Answer
Where can I get low cost pet vaccinations in Tampa?
The short answer
At the Humane Society of Tampa Bay’s animal hospital, 3607 N Armenia Ave, Tampa. Vaccine appointments are the one thing you can book online; everything else is by phone on 813.870.3304. Residents of surrounding counties are welcome. There is a vaccine special on Monday to Thursday for rabies and distemper, and the fees are published on the shelter’s site.
What do the shots protect against?
The shelter’s vaccination page names them: rabies, parvovirus and distemper for dogs, and feline panleukopenia for cats, among others. Rabies is required by law. Parvovirus kills puppies and is common in Florida. Distemper and panleukopenia are both serious and both preventable.
The shelter’s own argument is the practical one. Vaccinating is far cheaper than treating the disease after infection, and it keeps the neighbourhood’s pets healthier as well as yours.
How do I book?
Online, for vaccines only, through the booking link on the shelter’s vaccination page. That is the only appointment type the hospital books online; spay and neuter, wellness visits and anything health related go through the phone on 813.870.3304.
All clinic appointments are at the Hillsborough campus, 3607 N Armenia Ave, Tampa, FL 33607. Hours are Monday to Saturday, 7:00 AM to 2:30 PM, and there are no walk-ins.
What is the vaccine special?
Monday to Thursday, the shelter runs a vaccine special covering rabies and distemper shots, with the fee on its pet assistance page. Book it through the hospital on 813.870.3304.
Who can come?
Anyone. The shelter says residents of surrounding counties are welcome at the Hillsborough location, and the hospital is open to the public, not only to shelter animals. Dogs on a non-retractable leash and cats in a carrier.
What else does the hospital do on the same visit?
Wellness exams and microchipping sit alongside vaccinations, and the hospital does diagnostics, surgery and dental too. The affordable vet care page covers the hospital as a whole, and the spay and neuter page the clinic’s surgery fees.
What if the cost is still a problem?
A voucher programme for qualifying Hillsborough County residents is linked from the hospital page, and the keep your pet page gathers the rest of the help the shelter offers. For community cats, the trap, neuter, vaccinate and return programme on the stray cats page includes a rabies shot.
Questions we get asked
Do puppies and kittens need a series?
Yes. Young animals need a course of shots over their first months, which the hospital will set out at the first visit. Booking the first one online is the start.
Do I need an appointment for a rabies shot?
Yes. Vaccinations are by appointment only, booked online through the shelter’s vaccination page, and the hospital takes no walk-ins, so book before you drive over.
Can I get a rabies certificate for licensing?
Ask at the appointment. The hospital provides a record of the vaccinations it gives, and a rabies certificate is the usual proof a county licence or a boarding kennel asks for, so say what you need it for when you book and bring any previous record with you.
Is there a rabies clinic at the Pinellas campus?
The shelter says all clinic appointments take place at the Hillsborough location. Call 813.870.3304 to confirm anything about Pinellas.
Come and see us
Adoptions are same day and first come, first served at both campuses. Clinic and intake services are by appointment, and the team will talk through the options before anything is decided.
Keep reading
- Help for pets and their people in Tampa BayWhat the Humane Society of Tampa Bay offers pets and their people: adoption, low cost spay and neuter, vaccines, vet care, food assistance and TNVR.
- What spaying or neutering a pet costs in TampaPublished spay and neuter fees at the Humane Society of Tampa Bay clinic for cats, dogs and rabbits, plus how appointments, deposits and drop off work.
- All guidesEvery guide on hstb.org in one place.
Last reviewed Humane Society of Tampa Bay