Question submitted during the webinar What the Flu? Protecting Dogs and Communities From Canine Influenza Virus:
What's the consensus on the side effects of vaccination against CIV, because its a question clients usually have.
Answer provided by Jason Stull, VMD, MPVM, PhD, DACVPM:
To my knowledge, there are no peer-reviewed studies investigating the frequency / severity of CIV vaccine reactions. Each vaccine company will have data for their products that they can share with you. Through my conversations with veterinarians vaccinating a large number of dogs against CIV, I have never heard of CIV vaccine reaction concerns. Like any vaccine some dogs will experience vaccine reactions, however this number is considered to be very small. As an example, a study published in 2005 (before CIV vaccines were available) followed a very large number of vaccinated dogs. Adverse reactions (of any kind, including very minor reactions) were documented within the first 3 days following vaccination in 38 of 10,000 vaccinated dogs (Moore et al. 2005). Based on current evidence, I would consider CIV vaccines to be similar in frequency and severity of reaction as other canine vaccines and incorporate this into conversations regarding risks and benefits of CIV vaccination in a given pet.
