, I haven't done so in about 9 months.  And since they are happily indoors, I may retire the harnesses altogether.  I do volunteer with shelter cats at Petsmart and have done so for as long as I have had my cats.  

Do you think I have a pretty good case against vaccinations this year?  My cats got really sick after their shots in 2010.  Aside from not wanting to go through that again, I worry about the long term effects of over-vaccination.  

My other question concerns flea control.  I buy Frontline from my vet but have noticed in the past year that Petsmart now carries Frontline and Advantage.  Is what PS selling the same product as what the Vet sells?  Or do the companies modify the products for the big box stores from the vets?  

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Question 1 is controversial. I started a thread titled "Do indoor cats really need vaccines?" to get opinions on the issue. Later more threads on the same topic were started, although they were more specific than mine. My impression is most TCS members agree vets overvaccinate but there are some living and lifestyle situations (and in some cases, cats who must be indoor/outdoor) that require getting shots anyway. Since it is obvious you are not in a special situation where your cat needs shots, if your vet refuses to accept your preference to never get them again for your cat, I would look for a more caring vet.

Question 2 is much easier to answer. Advantage only kills fleas. Frontline kills both fleas and ticks. So when given a choice, buy the Frontline.

Thank you to both for your advice.

It turned out to be no drama at all!  The tech vet said the cats need these vaccines and I said no and that was that.  He told the vet out of my sight and when the vet came in to examine the cats, he didn't mention it.

So my vet actually sells Frontline at a much lower cost than Petsmart.  I also discovered online sites sell it an even lower rate than my vet...oi.  I want to support my vet but since he charges me over $90 per cat for each visit (no discount for multiple cats), I figure I support him enough.

$180 and five minutes later, my cats were given up the thumbs up for their annual.

tdonline said:

Thank you to both for your advice.

It turned out to be no drama at all!  The tech vet said the cats need these vaccines and I said no and that was that.  He told the vet out of my sight and when the vet came in to examine the cats, he didn't mention it.

So my vet actually sells Frontline at a much lower cost than Petsmart.  I also discovered online sites sell it an even lower rate than my vet...oi.  I want to support my vet but since he charges me over $90 per cat for each visit (no discount for multiple cats), I figure I support him enough.

$180 and five minutes later, my cats were given up the thumbs up for their annual.

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you sure do. that's around what an emergency vet charges for an exam. (i was charged $95 by an e-vet in april for the exam part of a $700 bill). the holistic vet by me charges $50 for a re-check (but $147 for the initial one hour visit) my regular cat-only vet charges $25 for a recheck exam (can't remember the initial exam fee)

wow $90 per kitty! My vet is a cat only vet and charges 37 per kitty. It's good though that your kitties are all healthy though. I also have gone the less is more route in the vaccine department. My female has bad allergies so I try to avoid vaccinating her at all costs. Don't want to stimulate her already over active immune system. My male had a bad reaction to the distemper vaccine last year so I may forego it too. It isn't do anyways, for three years. Rabies I haven't given recently, but both my cats are indoors only and the city doesn't enforce the rabies on kitties, or at least I haven't gotten a notice yet. Also just my preference, and my experience as a vet tech, I prefer the advantage products over frontline unless your cat is going outside and getting ticks. I feel that advantage is tolerated better and works just as well. I even put it on my rabbit when she got fleas. Frontline is toxic to rabbits because of the fipronil, so I just prefer advantage. Also in the practice I worked in, when we saw reactions to the veterinary quality flea products, it seemed that it was frontline that was the culprit. The mild reactions were itchiness and hairloss at the site that the product was put on, but one of the more severe reactions were lethargy and vomiting. I do believe the owner put it on too low and the cat licked some of it, but still that is a pretty bad reaction. Also if your cats are indoors, no need for the tick fighting properties of Frontline. Stick  with advantage, it is cheaper and I feel safer. Just my opinion though.