Same experience as Harley with my vet.  It is normal for my vet to start checking everything before the injection is given.  He couldn't be more thorough.  Dogs over 7 at the booster appointment are offered blood testing at a very reduced rate (to pinpoint beginnings of kidney/liver probs even before any signs are seen.)  But a 14 month old dog going in for its first boooster still gets a full health check, nothing is missed.  There is never any pressure to have the blood test on the older dogs, but I do appreciate being offered, it is such a huge reduction in price, that I usually go for it.

Ditto. Where I work a dog is never given a booster without a basic check-up first; teeth, ears, eyes, heart, temperature, coat, palpation of abdomen (for possible symptomless internal tumours) etc, and questions to the owner. This is the point where the owner has responsibility for voicing any concerns to help the vet quantify the overall health of the dog. The more responsible the owner, the more the vet will trust the owner's judgement.

What I fail to understand is why the 'other' part of the usual 12 mth booster was not felt necessary to be given, especially as your other dog went in under the same conditions and had these 'other' booster parts.
no calmstorm, what i think was meant is that the lepto booster was the only booster required. THe full booster is only given every 3 years in adulthood, so once the puppy course and 1 yr booster is given the 2 and 3 year boosters will only be lepto boosters. Therefore it was correct to not have vaccinated at all if lepto is not allowed, and nothing else was needed. But the vet could have at least waived the fee if nothing was done or given an examination anyway.

The parainfluenza is due annually as well.  The solvent used to reconstitute it is usually the leptrospirosis or rabies vaccine.  I don't think many vets would stock the "plain" solvent as I suspect it would just keep going out of date unused but was waiting to see what TT said about why that component wasn't given either.

I think that what some of us have to understand is that Vet's fees are private health. Clearly there is no NHS for animals and if we gripe about the cost then perhaps we should think again about and preferably before owning animals.

Before anybody gets any preconceived ideas about me, I am not particularly happy about some Vets treatment or their fees but do accept that if I use up their time I have to pay for it :)

Very true.  A Bupa GP will cost you about £60 for a 15 minute appointment and these will charge you £25 to talk on the phone something vets rarely seem to charge for.

no calmstorm, what i think was meant is that the lepto booster was the only booster required.

Ok, our vet gives the lot every year as a booster, so thats what has confused me! :). If it said on the card only the lepto was required, then I can't understand why the dog was taken in anyway? I would have checked with the vet on the phone if there was confusion, to save the trip and the unwanted expense.

If it said on the card only the lepto was required, then I can't understand why the dog was taken in anyway? I would have checked with the vet on the phone if there was confusion, to save the trip and the unwanted expense.

Hi there Calmstorm.  There was no mention of what was required on the 'reminder' card which was sent.
As far as I knew there wasn't any confusion.
As far as I knew, Alf was going to go in still and have (I guess - thanks to Isabel, the parainfluenza part of the vaccine), but as I explained to receptionist and vet, not the lepto part.  That's why I still took him in.
I've been offline last few days, but I'm going to ring the vet tomorrow and find out WHY Alf didn't have the 'other' part of his vacc....
I'm a bit worried by that now, as he didn't have the same thing done as Tess....

Just to get it straight in my own mind.  I have just looked at Tess's vacc card.  Indeed she has had the dppi part of her annual vaccs, but obviously not the lepto.
Alf has had nothing.
Assuming he should have had the same, and that the fact that he's 2 years old makes no difference, then I am definitely calling the vet first thing and asking why he hasn't had the dppi part of his boosters.  Guess I was being a bit dim and thinking perhaps his age had something to do with it.  (It was also a different vet).
If I'd known more about the vaccs at the time of my visit, then I could have stuck to my guns a bit, and then I wouldn't have been so narked about paying for getting nothing done!
I'd just also like to add, my dogs mean the world to me and I would live on the streets to pay for anything they needed done, I didn't quibble at the time of the appointment, but in this day and age, despite earning a good wage, I don't like to spend what I see as dead money :-)

