Nearly Half of Dog Owners Are Hesitant to Vaccinate Their Pets
Published:12 Oct.2023 Source:Boston University School of Public Health
A new study has found that US dog owners who harbor mistrust in the safety and efficacy of childhood and adult vaccines are also more likely to hold negative views about vaccinating their four-legged friends. The study analyzed a nationally representative sample of adults in the United States and found that more than half of people who own dogs expressed some level of canine vaccine hesitancy -- i.e. skepticism about vaccinating their pets against rabies and other diseases.
An estimated 45 percent of US households own a dog; according to the survey results, nearly 40 percent of dog owners believe that canine vaccines are unsafe, more than 20 percent believe these vaccines are ineffective, and 30 percent consider them to be medically unnecessary. About 37 percent of dog owners also believe that canine vaccination could cause their dogs to develop autism, even though there is no scientific data that validates this risk for animals or humans.
Notably, the findings show indication of a COVID vaccine "spillover" effect in the US -- that people who hold negative attitudes toward humanvaccines are more likely to hold negative views toward vaccinating their pets. These dog owners are also more likely to oppose policies that encourage widespread rabies vaccination, and less likely to make the effort to vaccinate their pets. Thus, if fears towards pet vaccinations persist or increase, this skepticism could pose serious public health implications for both animals and humans.