How do you know if your dog needs the canine flu vaccine? And how much do they cost?
MINNEAPOLIS -- It's not the news dog owners want to hear. Not only is canine influenza spreading in the Twin Cities, the vaccine is hard to find.
How do you know if your dog needs the dog flu vaccine? And how much will it cost? Good question.
As the weather heats up, the need to zoom around isn't just for humans, but also their dogs. Right now, that's cause for a tough predicament, as dogs are being recommended to steer clear from dog parks and boarding kennels.
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"In general what I'm telling my clients is, if you can reduce the risk, lets go ahead and do that for the next few months," said Dr. Amanda Mickelson, a veterinarian at All Paws Animal Hospital.
Mickelson says the dogs that are the best candidates for the vaccines are younger, or very old.
"Or those that have underlying immunosuppression or preexisting conditions that are respiratory or cardiac heart related in nature," Mickelson said.
The tricky part is puppies often need exposure to other dogs.
"Here in particular, that's where we're really focusing our vaccine efforts around those really young that are in puppy classes or training classes as well," Mickelson said.
As for the vaccines themselves, Mickelson's clinic has a limited supply, but several others WCCO News called have none. The demand has created a back order.
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"We were lucky to get a carton right before everything kind of broke out," Mickelson said.
In addition, each dog gets a booster shot three to four weeks later, so that's two vials needed per dog.
So, should dog owners wait for when outbreaks occur, or should vaccination be part of a yearly routine for dogs?
"Once an area has an outbreak like this, they typically recommend having an annual canine influenza vaccine as a part of the protocol if the risk assessment is high," Mickelson said.
She said the cost is slightly higher than other vaccines, with her clinic charging around $100.
There are currently two dog flu strains that vets are monitoring right now. Like other viruses, they can mutate over time, so it's possible there will be different dog flu strains in the future.
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