Coronavirus vaccine | San Antonio Vets & Pets
I heard I can vaccinate my dog for coronavirus. Should I get the coronavirus vaccine for my dog? Will this help to “flatten the curve?”
In our last blog we discussed a couple of dogs in China that tested positive for coronavirus. If you missed it you can read about it here. Today, we are discussing the current coronavirus vaccine in veterinarian medicine.
In veterinary medicine, there is a vaccine for coronavirus. We used this coronavirus vaccine decades ago to protect puppies. It became a consensus in the early 2000’s that the coronavirus vaccine was no longer a necessary vaccine. In dogs, the coronavirus only affects puppies with a mild gastrointestinal upset (diarrhea, etc). Therefore, we have never administered the vaccine at Acorn Hill Animal Hospital (at least since Dr. Powell purchased the practice).
There is still a coronavirus that affects dogs. It is DIFFERENT from the coronavirus termed “COVID-19” that has wreaked havoc on our global human health system.
Will the coronavirus vaccine for dogs help to “flatten the curve” with the spread of coronavirus among humans? NO.
I can extrapolate my response after reading a statement released from the World Small Animal Veterinary Association.
“There is absolutely no evidence that vaccinating dogs with commercially available vaccines will provide cross-protection against infection by COVID-19, since the enteric and respiratory viruses are distinctly different variants of coronavirus. No vaccines are currently available in any market for respiratory coronavirus infection in the dog11.”
11 World Small Animal Veterinary Association
https://wsava.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/COVID-19_WSAVA-Advisory-Document-Mar-19-2020.pdf