((When I was 11, I wrote a terrible short fanfic from the POV of a vampire dog which Lestat had turned as an experiment. I don’t remember anything about it except that the dog was pretty happy as a vampire dog… it’s lost to time and space forever. Just thought that might amuse you!))

IDK about vampire animals in other media, I’m sure someone has done it, but IIRC, they’re not in VC canon at all. I don’t know if AR has considered it, with all the implications that follow. Could the world survive packs of vampire dogs and cats? Herds of vampire horses?

Vampire

Lions?

Vampire

Tigers?

Vampire

Bears? Oh my…. Could a vampire chimpanzee (or rat!) turn a human into a vampire? Would it matter if the animal was a herbivore or would it have to be an omnivore, like humans are? If the vampire lab in PL is still running, maybe they’re experimenting on animals. #FIC REQUEST.

In some religions, animals are considered not to have souls at all, or that they lack the same type of soul that humans have. in VC, the soul seems to be a crucial element in anchoring the vampiric spirit to its host body during Dark Gift transfer.

Also, just physiologically, not all infectious diseases are transmittable between animals and humans. For example, humans cannot get Feline AIDS and feline leukemia virus (FeLV) from cats [animalplanet.com]. 

• Zoonotic diseases: diseases transmitted from animals to humans through media such as air (like influenza) or through bites and saliva (like rabies).

• Reverse zoonosis: human viruses that infect other animals.

I headcanon that vampirism is not a reverse zoonotic disease.

[^X by @woutertulp]

Recycling this from a previous answer; It’s funny you mention vampire animals bc the question was raised, when old age finally started to rear its ugly head for Mojo… 

Lestat: What if we could heal him with-

Louis: NO Lestat. No.

Lestat: Just an experiment to-

Louis: We’re not making a vampire dog that’s a crime against nature we have to draw the line somewhere.

Lestat: *pouts*

Louis: *glares*

Lestat: *pouts harder*

Louis: *glares harder*

Lestat: Ok confession time: I already tried to give him a few drops of blood and he was not at all interested. Repulsed really.

Louis: *ragged sigh*

Lestat: It was worth a try!

Louis: Then why were you even asking me?

Lestat: I thought he might prefer yours–

Louis: *slaps Lestat hard across the face and storms out*

---

I remember hearing about (but not reading) Bunnicula, “a children’s book series written by James Howe, featuring a vampire rabbit that sucks the juice out of vegetables,” but I know that’s not quiiiiite what you were looking for, lol.

^Lookit the widdle fangs! Bunnicula even has the classic “widow’s peak” hairline in their fur like Dracula *u* and a “cape” in the fur?? I think it’s been adapted to an animated series, too.

Other quotes I found about animal-human disease transmission:

• “While most feline infectious diseases affect only cats, and most human infectious diseases affect only humans, it is important to be aware that some of these diseases—called zoonotic diseases—can be transmitted between cats and people.” [X]  

• “The general rule is that viruses have a narrow range of suitable living conditions (ie body temperature, metabolism etc) and are not easily passed between species. There are some exceptions to this, but the common cold is not one of them and you will not pass it on to your cats, it cannot live in their higher body temperature.” [X]

Also relevant is zombie animals. In The Walking Dead, there are no zombie animals, and I found a forum where ppl were discussing it (walkingdeadforums.com), whether it’s true that the original comic artist set the canon for that bc he “does not enjoy drawing animals so much,” or whether there might be a scientific reason for it…. Zombie animals are as equally debatable as vampire animals!