An "extra" vet visit

We are trying to ensure that we have all items checked off before our trip to Alaska this summer... one of the items (not truly "Alaska" related, but because we'll be driving through Canada and leaving and re-entering the US) is to ensure that we have Miss Kitty's records all in good shape.

I knew that we'd gotten her rabies vaccination last year, and, since I've always gotten a 3 year vaccination, I figured that was fine -- but I checked the official document and it indicated only a 1-year vaccination. It would still have covered her through the duration of the trip (we are due to be back in the lower-48 in early September, and the year would have been through the third week of September), but I decided to check into it just in case for any reason we got delayed and didn't get back into the lower 48 until after September.

She gets her care at Banfield now -- the biggest advantage is that any Banfield anywhere in the US can look up her records. I stopped at a Petsmart in South Elgin last week and talked to one of the folks in the Banfield located there and they said that there really is not any difference between the dosage or content of the 1-year or 3-year vaccination, and that the Banfield who administered the vaccination (in Crystal Lake) may be able to just update it in the system. I contacted the Crystal Lake office, and talked with the veterinarian there -- he was not sure why it would have been recorded as a 1-year vaccination -- that they only do that if the pet owner had only a 1-year license with the county in Illinois for their pet. However, we are not Illinois residents, so we have no requirement to have an Illinois county pet license (and Texas counties, or at least Polk County, does not require pet licensing). Anyway, he could not change the record that had been entered last year, but he would give her a new vaccination for no charge and record it as a 3-year vaccination. I didn't really want to put her through getting another vaccination, but he convinced me that it would be okay.

This Banfield is located outside of a Petsmart, in a freestanding location.

We have been hearing that there may be a separation coming between Petsmart and Banfield (evidently some of the Petsmart locations want to have their own veterinary services, not within the Banfield system). I just hope there will continue to be a way to use the Banfields across the country with a common data system for Miss Kitty's records!

Miss Kitty was very vocal in her disagreement with the plan to get another vaccination!

We got the vaccination and the updated paperwork, so I think we are now ready to go into Canada and return to the US with, hopefully, a minimal amount of issues!