Sorry to hear this. Do you have have all the treatments done at once? Might be one too many, the straw that broke the camel's back... The financial downside though: would you be charged per visit? As for kennel cough, why give at all? It does not protect against all strains that cause kennel cough. I have read, however, that the nasal administration is safer than straight into the blood (injection).
Hi Lisa. I am so sorry you have had a distressing vet visit. I don't have much experience with Harley and the vet, luckily she is easy going about everything so far, although she wasn't a fan of the rectal temperature and gave the vet a look that implied he had stepped over the line of decency and unless she was given a treat, they could no longer be best friends. Everyone is Harley's best friend. Tangent over. We do have two big Bengal cats, a breed who are renowned for being difficult. Firstly we suspect our oldest boy doesn't like the smell of the vet counter - he used to dislike the showing tables too and they use the same disinfectant. So we bought the same one for home, and that helped desensitize him a bit. However, the biggest determinant of a vet visit is who handles them. DH handles the oldest cat because he definitely responds to my anxiety and I handle the younger one who is less sensitive. Both our cats have never scratched or bitten anyone and one the whole they just sit on the vets table and wait for it to be over, the younger one growls. So I don't know if the desensitizing to the smell of the vet may help? And if you have someone else that could perhaps handle Simba? I don't know, just random suggestions. Best of luck.
If you use boarding kennels, day care etc you dog will need to be vaccinated to be accepted. Although true that the vaccine doesn't cover all of the potential infections it should lessen the effects. A nasal spray is preferred as it is the quickest acting and starts providing cover from around day 4 while the injection requires 2 injections a month apart, according to numerous vets I've spoken to
How is the nasal spray quicker acting? They all need to produce an immune response, so logically I'd think straight into the blood would be quicker than a nasal spray? The reasons given for safer via the nose is that anything invasive (cutting through the skin, direct into the blood ) is bypassing the body's natural defenses (e.g. membrane barrier). If you have more info, please elaborate! Yes, I understand about the kenneling etc. Snowie had to have the kennel cough vaccine for daycare. A year later - having not been to daycare for a year - he got kennel cough, I suspect caught at the vet, he had a worm infestation which I suspect lowered his immunity making him susceptible to KC. However, I refused further vaccinating against it and he's never caught kennel cough again - he's 5 now and he meets lots of dogs every day. The vet herself said the vaccine was not all-protecting and bacteria also play a part in it so it made no sense to me.
@MF some details available on NOAH regarding the Nobivac vaccine. There are other manufacturers as well? Other info regarding difference between nasal spray and injection is from The Blue Cross - a UK rescue/ veterinary service chariy in the UK.The vaccine is not a guarantee that a dog can not become infected with KC, it just reduces the likelihood or severity of any incidence. Of course any dog that has recently received a vaccination should be prevented from mixing with other dogs to prevent contamination action by shedding - according to my current vet a dog is more likely to pick up KC on a walk as it is airborne than in kennels etc. where a minimum period between vaccinatoon and entry is requested. Protection is limited to a maximum 12 month period in any event. http://www.noahcompendium.co.uk/publications/-455452/nobivac-kc https://www.bluecross.org.uk/pet-advice/kennel-cough
Gee that's too bad. Other than the Vet visiting your home I can't think of anything else to try. RE. kennel cough vaccine up the nose, that made Oban forever suspicious of our first VEt too. Not to the extent of Simba but he no longer handled as easily. Our new Vet has it available as an injection. I don't do it anymore, stopped when we were training and meeting many strange dogs at training and at trials. Most where we trained don't do it and even at trials at other locations nobody ever asked what vaccinations had been done. Oban is not boarded and does not go to DDC. I don't get the flu vaccine for myself either, as per my own Doctor. They are similar, they target certain strains and the one going around might not be in the vaccine. At a Vet visit last spring two dogs were in with very bad kennel cough and both had been vaccinated.
Ouf, how distressing. No real advice, but is there any way your vet could get the injection for next year? Just checked Xena's records and she receives the Canigen KC vaccine, injected.
I don't have a choice on the kennel cough vaccine, it's required by the kennels that Simba gets to and since I don't have any other option when we go away he has to have it. I'm not sure the injection is any better than the nose spray, to be honest. He was not very happy with those either.
I am so sorry to hear of experience with the vet.. Must be so upsetting! I wonder if the vet would let you apply the nasal spray yourself? Or try some desensitising training? A quick note on nasal vaccinations, they target their immunological effect on the mucosal structures around the upper respiratory tract, which is where they need to be. It is not uncommon in vaccines for upper respiratory tract infections to be administered this way. Certainly I have vaccinated hundreds of poultry this way.
I used to apply the nasal spray to my dogs myself until a couple of years ago. But the vet has stopped the sale of just the vaccine so now it has to be administered by a vet.
Do you really need to have his temperature taken? I mean, you can feel by his ears and nose if he is normal or not. Perhaps that is just a step too far for Simba.
@Lisa I've jut been reading through all the comments and had the same thought as @Karen. Maisie hates being handled, especially at the vets, so anything that can be done to reduce stress I'll do! For injections, the vet said it is not necessary to take her temperature, she just asks me questions about her general health. The vet also uses a puppy needle to do any injections, which Maisie doesn't see to feel at all and I feed her something lovely while she is doing it. I had to have the Kennel Cough vaccine done as we boarded her earlier this month, which I was dreading. The vet worked out a plan of action....both kneel on the floor, hold cheese up and fire the vaccine at the same time and it worked! She certainly didn't like it, but the cheese gave the vet enough seconds to get in in the nose! For Maisie, a patient vet, as little handling as possible distraction seem to be working. Hope you can find a way round this problem, I really sympathise with you.
I agree, I have never had either of my dogs temperature taken for any vaccinations. Hope you are OK Lisa. x
Homer snapped at his vet last time she tried to give the kennel cough. He LOVES his vet. Next time the soft canvas muzzle will go on long before the kennel cough spray. She also said they was a new kennel cough vaccination that should be coming out soon that doesn't go in their noses.
I was wondering about the necessity of taking his temperature rectally as well. I figured that they want to make sure the dog is not ill before they give the injections, but if there is another way to do it I certainly would try it. More to add to the talk with the vet! Thank all, I appreciate your support and advice. I just hated seeing him so uncomfortable, especially when he's come such a long way.
We actually bought a digital thermometer when Snowie was having seizures - vet said to take his temperature if we suspected a seizure was brewing to see if a rise in body temperature was a contributing factor. We were to put KY jelly on it to make entry easier (I forgot that tho - I just stuck it in). Well, Snowie couldn't care less. He's had his temperature taken anally so many times I don't even think he notices. How many indignities! I must confess, I didn't give it a second thought that he might respond negatively!
Sophie checks the pregnant girls temps at work with no issues. Lilly has been ok too. BUT I am convinced that a vaginal exam for discharge caused a mild case of Limber Tail. She did NOT like that exam
My apologies, I did not intend to mislead. The new vaccine for kennel cough is oral. There has long been an injection. WE were at my VEt yesterday, she said the move to nasal from injection was due to poor results from the injection. She had no word on efficacy of the oral but said dogs don't react negatively to it, in that they don't like how it's given, as they did with the nasal spray.
