# Is Vac4life worth it?



## MrMrMr (Sep 16, 2012)

Vets 4 pets offer this vaccinations for life for £99, if had a booster workin 30 days (haven't so how much so they charge?). 

Is it worth it? Need to get on top of yearly vaccations for Westie. Is any other vaccs required year on year?

They also offer a car plan for £6/month which seems to offer a health check yearly and the vacc every year which seems strange as it's cheaper than the Vac4life though?

Or is there any insurance plans that include a yearly vacc included in the plan?

So comments please.


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## DirtyGertie (Mar 12, 2011)

I use my vet for vaccinations, don't have the option of Vets4Pets here. Last year it was Lepto only and it was about £30ish - that included the consultation fee (around £19), health check (which was rather cursory) and the vaccination. This year is the full set (my vet follows the 3 year protocol so it will be DHP Pi and Lepto) and I have no idea how much that will be.

My vets offer a "Healthy Pets Club" which for a small dog is around £10-£12 per month. This gives you: 

Two clinical health checks (one at time of vaccinations), to check:
 General health 
 Weight
 Ears 
 Nail length
 Eyes 
 Teeth
 Skin and coat 
 Anal glands
 Heart and lungs 
 Joints and muscles
Annual booster vaccinations (not kennel cough or rabies)
Worming treatment, including lungworm (sufficient for 12 months)
Flea treatments (sufficient for 12 months)
Annual free urine testing with clinical examinations

For an additional fee you can add accident benefit of up to £5,000 but you pet has to be treated at that vets or the nearest vets if they're closed or you're away from home.

Normal pet insurance from the likes of PetPlan, John Lewis, etc., (if that's what you mean by insurance plans) do not include covering the cost of vaccinations, it's purely for covering the cost of investigating and treating illness and accidents.


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## SugarGirl (Mar 31, 2013)

I might be able to help, as I am considering using Vets4Pets in future (two of the local vets are Vets4Pets) 

With the care plan it is £6 per month is for rabbits, for dogs it's between £12-16

Basing it on the small dog it come out at £144 a year plus £20 the first year for the primary injections

So the Vacs4Life is actually cheaper, but it does come with the discounts and other bits, so I guess really it's just deciding if you think the extras in the care plan are worth the extra


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## Lilylass (Sep 13, 2012)

If I was getting a new / young pet now, I'd def go with the Vacs for Life scheme (not available when I got the cats as kittens / Maisie wasn't vaccinated when I got her) 

Vaccines here are £48 for the cats (yearly)  and £45 for the dog so it would quickly add up


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## Milliepoochie (Feb 13, 2011)

My girl is with Vac4Life with Vets4Pets.

She is on a 3 yearly full booster regime ie so gets a full booster every 3 years and lepton booster in between.

We only paid £79 for it a few years ago when she was 10 months old and id say its definitely worth it.

Just got my reminder letter through this year actually and so will book her in for next month.

I reckon we have had our moneys worth already (She is now over 5 years old).
we have moved and been to two different Vets4Pets practises and used it between them as we moved house. 

I never signed up to any health plans as I dont routinely flea or worm. I tend to get my girl worm counted as confirmation she doesn't actually have worms rather than treat her for something she doesn't have.

Its also bearing in mind since PetsatHome bought out Vets4Pets last year this is also available to use at Companion Care vets to if you have one of these closer. (Says in the small print on the t and c's online).


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## MrMrMr (Sep 16, 2012)

So looks like worth it then yeh. 

So how much is the initial injection? As we'll have to pay this and then the £99 afterwards. 

Also it says you get an an annual health check, will this start on the 1st booster? Is when we first go in, get initial booster and pay and then join vac4life?

It's just we may need a check up anyway for a skin complainant and if we can get the "free" checkup then it will save us a separate appointment?


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## chissy 15 (Mar 13, 2013)

I pay £14 a month into the health care plan at the vets at [email protected] so that includes all vaccines even kennel cough, worming & flea treatment for a year, 1 consultation, nail clip etc. I find this more convenient as they give me the flea & worming treatment for 3 months at a time and I just ring up when I need some more. Because I don't use the nail clip as Hogan has this done when he is groomed (not at [email protected]), they put done a nurse appointment to remove some ticks (they were in a awkward place) as a nail clip so I didn't have to pay. I always find them very helpful, much better than the vets I used for my last dog, even if they can be a little more expensive Don't know what the vacs4life includes other than vaccines but if nothing else and you worm & flea as well might be worth doing the health club instead


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## jazzypad1 (Oct 31, 2011)

