flounder said:
wow, didn't mean to get you going there hank14...
I don't think you ruffled hank's feathers. But you got me thinking...
I work in business development. One of my clients is a DVM (vet) and she owns her own clinic. I got a glimpse of the veterinary industry after working at a veterinary products company.
For my capstone course in my MBA, I did an industry analysis of the small animal (dog, cat, exotics), private practice veterinarian. I learned a lot that makes me respect these professionals immensely.
Do you know how much school you have to go through to become a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine? First of all, it took me years to just spell "veterinarian"

But seriously, they need 4 years of medical school, just like human doctors. How many species do MD's work on? ONE! DVM's? Multiple. Think of studying drug pathways and how they differ between canine, feline, equine, porcine, bovine, etc...
So after an intensive medical school experience, guess how the industry pays? Low. Lower than any other medical profession. So they have some of the highest educational debt, and the lowest salaries. Want to try to open a small business on that? These folks are not in it for the $$$.
Part of your vaccination experience is a check-up. Flounder, are you going to stick that thermometer up your Rottweiler's butt before vaccinating? Check heart and lung function? Do you know how to avoid creating injection site sarcomas? The vet's job is to protect your animal's health. If your Rotti is sick, vaccination could be bad, and mean complications.
I get to witness surgeries and dental procedures. The amount of equipment, training and materials necessary to keep the patient healthy is amazing. I once commented that they had some cool “tools”. She looked at me and told me she uses "instruments" on her patients. Not tools, like on a Cruiser! Too funny…
Believe me Flounder, I am a cheap mo-fo. But there is nothing I can do myself at 11 PM when my Golden Retriever's stomach flipped and closed itself off. My vet x-rayed, confirmed the condition and called ahead to the emergency surgery clinic. There is no way I could diagnose lymphoma in the same dog myself. Or try chemo. Or get her healthy again after the chemo damn near killed her. Or replace hips in my German Shepherd. Or fix a kitty that was hit by a car, and then give the kitty to my Shepherd. And I damn sure couldn't make the decision myself that I had to let go of my Shepherd... Sorry, personal rant off.
$50 for a vaccination may be a long term success strategy to keeping your Rotti healthy. They can keep an eye out for any changes. Good luck. My mom just lost her 10.5 year old Rotti a few weeks ago. She is not happy. So take good care of your pupper. It is a big responsibility