Alexander Dybin

The shortage of medicines and vaccines for animals was felt by many owners.

If the problems with standard drugs were quickly solved, then specialized feeds or medicines can still be difficult to find. If a pet has a chronic disease or some special features and needs special food or a milder drug, it will have to run around vetapteks or wait for weeks for delivery. The veterinarian of the Leningrad Zoo Yulia Vasilkova confirms these difficulties.

"We have the same difficulties with diagnostic and preventive measures as in most clinics," she says. – But in principle, each drug can be found, what to replace, the work does not stop, we are looking for different methods. But I would like these artificial difficulties to go away. We have a lot of Russian vaccines that no one has heard of before, they need to be urgently put into widespread use so that they can be easily obtained. In addition, all doctors know that there are complications from a number of domestic drugs. Science should help here, how to make these medicines safe and effective".

According to experts, the peak of problems with medicines for animals occurred in the summer of last year.

But it is still difficult to find, for example, drugs for the treatment of oncology in pets.

"The hormonal drug Kovinan has disappeared", - says Yulia Vasilkova, - "an analogue has been found, but it is difficult to get it because of the shortage at a crazy price. If a person buys for a pet, it is still tolerable, yes expensive, but it is for the only and beloved animal. But for a zoo, such a purchase is very expensive. The same story with "propalin", an analogue appeared, but it is on sale sporadically, and trembled every five times, and every third bitch needs this drug".

This situation is even better seen from import statistics. According to the head of the Department of Border veterinary Control at the state border of the Russian Federation and Transport of the North-Western Interregional Rosselkhoznadzor Administration Olga Panteleyeva, the flow of feed and drugs in 2022 fell by 25-30%. We are talking about deliveries through the "window to Europe": the port of St. Petersburg and the land borders with Estonia and Finland.

"In the North-Western region, the import of feed fell by 25-30%," the expert says, "in 2021 it amounted to 159 thousand tons, in 2022 - 117 thousand tons. Feed for productive (agricultural) animals came from Italy, Spain, China, Norway, Britain, and the share of Turkey increased. A similar pattern was observed for drugs. In 2021, 1000 tons of bulk medicines were imported, in 2022 – 717 tons. In liquid form, supplies dropped from 28,000 liters to 21,000 liters in 2022. Supplies came from Spain, China, Australia, Belgium and Britain" .

Veterinary medicine