I'd just also like to add, my dogs mean the world to me and I would live on the streets to pay for anything they needed done, I didn't quibble at the time of the appointment, but in this day and age, despite earning a good wage, I don't like to spend what I see as dead money

Its obvious that you feel this way, don't think anyone would doubt it :), and I'm the same, I don't like to waste money! I would certainly have a chat with the vet and try to clear this up, and if a jab of whatever sort is needed it must have been needed when you went in before, so I wouldn't expect to pay another consult fee. Good luck! :)

Thanks Calmstorm..
Have spoken to the receptionist at the vets this morning and explained my concerns.
She read to me the notes the vet had put on Alf's records. 
Basically he seemed to think I was going to come back for the other booster/vacc once I knew whether we were definitely emigrating.  There is no doubt that we are emigrating.
So my conclusion is that he is slightly confused.
The vet that saw Tess a month ago (and who got the vacc's right) is on holiday this week and will return on Monday, he apparently is the best person to speak to re: emigration, exportation, etc.
Initially it was suggested to me that I make another appointment and go back to the vets, take with me printed paperwork from the Australian Quarantine Service website and speak to the vet again.
I declined.  I'll wait and speak to my usual vet once he returns next week, get Alf booked in (hopefully) and get the boosters done.....
It took a while to get all this through to the receptionist, but I guess perhaps I have taken it for granted (after doing months of research) that everyone knows what I'm talking about :-D

p.s. Sorry for hi-jacking this thread a bit!!!

I'm really lucky with my vets, been with them since I first owned a dog in 1958, when the partners were a group of friends, just starting out together. The most senior vets were John Crooks & John Whitely(who were friends of Alf Wight-aka James Herriot & who featured in his books), JJ-AKA John Jenkins & Chris Charlesworth. Sadly none are in practice now & one or two are no longer with us.

They took on a young Glaswegian vet & a more local lad straight from University several years later. Carol the Scottish vet has been seen on local TV a lot in the past & the more local lad John is the one who likes to keep up to date with progress in the treaments available. Carol became a personal friend as she used to come to our training club with her very naughty GSD & @ anyone time always has a few rescue dogs living with her. John's wife also works(as a vet)in the practice & I often joke with her about John who has not changed his hairstyle or lovely attitude to the animals he treats, she calls him the eternal teenager !

There have been other vets over the years, all in similar modes to the original vets & lots of newly qualified vets doing their final training with them. The younger ones do tend to try to get people to castrate , spay, vaccinate etc peoples pets but they only ask once-not like the State of the Art new practice, were neutering is rammed down clients throats until they cave in-plus they charge for everything including post operation checks & insist ion a vet taking all stitches out for very minor ops that could be done by a Vet nurse-the minimum charge per visit is £35 !!!!!

Now my vets charge a reasonable consultation fee the first visit(around £5-£10)& afterwards the subsequent visits are less than £5 & post op checks are free.

My cousin has a rather large cat(she makes a certain ginger cartoon cat look thin)she has regular weighing sessions with one of the nurses(for free)as we battle to slim her down. At the new practice these check ups cost £20 a time !!!!!

> At the new practice these check ups cost £20 a time !!!!!

Still an absolute snip compared to human doctors!

Got a reminder card sent to me, phoned them up was told it was for the Lepto, I said he can not have Lepto I said check his records, she did and apoligised.

Few weeks later took him in due to having gastro vet said I see he has missed last years and this years vaccine proceeded to lecture me then said that he could give him it when he recovered. Informed vet that he has a three year vaccine and is not to have the Lepto, had mini argument with him vet said impossible as they only give yearly vaccines not three yearly told him to read my dogs medical history and to contact his boss as the boss got the three yearly one for my dog. Vet went bright red after reading medical history but didnt apoligise so I spoke with his boss.

Wont see that vet again