Written By: Satata Karmakar | Updated : August 7, 2022 4:01 PM IST
Do We Need a COVID-19 Vaccine For Pets? Here's What Expert Has To Say
Vaccines are the most effective method of protection against disease-causing organisms to date. Vaccines are a preventative aid to a pet's immune system to defend itself from diseases. It works the same way as it does in humans. It contains weaker versions of a pathogen. This triggers your body to create antibodies to fight off that disease-causing organism. So, the next time your body is infected with that disease, it creates the antibodies from memory to effectively and quickly fight it off.
That is why it is very important to make sure your pet is vaccinated. There is always a curiosity about whether or not vaccinations are necessary. That is because most of us have no experience with how horrible those diseases are. TheHealthSite.com spoke to Dr Dilip Sonune, Director of veterinary services, Wiggles, to understand everything related to COVID-19 vaccines for pets.
According to Dr Sonune, here is a list of core pet vaccinations that should be compulsorily given to pets to prevent these highly contagious and fatal diseases:
Along with these core vaccinations, there's also a set of non-core vaccinations that can be given depending on the risk of exposure that the pet is in:
Another vaccine that we highly recommend for your pet in light of the current circumstance is the Anocovax COVID vaccine developed by the NRCE. It is India's first Covid19 vaccine for animals. Vaccines can not only prevent animals from diseases but also reduce the risk of transferring the disease to humans or other pets.
What many people are unaware of is that SARS- CoV-2 is a zoonotic disease (infections that can be transmitted naturally from vertebrate animals to humans or vice-versa). Today, the covid situation has lightened, allowing for a breath of fresh air. However, if the SARS- CoV-2 starts spreading amongst animals, it may lead to a number of mutated variants and reinfection.
The mutative nature of this virus can ultimately lead to its spreading in all species and needs an inhibitor like Anocovax. So, vaccinating your pets is a must.
