Indeed, not just level of service, estate costs will vary enormously, too, with city centre practices having much higher overheads than those in rural spots.

I agree with you Llllith.  If you use the scanner, you are charged a fee on top of your consultation fee, to cover the costs of the purchase, maintenance and running of the scanner. I would expect to do the same except I'd rather do it myself! ;)

Oh and I ALWAYS wipe my feet, and take my own Parvocide to spray around because the dog before me might have had kennel cough!  Vet's surgeries are the most dog germy places in the world! ;)  Luckily my dogs rarely need to go until their time comes to go to Rainbow Bridge.

dont talk to me about plumbers

Indeed it's not CS. :-D But, whatever vac protocol they use, the revenue generated will subsidize other areas in the business.  A loss of revenue in one area will call for a regig of costs in other areas.  This is business sense and they will still have their overheads to pay.

But of course the vet will buy vac in bulk at a subsided rate and if you multiply that with x amount of dogs/cats on your client database; it will generate a hefty amount of revenue.  If they loose that revenue then they are going to have to re-cumulate their losses elsewhere. 

Can see where you are coming from Spender, and I certainly dont object to our vets having a good standard of living for the hours they put in, and I would far rather they have a reliable vehicle to get to me if necessary, and good, clean conditions with a good support staff base, and equipment. My bills are not actually that high, I feel mine give good value for money, as did my last vet. Its just that when vax don't need to be given every year, as per the manufs recomendations, I think its wrong to call people in for an unecessary vax regardless of if the surgery needs the revenue. Thats not really for the good of the dog/cat if its not actually needed. Thats when I think its a money spinner.

Yep, I agree C/S.  There is no justifiable reason to vac every year with a 3 yr licensed vaccine.  And any loss of revenue which I think is marginal anyhow (as some practises here now offer KC as well as Lepto as a recommended yearly vaccine regardless) one would think they would be able to reasonably recoup any losses. 

The difference with vac as opposed to any other form of ethical preventive or treatment is that it can provide a forecasted income within reason on a large scale.

Very, very few vets appear to be vaccinating outside the recommended periods.  Vaccinations are due every year.  A health examination is appropriate plus the time spent administering a vaccination of whatever number of components so the client can expect very little saving year by year and very little incentive on the financial side for a vet to give an unnecessary one, outwith those practices that find their turnover prohibits the use of single vaccines without considerable cost being passed onto the client.

>The difference with vac as opposed to any other form of ethical preventive or treatment is that it can provide a forecasted income within reason on a large scale.

That is no reason to suppose, though, that vets would administer the programme in an ethical way.  As I said in another post to accuse vets of behaving wrongly because of financial considerations is as unfair and unpleasant as accusing the same of those who choose not to vaccinate at all :(

Not ALL vaccinations are due every year. :rolleyes:  I've never said that vaccination is unnecessary - only OVER vaccination.  To not vaccinate IS my personal choice.  I recommend that people without homeopathic knowledge/support should give puppy vaccinations.  That's what I recommend for my pups going to new homes.

Feel free to keep saying that same thing - it doesn't convince me however many times it's said.  Once again you've managed to turn a thread around to the rights and wrongs of vaccination.

If we educate owners who were unaware to raise the subject with their Vet about vaccine manufacturers' recommendations, then posting here will be worthwhile. :D

No quite true Val not all vax are needed & to get it back on topic Parvo is one of those that isn`t :D

I didn't say all vaccines are due every year and have no need to convince you that they are.   Like you, I think it is worth clafying in case anyone does not realise that not all are 3 yearly and doesn't even go to see their vet and ask them about it.

>Very, very few vets appear to be vaccinating outside the recommended periods

Is that just how it appears to you Isabel or is there documented evidence / research to that end which you've seen?

Just postings on here and friends and family about the country, that is why I used the word appear :)  Is there any documented evidence that they are generally not?

So not exactly representative of the UK veterinary community then ......... 
Just wanted you to clarify - anecdotal evidence and all that :)

>As I said in another post to accuse vets of behaving wrongly because of financial considerations is as unfair and unpleasant as accusing the same of those who choose not to vaccinate at all.

It doesn't really matter how unfair, unpleasant, right or wrong it is Isabel, it's plain and simple, economics play a very large part in the decision making which is not always under an individuals control.

You have no evidence for such an aspersion at all, welfare is also a very strong motive for people to act on.  The economics can be dealt with by other means, welfare can not.

>You have no evidence for such an aspersion at all

And you have no evidence that it's not :-P  :-D

You would expect me to have some evidence to accuse you of something underhand or unpleasant you would not expect me to produce evidence that you are not.

No Spender, no justifiable reason whatever to re vax but they still are

I think tht the majority of vets still call for dogs every year, money in their pockets, me thinks

I think you are right!

Yep you`re confused C/S, its Lepto that didn`t quite give cover for the year tho I see now it says it does give a years cover. Parvo was always yearly :)

It was a long time ago, and I was panicing a bit then, coz where I used to walk my dog, was an area of many walked dogs. It was under vets advice i re-innoculated early tho.

Vaccinations for a tenner? Really? Its £25 here. Titre testing I was quoted £75 just for the lab test

Missie, Check whether there is one lab test for parvo/distemper/adeno available.  Glasgow Uni certainly do one for £25.  My vet says he was unaware this was available and that normally you would have to pay around £25 to test for each disease.  This was probably where your £75 came from.

I have passed this info onto them today, re Glasgow, so she said she will look at it and check it out for me and then give me another quote ;)  Having two dogs to do it will be expensive enough ;)  but I will be getting it done whatever it costs :)

Here you are Missie, print this out & give it to your vet :)  just scroll down to infectious diseases & all prices are there :)

http://www.gla.ac.uk/companion/Pricelist.pdf

If someone want`s to get hold of moonmaiden she knows other labs that are a bit cheaper.

Missie....its the 'actual cost'of the vax, not what you get charged when you go. :)

ohh I see  :P  thanks calmstorm

Let me print again what the manu`s say about duration of immunity for parvo.

**A duration of immunity of at least three years has been established for the vaccine.**

Heres what a trial showed

http://veterinaryrecord.bvapublications.com/cgi/content/abstract/154/15/457

http://www.jarvm.com/articles/Vol2Iss4/GILLIJARVMVol2No4rev.pdf

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=14710876&dopt=Abstract

Hi Sarah,

has parvo been confirmed?  There were several widespread cases of haemorrhagic diarrhoea reported last year (throughout the country, not exclusive to Champdogs ;) ) which has similar symptoms and (according to some) a peculiarly close odour to that associated with parvo ......

regards, Teri

I too would wonder whether parvo was actually confirmed - there are many bugs which cause similar symptoms, and without lab tests to identify the cause it's only guesswork as to which it is. A vaccine against parvo wouldn't protect against all the other infections.