Has anyone here ever done their own pet vaccinations?

[Lyric]

I am going to be doing this for my own cats, plus all of the neighborhood strays that we can catch--think about eleven cats total. I got vet quotes, and even with the multi-cat discount, it would have cost damned near $800 for eleven cats plus the dog to get all of the vaccinations and parasite medications that they need for the entire year. However, I was able to order the following things online for roughly $278 (including shipping costs):

Canine 7 Way Vaccine (2 doses, protects against Canine Distemper, Adenovirus Cough, Hepatitis, Parainfluenza, Parvovirus, and two types of Leptospirosis.)

Eclipse 4 + FeLv Feline Vaccine (25 doses, protects against Feline Panleukopenia (Distemper,) Feline Rhinotracheitis, Calicivirus, Chlamydia Psittaci, and Feline Leukemia.)

40 MonoJect Syringes with Needles-3cc LL 22 x 3/4" (I got extras, just in case)

Drontal Plus Wormer for Dogs 22 - 77 lb (Same active ingredients as the one our vet uses)

Drontal Cat Wormer (Same active ingredients as the one our vet uses)

Generic Heartgard Tabs for Large Dogs - Nuheart 51-100lbs (Red) (12 tablets, Ivermectin, enough for a whole year)

Advantage for Extra Large Dogs over 55 lbs (Blue) (4 pipettes to add to the 3 we have here, which I will then measure out into cat-appropriate doses for the kitties because it's less expensive and the ingredients are the same. The outside strays won't need this right now, but they'll need it when it warms up again.)

Plus special polar box ice packaging and 2-day delivery for the vaccines.

If I had unlimited resources, I'd take them all to the vet and get this done there, but I don't. They'll still be going to the mobile rabies vaccination clinic van when it comes around, though, because rabies vaccine cannot be sold in West Virginia. I really, REALLY hope that I'll be able to catch all of the strays again when it comes time to get rabies shots. At least they aren't too expensive--about $7 per shot. My own animals are all current on their rabies shots, of course.

If anybody else here has ever done this, I'd sure appreciate tips. ThinkBlue and I are going to be coddling and coaxing stray cats who are extremely skittish of people into letting us stick needles into their scruffs, doses of wormer down their throats, and doses of Advantage on their necks. Still, it will feel damned good to know that we'll have less of a chance for disease in our neighborhood. Since there are only eleven cats total and they'll be getting two doses each (3-4 weeks apart,) we'll have three vaccine doses left over--I'm considering offering them to our neighbors, who have two "outside" male cats that roam around a lot. The cat vaccines would have been super-cheap, too, if not for the fact that I got the kind that includes a feline leukemia vaccine. Apparently, that one is pretty expensive.

Wish me luck. The vaccines/syringes should be here in a couple of days, and the rest of the stuff in a week or so. If it works out well, I might expand this as of next year and do the strays on the other side of our neighborhood too.

[LeftyMom]

1. No, but in your situation I would.

I periodically put wormer and an oral flea med in the food I put out for ferals at my Dad's house. Luckily we don't seem to have any ferals where I'm at- there are a few outside cats but they all appear to be healthy and well cared for.

[Lyric]

2. Sadly, mobile home parks like ours seem to be prime "cat dumping" grounds.

At least in this area. I guess people assume that with all these individual homes around, SOMEBODY will take in their cat. *sigh*

It doesn't work out that way, of course. The saddest case is the black-and-white tuxedo cat that somebody in a minivan dropped here a few weeks ago. He's obviously deaf; I've had deaf cats before, so I know the signs. He doesn't startle when Toby barks, for example--at least not unless the other outside cats startle and start to run, in which case he runs too. I was able to creep up behind him the other day, and he didn't even notice that I was there until he saw me out of the corner of his eye when I was close enough to touch him. Dumping cats is bad enough, but a deaf one?? Jesus. I'm hoping that with proper vaccinations and parasite meds, we might be able to find a home for him (and the others--we're working on getting them used to contact with humans again.) People seem more willing to adopt when you can say, "Has had shots and wormer."

Now if we can just talk one of the local vets or rescue groups into helping us get them all spayed/neutered for cheap, we'll have it made. I am also (selfishly) hoping that I can manage the shots without getting myself clawed; I've watched our vet do it so many times, and it doesn't seem too hard. Just pull the scruff up, stick the needle in fast, and push. We're going to put the Drontal in a teaspoon of canned tuna and feed it cat by cat.

[ismnotwasm]

3. The skin is tougher than you'd think

I used to do my cats with what was available (couldn't do rabies by law, needed a vet)and that's one thing I can think of that might helpful. Grabbed up the skin on the back of their neck, made sure the cat was secure--couldn't jump or move too much, and got it over as quickly as possibly.

My husband does the wormer, he buys canned cat food which they think is a treat because we don't feed them canned food. Mixes it in and they scarf it up.

I only have domestic cats, if you're doing ferals, you might contact a cat rescue (If you haven't already)Those people know their stuff

[Lyric]

4. Thanks for that. The strays aren't really "ferals"

so much as just abandoned pet cats who haven't had real families in a long time. They're wary, but we've been able to coax them into the house in the past--we had them all in our bathroom overnight a few weeks ago during a really awful cold streak in which the temp got down to -25 windchill overnight.

I'll keep your advice about skin toughness in mind. Thank you very much.

[flvegan]

5. We do all our animals in house.

Where are you in West Virginia? There are a couple feral programs there that might help you out.

[Lyric]

6. Morgantown

They'd have to be really, really close, as we don't have a car. But any contact info would be great; if nothing else, they can always offer advice, right?

[flvegan]

7. According to my HSUS handout

these folks are active with ferals, and in your town:

http://www.animalfriendswv.org/

[Lyric]

8. Oh yes--I know about them.

They only take animals from places like the dog pound, but they might have some advice if nothing else. One of the ladies involved in that group was the one who gave us a box of Frontline a couple of years ago, when we couldn't afford it ourselves. They're good folks. They even have a little store in a local mall where they sell donated items to benefit their organization.