More dog owners are questioning vaccines like rabies after COVID
More dog owners are questioning vaccines like rabies after COVID
Vaccine skepticism has spread to our pets.
More than half of U.S. dog owners expressed concerns about vaccinating their dogs, including against rabies, according to a new study published Saturday in the journal Vaccine. The study comes as anti-vaccine sentiments among humans have exploded in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Pets are now often considered to be a member of the family, and their health-care decisions are weighed with the same gravity. But the consequences of not vaccinating animals can be just as dire as humans. Dogs, for example, are responsible for 99% of rabies cases globally. Rabies, which is often transmitted via a bite, is almost always fatal for animals and people once clinical signs appear. A drop in rabies vaccination could constitute a serious public health threat.
In the new study, the authors surveyed 2,200 people and found 53% had some concern about the safety, efficacy or necessity of canine vaccines. Nearly 40% were concerned that vaccines could cause dogs to develop autism, a theory without any scientific merit.
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I know several people who don't vaccinate their pets. I don't hang out with them if their critters are around. It's not worth the risk.
I had half my face ripped off by a dog when I was a kid, so I take rabies very seriously. I got jumped by 3 raccoons a while ago and went through the rabies vaccine process as a precaution.
I get my animals every vaccine that my vet offers. Gotta protect their furry lil dumb asses
My cats are 100% indoors, and I still got them all their vaccines. It would be ridiculous not to.
Exactly. My cats don't go outside at all and they have everything. Who knows what I or my dogs could drag inside on our feet.