Wow, people! It is amazing to me how many of the posts do not in any way answer my question! I'm not interested in a debate about whether or not dogs should be vaccinated every year. I'm also not interested in vets in Charlotte Hall or elsewhere in St. Mary's. Did I not say in my post that I live just south of Prince Frederick? That's in Calvert County, folks. Now if anybody actually has good advice for me that addresses what I would like to know, please do so. Otherwise take your debate to another thread, please.
Re Calvert County: I use Dr. Schmeiser and Dr. Parveieni at Dunkirk Vet and Dr. Bowen at Chesapeake Animal Clinic in North Beach.
I get the rabies and other vaccinations at Calvert Animal Welfare League when they sponsor a vaccination clinic, or at Petco when they offer their discounted vaccinations also. The shots are cheaper and you don't have to pay for an office visit. If one of my pets is ill, he/she goes to the vets I named.
Other ways I keep my vet bills down is by purchasing good quality food, asking the vet if the med being recommended comes in a generic form or can be purchased over the counter. My cat was being given an antacid and it turned out that I could just buy the human tablet OTC and cut it in quarters. Talk to whichever vet you choose.
A vet from years ago tried to sell me a bottle of ear cleaning solution for $21. I asked him if there was something else/cheaper I could use, like a home product or something cheaper from a store and he said sure and gave the the names of two addl products at 1/3 the cost. Again, talk to your vet.
But...when my pets need vet care I spend the money. One kitty goes to the vet on Monday for an operation. Hang in there....if you continue to chat with folks on here, you'll learn some $$ savers.