Concerning Study Indicates Dog Owners are Now Skeptical About Vaccines
The majority of dog owners love our pups dearly. We feed them healthy food, we take them on walks, and we shower them with love and affection. That's why this study published on August 26 in Science Direct that showed over half of US dog owners are skeptical about vaccinating their dogs is very alarming.
The study showed that over fifty percent of dog owners had concerns about the safety, efficacy and necessity of canine vaccines.
The study says, "Canine vaccine hesitancy (CVH) can be thought about as dog owners’ skepticism about the safety and efficacy of administering routine vaccinations to their dogs. CVH is problematic not only because it may inspire vaccine refusal – which may in turn facilitate infectious disease spread in both canine and human populations – but because it may contribute to veterinary care provider mental/physical health risks."
The study also found that 37 percent of all dog owners believed vaccines could cause their pets to develop cognitive problems, such as "canine/feline autism." I can't fathom being a veterinarian and having to explain to a dog parent that the rabies vaccine cannot cause autism in dogs. Autism spectrum disorder can occur in dogs, but it is not caused by a vaccine.
Rabies is an incurable disease that attacks the spinal cords and brains of dogs. It is always fatal. In up to 99% of cases, domestic dogs are responsible for rabies virus transmission to humans. Rabies isn't (yet) super common in dogs in the US because it is 100% preventable with vaccination. If vaccine hesitancy continues we are bound to see many more cases of rabies. Here's what the World Health Organization says about rabies: "If an unvaccinated dog or a cat bites a person or an animal, even if that bite does not appear to be medically significant, that animal should be immediately euthanized."
So let's say your unvaccinated pup playfully nips a visiting child. Your dog would be required to be put to sleep. Don't the benefits of vaccinating your dog far outweigh the chance of this happening because you read something your aunt's friend's brother posted on Facebook about canine vaccines being dangerous?
Canine vaccines do have some mild complications, such as swelling around the injection site, a low fever, your dog being temporarily tired, and soreness. Sometimes there are allergic reactions to the vaccine that can range from mild to (very rarely) life-threatening. The likelihood of a dangerous reaction is low, whereas the likelihood of your pet developing a life-threatening disease if he is not vaccinated is much higher.
Everyone has different beliefs. People can decide not to vaccinate themselves, their children, or their pets. If dogs aren't vaccinated at a young age, they will be vulnerable to diseases such as rabies, canine distemper, hepatitis, canine parvovirus, Lyme disease, canine influenza, leptospirosis, and kennel cough. Your unvaccinated dog won't be able to get a license or be registered, be groomed, visit a dog boarding facility or doggy daycare, won't be able to travel, and depending on where you live, if your unvaccinated dog bites someone you could be liable for fines or at risk of a lawsuit.
Every dog owner should want their dog to live the longest, healthiest life possible. That means having them vaccinated and staying up to date on their vaccinations.
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