Calgary Humane Society experiencing medication shortage amid kennel cough outbreak

A dog sleeps at the Calgary Humane Society on Friday, Oct. 6, 2023.

The Calgary Humane Society is dealing with a shortage of anti-anxiety medication while also over capacity and experiencing an outbreak of kennel cough.

Lisa Olund, the associate director of health services at the Calgary Humane Society, says they were notified from one of their suppliers early in September that there was a potential shortage of trazadone due to issues at the manufacturer.

"Apparently, the issue has been resolved at the manufacturer, but we have not received a date yet as to when the drug will be available through our normal suppliers," she said.

Trazadone is used to help treat anxiety and stress in dogs.

"The shelter environment has multiple stressors," Olund said. "It can be a scary place. The dog will come in and there's unfamiliar sights, there's unfamiliar sounds, and what trazadone does is, it helps relieve some of that anxiety that the dog will feel.

"The goal is not to sedate the dog, but to make their time more enjoyable and less stressful."

She says the drug helps the dog get some rest, play normally and enjoy walks.

The shortage means the shelter has to be a bit more discerning when it comes to using the drug.

"We're just being a little bit more careful and making sure we're only prescribing it to those dogs that really need it.

"In the meantime, we have talked to some pharmacies that are willing to compound it for us at an additional cost," she said.

"Hopefully, that will get us through until we can get it from our regular suppliers."

Further compounding the issue is the fact that the Calgary Humane Society is chock-full of animals.

"We have so many dogs and cats in our care, currently," said Olund, adding the shelter has about 140 cats and is "full" of dogs.

While officials are hoping some of their animals will be adopted, the kennel cough outbreak has changed the way dog adoptions are handled.

"It's a particularly contagious strain of kennel cough," Olund said. "So if you come visit Calgary Humane right now and you want to visit a dog, we have some precautions in place… we just can't let the public walk through our dog rooms at this time."

For more information on the animals available for adoption at the Calgary Humane Society you can visit the shelter's website.