Is there a rabies vaccination that is effective for wolves or wolf dog hybrids?
Thanks.
Effective? yes. Standard canine vax- they are genetically identical.
Accepted by law enforcement in case of a bite? Nope
As others have said, the rabies vaccine, like Rabvac, is effective in wolves and wolf-dogs. It’s a catch 22 with authorities who say that the rabies vaccine has not been proven effective in wolves and in foxes and raccoons, etc., because there have been no scientific studies of wild animal populations given the vaccine. So since our government has chosen not to test the rabies vaccine in wolves and foxes, etc., it won’t accept the fact that the vaccine works in wild animals. RIL.
So give the vaccine. I don’t propose that people breed or own wolf hybrids, but I do love wolves and foxes. If I ever had the place to own them, I’d be giving them their rabies shots with full confidence in the effectiveness of the vaccine. And if I had a fox hanging around, I’d be trapping and vaccinating him/her.
my old vet would not vaccinate any dog/wolf hybrids. i am sure it would be effective.
Some states have regulations making it illegal for veterinarians (regular GP types) to work on wolves and wolf hybrids. My understanding is that the vaccine is likely effective, but unproven. So, in the event of a bite incident a wolf or wolf hybrid would be treated as unvaccinated.
Thank you all for the valuable information.
How do wolf sanctuaries and dog shelters treat their wolves and wolf-dogs?
A licensed sanctuary is a different story from Joe Public, in that they have the permits etc allowing them to house the animals. Which allows the veterinarians to treat them legally. Though pretty much everything they use would be “off label” since very very few drugs have been tested and licensed for wolves.
For example our clinic can treat most wildlife that is under the care of a licensed rehabber but not one brought in by someone else.
Shelters rarely have any paperwork on the dog and so it would likely be assumed a Husky mix or something of the like. Assuming the owner surrendered with papers that list it as a wolf or hybrid it would be destroyed.
Yup looks like everyone answered it already.
We used to work with and rescue wolves and wolfdogs (I do not consider wolfdogs hybrids, as they are technically the same species, just very far removed, and capable of reproducing themselves) and we had a veterinarian that came out and administered vaccinations to them and the other exotics.
However, this was for our own safety. If one of the animals had bitten anyone, they would have been put down and tested. That was just the way the laws worked.
People who keep wolves/wolfdogs as “pets” often lie about what they are to their vets in order to get the vaccination. Sometimes they have to go to several vets, or a mobile vet, in order to get this done.
I have a 13 year old GSDxWolf hybrid that I picked up through a rescue. I had called the rescue looking for a companion for my Siberian Husky, so I wanted a large breed puppy. The rescue told me about the hybrid puppies, but said that they could not bring them into their rescue because they were hybrids. They gave me directions to where the pups were and I drove out to see them. I met both parents and decided to take the risk and get one of the puppies. My thought was that if she ever turned aggressive, I would put her down.
I immediately took her to the vet to see what he thought. He loved her and said that he had a number of clients with hybrids and every one had been absolutely wonderful pets.
All of this was the long way in saying that my hybrid gets normal dog shots from my vet who has experience with hybrids. I have met a few people who insist that high % hybrids have to have feline shots and that is what they give their hybrids. My girl is 50/50 GSD and wolf, and she has been fine getting canine shots.
And yes, she is the best pet ever. =) Ok, maybe the JRT edges her out a hair…
