AIBU to feel resentment towards vet bill

[Anonimum666]

I've just had my dogs at the vet. One is a pup still so quite up to date on vet things. The other however is 12 and has gone at least 9 years unvaccinated. We have had no problems or trips to the vets in this time. The reason for this particular visit was kennel cough. (Don't really want to leave them in kennel but that's another story). Anyway whilst there vet said dog would need up to date vaccines for kennel visit (I anticipated this) and it has cost me a small fortune! I love my dogs and their health is important to me, but this dog has gone so long and has been ok without up to now (vet gave her once over now with no problem) I can't help feeling restful at the nearly £200 bill I've just incurred. Do you think vaccines are necessary? Up to now my dog has been absolutely fine I don't know if we have just been lucky. Obviously I never want my dogs to be in bad health and do want what's best for them, but up to now that has not been vaccines. I guess this is a bit like parents who choose to vaccinate their kids or not? I'm not a bad dog parent they are well looked after. AIBU to feel resentment?

I think lots of people will tell you how lucky you are to have avoided vet bills for so long! My dog is very healthy and so we are vet dodgers too. It’d always a bit painful for vaccinations etc.

The kennels quite rightly won’t take an unvaccinated dog so I don’t know why your lack of preventative health are is the vet’s fault. You only need to watch one dog die of parvovirus (or lepto, with the added bonus of infecting their humans) to think vaccines are a good idea.

Yes I agree, we have been lucky and I like to think some of the credit is that I am a good pet owner. It's not that I am against vaccinating animals as such, it's just that on this occasion I feel that I have almost been forced to otherwise I can't leave them with the kennel. (I know this is for insurance etc.)

You're going to get crucified, OP. But I'm with you. My cats had their vaccinations for the first few years, but then I read that they really don't need the frequent boosters that are 'recommended' so we didn't bother.

I understand that there will be people that are unhappy with my post. You can't please everyone as they say. But we do well by our pets and of course they are very important to us and we would never see them suffer in anyway.

I didn't get my dog vaccinated against kennel cough as the vet said I don't need to as she's never going in kennels. Dog obviously caught kennel cough. She has been vaccinated against KC every year since and has had kennel cough every year since. However it decreases in severity and duration every year and I will continue to give her all the medical care she needs.

YABU £200 is nothing over nine years and your dog has been very lucky.

Enormous YABU.

I'm involved with a rescue that has just lost several of its animals to parvo. It's absolutely awful.

Of course it's compulsory that an animal must be fully vaccinated to be allowed in kennels.

Well, the medical protocol requires that after such a long interval, you basically have to start again to ensure cover. And the Kennels require you to have said cover.

I really get it’s frustrating, but as you need your dog to be in Kennels , then you have to follow their rules .

You may well be a really great and careful owner, but they need that magic bit of paper.

Kennel cough is basically dog flu. They can catch it meeting another dog on a walk. Mine are never in kennels these days but the dog walker insists on it.

Our cats has cost about 4k in vet bills over the last 3 years. Fortunately we're insured so can get most of it back. Our premium has gradually increased from £18 to £68 per month over 4 years! Wouldn't stop it though and couldn't get her insured for existing ailments anywhere else.

Being a good and careful pet owner does not stop a dog being infected.

Therefore you need to be vaccinated to minimise the risk of spreading infections in the kennels.

I’m a bit confused by your op?

Are you angry at the cost of the vaccinations, as your title suggests, or the fact that your dog needed the vaccinations?

Your dog needs to be vaccinated and boosters every year whether going into kennels or not.

I think you've been very lucky to get away with it for nine years.

I couldn't live with myself if my animal got sick and it could have been prevented with a simple (but agreed, expensive) vaccination.

Our aggressive ddog had original jabs.. And once on the one occasion she went into kennels at about 6...none after that. Way too traumatic getting her to the vet.. She had cancer at 10. And brain tumour which resulted in pts at 11..nothing to do with no jabs I imagine. Current ddogs up to date as use kennels regularly..

Could you reframe it to feel better - if you think of the £200 bill in terms of having put £20 or £30 a month into a savings account towards your dog’s vet fees - it would just equate to say 10 months of those saving (or of what you might have paid out in insurance?)

(That’s what I had to do, late on Xmas eve, just bereaved, also vets bill of £300). I reframed it in my mind and felt better about it.

Also agree, not convinced about immunisations - but a necessary condition of booking a kennel space alas.

My dog has not been vaccinated for 6 years, never been ill. Also have 2 cats not been to vets except for sterilisation (one is now 13) who are also fine. Maybe I'm a terrible pet owner but just to let you know you're not alone OP.

To those saying dogs need to be vaccinated every year, they absolutely do not. There is a huge body of evidence suggesting the initial vaccination and then one booster is sufficient to last a lifetime. This is all that I have ever done. A Titre test will prove whether your dog has immunity, and kennels/home boarders can legally accept these in place of a vaccination certificate. Over vaccination, including unnecessary boosters is detrimental to animal health and benefits no one other than the vet practice and vaccine producers.

Not sure why you're feeling aggrieved. It's all your choice.

You are choosing to kennel your dog, so it's your choice to vaccinate and pay the associated costs.

Don't want to? Stay home, or pay a pet sitter.

A part of good pet ownership is taking care of their medical needs, which rightly includes vaccinations. You are not a good pet owner.

Are you a vet scientist?

One doesn’t need to be a scientist to be able to read scientific articles. I also don’t bother with vaccinations after the booster. My cats lived to 19 and 20. My current cat will get the same. More important to spend money on top quality food.

Not sure how my profession is relevant? The information is freely available to anyone who researches. The Titre test proves conclusively regarding immunity. In over 40 years of testing, and numerous animals, I have never once had insufficient immunity or been advised to vaccinated.

My old dog was never vaccinated after an awful allergic reaction to his puppy vaccs. The consequence of this was he could never go to kennels so for 9 years (not long enough) he either came with, I stayed home or he stayed with my parents or very understanding friends.

The dog had myriad allergic issues and numerous mental health problems but never had a single illness.

Saying all that, current dog is vaccinated to the nines and all in is a much less stressful pet!

YABVU for not getting your poor dog vaccinated for so many years.