BOSTON — A new study says a significant number of pet owners in the United States refuse to vaccinate their dogs despite repeated warnings from experts.
Researchers from the Boston University School of Public Health (BUSPH) conducted a survey of 2,200 dog owners to quantify Canine Vaccine Hesitancy (CVH) in the United States.
The result shows that about 37% of dog owners believed that getting their dogs vaccinated causes autism. 40% believed that canine vaccines are unsafe. 22% said they are ineffective, and 30% consider them to be medically unnecessary.
It concluded that there exists a “pervasive canine vaccine hesitancy in dog owner subpopulations.”
This hesitation leads owners to refuse to vaccinate their dogs, even against rabies, despite existing state laws and public health risks.
On Vaccines, Autism, and Canine Vaccine Hesitancy
A research paper published in 1998 by physician Andrew Wakefield first suggested the link between vaccines and autism, which fuels the refusal of vaccine skeptics to accept human medications.
While this study has already been retracted and debunked by many subsequent studies, the fear and refusal of vaccines remain among some.
This vaccine resistance was further exacerbated by the recent COVID-19 pandemic.
According to Matt Motta, an assistant professor at BUSPH and the study’s lead author, anti-science beliefs significantly impact public health policy.
“The vaccine spillover effects that we document in our research underscore the importance of restoring trust in human vaccine safety and efficacy,” Motta said. “If non-vaccination were to become more common, our pets, vets, and even our friends and family risk coming into contact with vaccine-preventable diseases.”
The British Veterinary Association (BVA) described it as “a worrying development.”
“There is currently no reliable scientific evidence to indicate autism in dogs or a link between vaccination and autism,” former BVA president Gudrun Ravetz said.
“We know from the example of the MMR (measles, mumps, and rubella) vaccine and its now disproven link to autism in children that scaremongering can lead to a loss of public confidence in vaccination and knee-jerk reactions that can lead to outbreaks of disease. Distemper and parvovirus are still killers in pets – and the reason we no longer see these on a wider scale is that most owners sensibly choose to vaccinate,” Ravetz added.
Pet Ownership and State Laws about Canine Vaccination
According to the American Pet Products Association, 66% of U.S. households, or 86.9 million, own pets. About 65.1 million of them have dogs.
In the United States, there are different local laws and regulations regarding dog vaccination
Of the 50 states, 24 require vaccination at a certain age and booster shots at certain intervals.
16 states have specifications exempting some dogs from vaccination if deemed medically unnecessary by the vet.
Eight states require rabies vaccination for imported animals that are at least 3 months old.
Only two states have no statewide laws or regulations mandating rabies vaccination.
It's important to note that some cities and counties also implement their own rabies vaccination laws.
The American Veterinary Medical Association has published a document on Rabies Vaccination Laws by State, available here.
Canine Vaccines and Public Health
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, approximately 59,000 people die each year because of rabies across the globe.
According to the World Health Organization, rabies is vaccine-preventable.
The American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA) also calls vaccinations “a cornerstone of canine preventive healthcare.”
They recommend that all dogs receive a core set of vaccines against rabies, distemper, adenovirus, parvovirus, and parainfluenza.
AAHA also encourages pet owners to vaccinate their dogs with non-core vaccines for Lyme disease, Bordetella that causes kennel cough, and other diseases.
The study's co-author and veterinarian, Dr. Gabriella Motta, stressed that vaccines are safe and effective in preventing dogs from contracting these diseases.
“With any drug, treatment, or vaccine, there is always a risk of adverse effects, but the risk with the rabies vaccine is quite low—especially when compared to the risk of rabies infection, which is almost 100 percent lethal,” she said.
For those who worry about cost, Dr. Motta said pet owners may inquire about low-cost options at local veterinary clinics.
While the researchers believed that the Canine Vaccine Hesitancy observed today is not widespread enough to threaten public health in the U.S., the possibility remains, given the rapid spread of another ‘disease' among people and pet owners—misinformation.
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