“Dear dog owners, we regret to inform you that, due to the temporary shortage of foreign-made vaccine supplies to Russia, the free immunization of dogs against rabies and other infectious diseases will be temporarily suspended from October 20, 2023. We apologize for any inconvenience,” the veterinary service said in a statement.
According to the list of services published on the State Veterinary Service of St. Petersburg’s website, complimentary vaccination is part of a comprehensive prevention effort against rabies, species-specific infections, and leptospirosis.
Additionally, the institution offers fee-based vaccination at 670 rubles per animal, excluding the cost of the vaccine and consumables.
According to the data provided by the online portal Fontanka.ru, public veterinary stations in St. Petersburg use foreign-made vaccines for fee-based vaccinations. For instance, the City Veterinary Station in the Petrograd district offers vaccinations for dogs using the Czech vaccine Biocan and the French vaccine Eurican. According to the professionals at the service, pets vaccinated with imported vaccines can travel abroad, as quoted by the portal.
However, the Rosselkhoznadzor has officially denied the need to use foreign-made vaccines for transporting domestic animals abroad. According to the service, no international certificate requires animals to be vaccinated against rabies using specific veterinary drugs. The only universally recognized requirement is to ensure vaccination itself, which provides immunity, as explained by Rosselkhoznadzor.
Russia manufactures its own vaccines, including an anti-rabies vaccine for cats and dogs, produced by the Federal Center for Animal Health of the Rosselkhoznadzor (FSBI ARRIAH).
