My cats get their initial shots and their boosters the following year. One of my cats hasn't had a rabies shot since I've had her (and her vet records from before I adopted her indicate she hasn't had one in about six years). She is 9yo, sickly enough to require daily steroids, and my vet and I have both agreed not to vaccinate her for rabies again. I agreed not to cart her around town with a sign saying, "My cat hasn't had a rabies shot", and the vet agreed to sign a waiver if it came down to it. My other, healthy, young cat may get boosters next year (I adopted her last year), but she won't be getting any more than the legally required rabies vaccs after that. She will get regular check-ups, but I'm not convinced that animal vaccines work any differently than human vaccines. We don't get vaccinated for everything every year, so she doesn't need it. Not to mention, my cats live indoors and don't encounter any other cats. I am not convinced that animal vaccines are so much more ineffective than human vaccines that they need to be administered every year. Beyond the legally required rabies vaccinations (which can be waived for medical reasons), I will not vaccinate any of my animals beyond their boosters. I'm not even convinced boosters are required, but I'll go along with it for now. However, I am a huge proponent of getting a vet's eyes on your pet on a regular basis, regardless of vaccines. Vaccines aren't the only reason to take your pet to the vet on an annual basis. Younger pets can get away with it for much longer, but it's a good idea to get older pets tested for common illnesses/disorders. Even basic bloodwork can indicate issues that can be easily treated if caught early.

Marygailv, I suppose it's possible that it varies by state, but the pharmacists I spoke to in PA said no prescription is necessary. My insurance company doesn't care who administers the shot; they'll charge me $45 no matter what. Here's the article I wrote, for anyone who's interested. A lot of it concerns availability at our local pharmacies, though. Shingles Vaccine Available Locally One thing most of us know about shingles is that we don't want to get it. Shingles--an infection caused by the same virus (varicella zoster) that gives us chicken pox--is painful. It's easy to understand why, as the virus attacks nerves directly. After a case of chicken pox, the virus remains in nerve tissue near the spinal cord and brain. Many years later, the virus may reactivate as shingles. Everyone who has had chicken pox--and 90 percent of Americans over the age of 15 are in this category--are at risk for getting shingles later in life. This risk is increased in those whose immune systems are weakened by advancing age, extreme stress, diseases such as cancer, or medications like chemotherapy and steroids. Early symptoms of shingles include pain and tingling or itching, usually located on one side of the body or face. Blisters, sometimes covering a large area, appear 1 to 14 days after the onset of the early symptoms.The rash and pain from shingles usually lasts about a month. But for some, the pain lingers on. People with postherpetic neuralgia (PHN), the most common complication of shingles, can have pain that hangs on for months, sometimes years, after the shingles rash has healed. Possible prevention There is no cure for shingles, but antiviral medicines can reduce the severity and duration of an attack. These include acyclovir, valacyclovir, and famcyclovir. With all of them, the earlier in the illness they are started, the more effective they will be. But prevention is also possible for some: People over the age of 50 can reduce their chances of getting shingles by getting Zostavax, the shingles vaccine. The vaccine is said to cut one's risk of shingles in half. It also cut the risk of PHN by two-thirds. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that everyone in the approved group get a single dose of Zostavax, even if they already had shingles. Hard to find The shingles vaccine was originally approved for people aged 60 and over, but in March 2011 the approved age was lowered to 50. Two issues have kept the vaccine from becoming as widely used as the medical community anticipated when it was first approved in 2006: availability and cost. Zostavax can be hard to find. For one thing, it is frozen and must be kept frozen until it is administered. Some pharmacies aren't equipped to keep it at the required 5 degrees F. For another, pharmacies have reported difficulty in obtaining supplies of the vaccine from its manufacturer, Merck. We spoke with pharmacist Bob McGowan at the K-Mart Pharmacy, who told us the Zostavax vaccine is always hard to obtain. He orders it, but can never be certain when it will arrive. His pharmacy is out of the vaccine right now, but hopes to get it soon. When they do have it, they are able to administer the shot to customers in the store. Wal-Mart doesn't carry the vaccine in their pharmacy, but pharmacist Mike Harris told us they're strongly considering it. He has a personal interest in shingles prevention, as a member of his extended family lost the sight in one eye after contracting the disease. Stephens Pharmacy carries the shingles vaccine, but doesn't administer it. That will change soon, according to pharmacist Wayne Stephens, who said they're working on becoming certified to give the shots. Stephens' biggest concern regarding the shingles vaccine is its availability. He explained that Merck supplies it irregularly. Pharmacies have been likely to receive more in the winter than during the other seasons. Wayne Stephens said his store has a waiting list of 50 people hoping to get the shingles vaccine; this is the third waiting list Stephens Pharmacy has had this year. Rite-Aid carries the vaccine and administers it. At this writing, they have it in stock. Pharmacist Mike Vaccaro of the Vaccaro Pharmacy tries to keep the vaccine in stock, and also administers it. His pharmacy presently has some, but he said availability has been an issue for the past 18 months or so. He reports an approximate three-month lag between ordering Zotavax and receiving it. His pharmacy keeps a waiting list when necessary. Cost The cost of Zostavax is a factor, too. Locally, the average price for the shot can run over $200. Insurance plans vary as to how much of this, if any, they will cover. Medicare recipients should check with their prescription Part D insurer to find out what their plan will pay. For those over 50, the shingles vaccine seems like an option worth considering.

Terilyn, that is BIZARRE. The chicken pox vaccine is, as they all are, dead disease that increases your bodies antibodies to fight live disease. Where it is possible to have such a slight case of chicken pox one might not become immune, to have that many "sever" cases--would be most unusual, if not impossible according to generally held beliefs on disease. My son brought chicken pox home from Kdg. the year the vaccine was just being made readily available. He had maybe 10 pox. His sisters three and 6 mos got it MUCH worse. The 6 month old was COVERED. I do think he is likely not to be immune and I worry about him getting it as an adult. When I asked my doctor about the shingles vaccine she let me know it could be prohibitively expensive and that I should check with my Insurance provider. I was happy to be covered. Thank the lord for private coverage!!! I received the pneumonia shot in my 40's. I had been contracting bronchitis and or pneumonia at least twice a year and the Doc was concerned about lung damage. I was told it was unknown how long that shot was good for--they usually give it to people 65+ and most die still covered. I will likely get a booster in a few years.

The health dept. told me there were two pharmacies offering Shingrix in my community, CVS and one other regional chain one. My doctor is on haitus all month and I'm still debating on jumping ship. Either way, it will be at least a month before I can get any services from a personal physician. I still haven't heard back from my insurance company about coverage of the Shingrix, but I'll extrapolate from hubs experience with Aetna supplemental and project that it will be expensive for the vaccine and minimal if any coverage by my insurance company. I don't think my coverage will be better than his. But I have to find out for sure before I can maybe pursue some special program through our health department. But I'll bet that too will be minimal support. They need our money and have us over a barrel, so there you have it.