Oklahoma veterinary board issues consumer alert about animal rescue group vaccination

Oklahoma City, Okla. – The Oklahoma State Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners made a plea to area pet owners to send in rabies vaccination certificates from an animal rescue group it believes broke state law.

In fact, the Oklahoma veterinary board issued a statement on its Facebook page asking owners whose pets were vaccinated by James Allen of Ardmore, Okla., operator of Dog City Animal Rescue, to contact the board. Allen allegedly has been vaccinating cats and dogs and signing certificates of vaccination as a "veterinary technician," even though he lacks a license to perform this procedure, the board contends.

Oklahoma state law requires that dogs, cats, and ferrets receive rabies vaccinations by the age of 4 months, under the supervision of a veterinarian.

According to news reports, Allen may have vaccinated as many as 1,000 cats and dogs in Oklahoma. The board is now seeking to determine if “real vaccine was used or if the vaccine was properly stored.”Board officials could not be reached at presstime.