COVID-19: As zoos begin inoculating animals, will your pet need a vaccine too?

From the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, health experts have shared their concerns about the impact of the virus on animals. While scientists have said that there is currently no evidence that animals play a significant role in spreading the disease to people, infections have been confirmed in several species across the globe. Amid the spread of the virus, many zoos around the world have already launched COVID-19 vaccine administration drives to protect their inmates. But now the question arises whether vaccines for pet cats and dog is really necessary? Here’s what we know so far:

While speaking to National Geographic, Nadine Lamberski, chief conservation and wildlife health officer at the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance, said that the virus originated in animals and spread to people, and we also know that it can be spread back to animals. However, according to National Geographic, even though cats and dogs have tested positive for the virus, the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention and the World Small Animal Veterinary Association (WSAVA) don’t recommend vaccinating pets, due to their relatively mild clinical signs and the lack of evidence that pets can transmit the virus to humans. 

WSAVA said that there was “no need” for owners to consider vaccinating their pets against COVID-19 at the time. It is to mention that vaccinations of animals have only begun in the United States Zoos. it is yet to be considered on paper in India. According to National Geographic, any request to vaccinate a cat or dog in the US would have to go through the same process as vaccine requests for zoo animals, with individual approval from the USDA and state veterinarian. 

“The best way to prevent (COVID-19) in dogs and cats is not to let their people become infected,” said Michael Lappin, chairperson of WSAVA’s One Health Committee, as per Nat Geo. 

Risks of not vaccinating animals

Meanwhile, according to a separate report by BBC on risks of not vaccinating animals, experts have said that in the worst-case scenario, vulnerable populations of animals, such as gorillas, could be pushed to the brink of extinction. They noted that the impact on great apes has been limited so far, but they also added that the culling of mink in Denmark showed the risk of uncontrolled transmission in animal populations. "It is not unthinkable that vaccination of some domesticated animal species might be necessary to curb the spread of the infection," researchers wrote in an editorial for the journal Virulence in January.

Are aminal vaccines on the way? 

There are several known efforts to develop vaccines for animals. Earlier this year, Russia had announced that it had registered what it said was the world’s first animal-specific jab. Russia’s veterinary watchdog, Rosselkhoznadzor, said it had been testing a vaccine called Carnivak-Cov on dogs, cats, mink, foxes and other animals since October 2020. Additionally, another vaccine is also being developed by the United States veterinary pharmaceutical company Zoetis. 

(Image: Unsplash/Pixabay)