How to Give Your Own Dog Vaccinations
Many people give their own vaccinations to their dogs, and they save a bundle of money by doing so. It's really not that hard. Just follow these easy steps.
- Difficulty:
- Easy
Instructions
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1
Order your vaccinations.
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Once your vaccinations arrive, either immediately use them or immediately get them into the refrigerator to preserve their freshness.
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3
Mix the two vials. You will note that 1/2 your vaccination vials are a powder and the other half are liquid. Use your syringe/needle to draw up the liquid and then insert it with the same needle into the vial of powder.
Shake really well. -
4
Draw up the now mixed vaccination into your syringe.
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5
Pour a bit of alcohol on your injection site. This will be the area at the back of the dog's neck, just in front of the front shoulder.
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Lift the loose skin at the back of the dog's neck, near the front shoulder, to form a 'tent'.
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Insert the needle under the skin of your 'tent' area.
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Draw back on the syringe as if you were trying to draw something up into your syringe. You won't have to draw far. The purpose of this is to check to be sure you are not in a vein. If you draw up blood, start over. If no blood is present, your good to go.
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Inject the vaccination liquid into the dog.
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Pull out the needle and rub the injection site gently with your fingers while comforting the dog.
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Remove the label on the vial that lists the type of vaccinations the vial contains. This will be a sticker. Place this on an index card or other record keeping material and date it along with the dog's name.
The vial sticker will serve to answer any questions a vet may have on the exact type of immunization you have given and keep a record of batch #'s, etc should a problem ever arise. It can also be given to a new owner if your puppy/dog should change hands.
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Most vaccinations need to be done on a yearly basis.
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Tips & Warnings
Call your veterinarian to ask what type of vaccination you should purchase. This can vary depending on the area of where you live.
Pay the extra to have your vaccinations shipped as quickly as possible as they will lose their potency if left unrefrigerated. They are very fragile in this way!
Monitor your dog for possible reactions. Have a bottle of epinephrine on hand in case of bad reaction. Many dogs will act 'punky' for a day or two, don't worry about that but do not push the dog to participate in any activities for a couple days.
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Comments
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show how to give the shots.
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As a veterinarian myself I feel the need to comment here. Vaccinations should not be given without a thorough health check prior to the needle. Many vaccinations are very safe to be given in most circumstances, however they should not be given to animals who are e.g running a high body temperature. This may be the only initial sign of illness. Occasionally healthy animals will have a nasty reaction to vaccination, especially if they haven't been given that particular vaccine or brand before. Rarely these reactions can be extreme - your pet needs to be in a medical facility for prompt treatment if this should occur, NOT a half hour down the road. A yearly health check is an integral part of maintaining your pet's health. If you are struggling to justify the cost of this then bear in mind you are paying for the vaccination itself plus a highly qualified professional (who has many years of dedicated - & might I add challenging & expensive! - study up their sleeve) to check your dog & pick up any problems early on. Many problems will end up being more expensive for you later if not picked up early at a yearly health check. If vaccinations are just too expensive for you then perhaps you should have thought about budgeting for them before you acquired a pet. If you feel you aren't getting good service for what you are paying at your current veterinary clinic, then try somewhere else. When you buy vaccines to use at home, do you know where they're ACTUALLY coming from? Can you be sure they are what they say they are? & how do you know your dog is getting the right type of vaccination (& at the right time) for it's age & environment? No reputable veterinarian should be encouraging pet owners to give their own vaccinations at home & "advice" such as that given above should not be posted in such an easily accessible place. Apologies for the long post but I am surprised at the irresponsibility of this article & disappointed that veterinary care can be so undervalued.
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Seriously? I can't believe that you would have this information on a site and hope to help animals by it! Number 1- what exactly would you use the epinephrine for? Number 2- You should explain in this article that no veterinarian, groomer or boarding facility in the US that is worth a damn would "accept" home done vaccinations as being worthwhile and allow your pet in their facility with these. No county would accept a rabies vaccination given by anyone other than a veterinarian... I have seen way too many pets that were vaccinated at home develop the diseases these vacciations were supposed to protect. On top of that, an examination of your pet yearly (at least) is such an important part of keeping your pet healthy, and what about educating the owner on what vaccinations thei pet actually needs or zoonotic concrns they may have with ther pet.... Sorry, but I think this information should have been written by a veterinarian or at least someone with some sense of knowledge on the subject to fully explain what people really need to know.
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mgmt85
Feb 24, 2010
Forgot to mention that drawing up the air and injecting that into the liquid vial causes a vacuum so that the liquid is easier to draw up to mix with the powder and reconsitute into your medication. Good luck everyone!! -
meldiesel
Jun 22, 2009
I gave my pit bull puppy a vaccination today and now his injection site is swollen and sensitive to touch. Will he be okay?
