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.

  • PetDinosaurs@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    It’s really sad too.

    One interpretation of the cause of this problem is that vaccines are just too effective. No one has polio, not to mention even chicken pox.

    A resurgence of rabies (or, god forbid, small pox) will clear that up real quick.

    Then again, too much of this planet have been fed a steady diet of propaganda for most of their adult lives.