It depends on whether you are planning to continue vaccinating each year. Many people are now using titre testing to assess immunity once past the first annual booster, rather than go on vaccinating ad hoc. The World Small Animal Veterinary Association does not recommend that all vaccinations are given on a yearly basis. 
http://www.wsava.org/sites/default/files/New%20Puppy%20Owner%20Vaccination%20Guidelines%20Updated%20July%2029%202013.pdf


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## MrMrMr (Sep 16, 2012)

Interesting that they say not to every year. We haven't apart from her intial and then at 1 year old. She's now a week away from being 3 so was just trying to get "house" in order with her. 

mmmm


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## Happy Paws2 (Sep 13, 2008)

I had a look at that and had a word with my normal vet about it, staying with my own vet who I know and trust.


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## DirtyGertie (Mar 12, 2011)

MrMrMr said:


> Interesting that they say not to every year. We haven't apart from her intial and then at 1 year old. She's now a week away from being 3 so was just trying to get "house" in order with her.
> 
> mmmm


Bear in mind that if your dog is insured or you intend to insure her, it's common for insurance companies to state within their terms and conditions that if the dog is not vaccinated according to vet's guidelines (or something similar) then they will not cover anything that could be vaccinated against. So, for example, if you didn't vaccinate and your dog caught Parainfluenza, you would not be able to claim for any treatment for the disease.

Depending on the vaccine manufacturer, some vets follow the three year protocol, i.e. DHP Pi every third year, and Lepto annually (where Lepto is needed). Canigen and Nobivac follow this protocol. You could find out which vaccine manufacter Vets4Pets use to see what vaccines they give and when.

You could also check your dog's vaccination record card to see which vaccine manufacturer was used initially and what she was vaccinated against. If it was Canigen or Nobivac, and you're in an area where vaccinating against Lepto is necessary, then she wont really need the core vaccine booster (DHP Pi) until she's 4.

If you don't intend to insure then the choice is yours with no thought needing to be given to Ts & Cs covering illnesses that are covered by vaccs.


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## AlbertRoss (Feb 16, 2009)

jazzypad1 said:


> It depends on whether you are planning to continue vaccinating each year. Many people are now using titre testing to assess immunity once past the first annual booster, rather than go on vaccinating ad hoc. The World Small Animal Veterinary Association does not recommend that all vaccinations are given on a yearly basis.


Many people using titre testing simply do not understand that all it does is give a measure of immunity on the day of the test. It gives *ABSOLUTELY NO GUARANTEE* that there will be immunity there the following day. OK today. Infected tomorrow?

The WSAVA guidelines are disputed by the RCVS because the proponents of titre testing (who happen to make a small fortune out of it in the USA) refuse to release any data about the supposed 'science' behind their recommendations. Putting it another way - the RCVS don't trust what is being said.

If you want to vaccinate ask your vet for the duration of immunity guaranteed by the vaccine manufacturer. Those figures are monitored by DEFRA, not your vet and are the only reliable indicators.

I believe that even the WSAVA makes clear that the incidence of vaccination problems is infinitesimally small compared to the likelihood of your dog getting a disease that can be vaccinated against.


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## MrMrMr (Sep 16, 2012)

Well decided to go ahead with the Vac4life. There's a "special" offer on and it's £99 and don't need to pay for 1st intial one. Also getting the free Heath check today, which tbh we wanted as she's been a bit itchy lately. 

Also they say that she should have separately a "flea injection" and that they are every 3 months, at an extra cost. What are these like? We've decided to go ahead with one today, but not sure on the every 3 months bit?

Thanks


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## Little P (Jun 10, 2014)

jazzypad1 said:


> *Many people *are now using titre testing to assess immunity once past the first annual booster, rather than go on vaccinating ad hoc.


This interests me every time it comes up.

I've worked in a veterinary practices for 6 years now (full time up to 60 hours a week, so I spend a lot of time there!), and not once have I seen anyone titre test instead of vaccinate. I've not had one single conversation with any client even enquiring about titre testing, beyond the previously required rabies titre before having a passport issued.


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## Milliepoochie (Feb 13, 2011)

Happy Paws said:


> I had a look at that and had a word with my normal vet about it, staying with my own vet who I know and trust.


Of course your normal vet would prefer you to stay with them 

Personally I wouldn't bother using a different practise for vaccines but we use a Vets4Pets as our main practise predominantly as I trust them having had a couple of ops there for Millie but also as they have their own out of hours service whereas the smaller practice's more local all use Vets Now.

Although if its the same brand of vaccine and you know if your dog is due a full booster or just Lepto for example I'm not sure there's much that can go wrong...


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