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Vaccine hesitancy for pets is growing and it matters

Of course, we all know that vaccine hesitancy among people and their children is causing issues like the Texas measles outbreak, but it is also causing problems with our pets. And our pets do not deserve vaccine resistance because they need to be protected.

I wrote about this topic previously, but vaccine hesitancy for pets is growing so fast, that I need to bring it up again. If you love your pets, they should be protected against diseases that could kill them.

This post will examine this issue and why your pets should be vaccinated. It’s not a difficult choice.

medical supplies and test results for veterinary care pets vaccine

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Vaccine hesitancy with pets

In two published articles in the American Journal of Veterinary Research and Vaccine, Simon F Haeder, PhD, MPA, Department of Health Policy & Management, School of Public Health, Texas A&M University, vaccine hesitancy is moving strongly from humans to pets.

Dr. Haeder wanted to quantify resistance (or lack thereof) to the vaccination of pets through large surveys.

There is good news. The vast majority of cats and dogs have received their core vaccines, that is, vaccines that are recommended for all cats and dogs. For dogs, those vaccines are for rabies, leptospira, distemper, adenovirus, parvovirus, and parainfluenza. For cats, these include feline calicivirus (FCV), feline herpesvirus-1 (FHV-1), feline panleukopenia (FPV), feline leukemia (FeLV), and rabies.

There were other interesting data from Dr. Haeder’s research:

Around 75% of pet owners trust their veterinarians’ recommendations for vaccines.

The study identified 21.7% of dogs and 25.9% of cat owners as vaccine-hesitant. Although it’s not easy to compare directly, the human vaccination rate in the USA for recommended vaccines is around 90%, according to recent data.

Over 80% of dog and cat owners supported vaccination requirements for core and non-core vaccines.

Unfortunately, Dr. Haeder identified 22% of dog owners and 26% of cat owners as vaccine-hesitant. That mirrors what we’ve observed for humans.

He found that 4% of dogs and 12% of cats were unvaccinated against rabies. This disease is a death sentence for pets, because if an unvaccinated pet bites a person, that animal needs to be euthanized to determine its rabies status. I’m glad that the number is relatively low, but it should be 0% unvaccinated rates for these pets.

Other vaccines, for example against parvovirus and distemper, were lower.

Vaccine-hesitant pet owners seem to share the same vaccine myths as they have for human vaccines. Around 53% were concerned about vaccine safety, 54% about side effects, and about 51% about effectiveness.

woman hugging himalayan cat

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Summary

The American Veterinary Medical Association lists the reasons to get your pets vaccinated.

First, unvaccinated pets are at risk from life-threatening diseases that are found in wildlife, especially rabies. Vaccines prevent these diseases.

Second, reputable pet boarding, daycare, and training services require pets to be vaccinated to protect the humans involved and other animals in their care.

Third, many local and state laws require pets, including indoor-only pets, to be vaccinated against certain diseases, usually the core vaccines.

Vaccinations prevent pet diseases, many of which require costly treatments. And some of these diseases can lead to the death of the beloved pet.

You may say “my pet never goes outside,” but that’s not a guarantee. How many of you have had a cat or dog bolt out of a doorway into the wild where they can be bitten by a rabid animal?

Pet vaccines are safe. They are effective. And they can save the life of your pet.

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Citations

Michael Simpson

Lifetime lover of science, especially biomedical research. Spent years in academics, business development, research, and traveling the world shilling for Big Pharma. I love sports, mostly college basketball and football, hockey, and baseball. I enjoy great food and intelligent conversation. And a delicious morning coffee!