Limits on cat and dog jabs could continue to year’s end.
Author: Ross Kelly
eterinarians in the United Kingdom are having to ration vaccines that protect cats and dogs from a range of deadly diseases amid a national supply squeeze that is expected to last for months.
Some vaccine manufacturers are pinning the shortage on a surge in demand caused by a pandemic pet boom and the clearing of a backlog of appointments following an easing of lockdowns.
The pet vaccine shortage also comes as the UK’s recent exit from the European Union worsens supply-chain bottlenecks that are disrupting the transportation of everything from gasoline to chicken meat .
Moreover, materials used to manufacture and package vaccines, such as plastic chambers and glass vials, are in high demand as governments rush to immunize their human populations from COVID-19.
Three of the world’s biggest animal health-care companies — Zoetis, Boehringer Ingelheim and MSD Animal Health — confirmed separately to the VIN News Service that they are experiencing, or expect to experience, a shortage of certain shots in the UK
None indicated the problem was occurring elsewhere, although one said “unprecedented demand” for pet vaccines is being seen also on the European mainland, without naming countries.
The affected products include vaccines that protect pets against a range of pathogens, such as feline and canine parvovirus and feline leukemia virus.
(Photo by Dr. Wendy Smith Wilson)