Pet Owners, Veterinarians Face Shortage Of Canine Flu Vaccine

Animal clinics in the Oklahoma City area are facing a shortage of canine influenza vaccines as the number of calls from dog owners wanting to protect their pets increases.

Veterinarians are only given a limited number of doses of the canine flu vaccine, which means many must put pet owners on a waiting list or turn them away. 

Dr. Matt McQuade, a Yukon veterinarian, said he’s never seen an outbreak like this before, but believes it'll calm down soon. 

"When COVID-19 vaccines [became] available, you couldn’t get them because they didn’t have enough," Dr. McQuade said. "Eventually all the vaccines were out there and everybody could get vaccinated. It’s kind of the same thing with the canine flu outbreak."

Dr. McQuade said doses of the vaccine are to be taken three weeks apart, with a year of canine flu protection.

Dr. McQuade also said the cost for existing patients is $30 dollars for each dose, but the vaccine is hard to come by because there's only one manufacturer at the moment.

"They have to ramp up their production... to keep up with the demand," Dr. McQuade said.

While the canine flu is highly contagious, Dr. McQuade said to be cautious, but don't panic because most cases are minor and dogs respond very well to medication.