There are rabies vaccinations now that are good for two or three years, and my vet's office just told me that adult dogs need only be tested for heartworm every other year. Though my daughter had a valid point: if a dog is on heartworm medication all year long, why does he/she need to be tested at all?
If you do give any of your own vaccinations, do double-check the expiration date on them; some of the vaccinations at feed/tack stores hang around far too long and expire without the employees noticing.
The other thing to be careful about in purchasing from farm stores is that they are not always properly stored. Two farm stores in this area had their stock sitting in back on the shelf but it was put in a refrigerator when put out on the floor for sale. Purchasing from a reputable online company is probably the best way to go if you're going to do your own......at least they know how to properly care for the vaccines and they're sent to you on ice so you know they're good.
Another thing to be aware of when talking of vaccines.......calling a vaccine a "4-way", "5-way", "6-way" vaccine etc doesn't mean anything because different manufacturers make different combinations. Your best bet is to look at what is IN the combination to determine if it is the correct vaccine for you. For dogs we usually use a vaccine that contains Canine Distemper-Adenovirus Type 2, Parainfluenza, Parvovirus & Leptospirosis. For horses it's a series of two injections and two intranasal vaccines: Fort Dodge Innovator injectable (Eastern, Western, Tetanus and West Nile), Merial Equine Potomavac + Rabies injectible, Calvenza Intranasal (Influenza a-1 & A-2 and Rhino EHV-1 & EHV-4) and Fort Dodge Pinnacle Intranasal (strangles). Intranasal Strangles and Rhino/Flu not only appear to be more effective, but they are vaccines that when given by injection are more likely to cause soreness or vaccine reaction.
As for the 1 year/3 year rabies? Yes, they do come from the same bottle and I know in Michigan that whether a dog gets a 1 year or a 3 year vaccine depends entirely by Michigan laws. By Michigan law the first rabies vaccine is only allowed to be in effect for 1 year so if you have a dog with no prior record of a rabies vaccine then the vaccine certificate can only be good for one year. Any vaccines following that first one can be considered good for 3 years. There are vet clinics that do charge more for the "3 year" rabies vaccine, but I don't understand how they sleep with the guilt. Our vet clinic charges the same fee regardless of whether it's a three or one year vaccine.
There is a purpose for testing for heartworm every year even if your dog is on it year round. First of all, not everyone is fully compliant in how they give their hw meds......we get many people every year that say they don't need any more hw meds because they have leftovers from the year before yet they insist they give their dogs their hw pills every month. There is also the real possibility that you give your dog their hw pill and then they go out in the backyard to play. While they're out there they get an upset stomach and throw up the pill.....guess what, you don't know that the pill is now sitting in the back yard and your dog is not protected. We don't get many positives of dogs that are "on prevention" but there are always a few every year and when you dig down deep to find out why there is usually a missed pill in there somewhere. The good thing is that the dogs on prevention who are positive are usually very low positives. Also be aware that not all companies guarantee their product if they are not purchased directly from a veterinarian. I know that Frontline and Heartguard guarantees are invalid if you purchase from an online source. Many of these products are black market items from online companies and not all of them are actually what is listed on the package. The online company many have some sort of guarantee, but the product manufacturer will not guarantee their product if not purchased from a veterinarian.
I can NOT imagine the prices some of y'all are paying at the vet's! Our vaccine office call is less than $6. Rabies vaccines are about $12 (prices had to go up a little for the first time in 6 years so I'm not sure on exact price), a Distemper combination is I think about $12 or $13. Heartworm tests are $20-25 (one tests for just heartworm and the other for heartworm/lymes/ehrlichia......those snap tests are EXPENSIVE to purchase). The only time you're going to get a bill for anything nearing $100 is if you have a large dog and get all your vaccines, a heartworm test and buy a year's worth of hw prevention and a box of frontline. Hmmmmm, maybe that's why we're so busy all the time.......
