How should dogs be vaccinated after the Multican-8 scandal? Answers to the main questions

A criminal case has been opened after the mass death of dogs due to the Multican-8 vaccine. The manufacturer of the drug is suspected of falsifying the quality certificate when placed in an electronic information system. A live virus of Aujesky's disease, which is almost fatal to dogs, was found in the vaccine. What you need to know about the incident and the vaccination of pets is in the Izvestia article.

Why did they open a criminal case on vaccines?

• The Moscow Prosecutor's Office has opened a criminal case under Part 5 of Article 327 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation ("The use of a deliberately forged official document") after the mass death of dogs that were vaccinated in the summer of 2026. According to the results of the inspection, it turned out that the animals died after taking the Multican-8 vaccine from the Vetbiochim company. By the end of August, more than 160 dogs had died in the central part of Russia, and about 300 animals were subsequently reported dead.

• The prosecutor's office reported that experts had discovered a fake quality certificate in one of the vaccine series. It was placed in the electronic information system when the drug was put into circulation. The verification necessary to confirm the vaccine's compliance with the standards was not carried out. A submission has already been made against the head of Vetbiochim, and the perpetrators have been brought to administrative responsibility.

What is the danger of Multican-8?

• Specialists of the All-Russian State Center for Quality and Standardization of Medicines for Animals and Feed discovered that the 20-series of Multican-8 contained a live virus of Aujesky's disease. It is also known as pseudo-rabies (but it has nothing to do with real rabies) and it is deadly for dogs. When infected, their central nervous system is affected, coordination is disrupted, seizures and paralysis occur. The animal usually dies one to two days after infection. People are immune to Aujesky's disease.

• In total, about 50,000 doses of Multican-8 vaccine were produced as part of the 20th series. After the first reports of animal deaths, the manufacturer recalled the sold batch. It was later destroyed. The Rosselkhoznadzor also suspended the circulation of the 21st series of Multican-8 and the 11th and 12th Multican-6.

What is the vaccine for?

• Multican-8 is a complex vaccine used to prevent six serious diseases: carnivorous plague (Carre's disease), adenovirus infections, parvovirus and coronavirus enteritis, leptospirosis and rabies in dogs. It consists of two components, dry and liquid, which contain either artificially weakened variants of pathogens or inactivated strains.

• Usually, the first vaccination is given to puppies 8-10 weeks after birth, repeated after 21-28 days. Revaccination takes place after reaching the age of 10-12 months, after which adult dogs are vaccinated every year. Immunity in vaccinated dogs occurs 2-3 weeks after injection and persists for about six months in young animals, and in adults — from 12 to 15 months.

How to vaccinate dogs?

• Multican-8 has several Russian analogues that protect against rabies and a number of other diseases. Asterion DHPPiLR from the manufacturer Vetbiochim protects against the same six diseases as Multican-8. The Dipentavac vaccine from Vetzverocenter protects against rabies, carnivorous plague, parvovirus enteritis, infectious hepatitis, adenovirus and leptospirosis.

Dog dose: why the Multican-8 vaccine turned out to be dangerous

A criminal case was opened in Moscow after the death of animals due to the drug.

• The Federal Center for Animal Health Protection VNIIZH offers the Karnikan-5R vaccine, which protects against five viral diseases (carnivorous plague, parvovirus and coronavirus enteritis, adenovirus infection and rabies). Rabikan rabies monovaccine, which is produced at the Shchelkovsky biocombinant, and Rabix from Vetbiochim are also popular among dog owners. There are also several complex Russian vaccines on the market that do not protect against rabies. These are, for example, Multican-4, Multican-6, Karnikan-4 and Asterion DHPPiL.

• Several foreign vaccines were imported into Russia until 2022, but official shipments of most of them have stopped. Among the complex vaccines that protect against rabies, Biokan from the Czech company Bioveta is on the market. She also offers other types of vaccines for various diseases. Viratek vaccines from the Argentine manufacturer Tecnovax and the Belgian Vanguard from Zoetis are also legally imported into Russia. In addition to them, various vaccines (for example, Nobivak and Eurican) are imported into Russia by parallel import, but their use does not allow for the registration of documents for the export of pets abroad. If the pet is not planned to be exported from the country, then such vaccines can be found, but it is important to specify the conditions under which they were transported and stored.

What should I do if my pet gets sick from the vaccine?

• After the introduction of vaccines, many dogs experience malaise, which is a normal response of the immune system. Usually, animals show lethargy, decreased appetite, fever up to 39.5 degrees, swelling at the injection site, and sometimes mild short-term lameness. These symptoms should go away within one to two days. You should immediately contact a veterinarian in case of fever, vomiting, breathing problems, swelling, rash, seizures or fainting in a dog.

• For further proceedings, the owner of the animal should keep the packaging and vials of the vaccine, record their serial number and expiration date, have a receipt for payment of the vaccine and a contract for the provision of veterinary services. When contacting a veterinarian, it is important to make sure that he reports an undesirable reaction to the vaccine to the Rosselkhoznadzor, as required by the law "On the Circulation of Medicines". If the pet has died, a pathoanatomical autopsy should be performed to determine the cause of death and prove its connection with a substandard vaccine. This will allow us to seek further compensation from the manufacturer.