Pet Vaccine Hesitancy: Are the Concerns Real or Baseless?

STORY AT-A-GLANCE

• A recent study shows that over half of U.S. dog owners are skeptical about vaccinating their pets; so-called "canine vaccine hesitancy" is thought by the study authors to be a "spillover effect" of the pandemic
• The researchers, all from the Boston University School of Public Health, are concerned that non-vaccination of pets could ultimately result in negative health implications for humans, while the concern of pet parents is that veterinary vaccines are unsafe, ineffective, and unnecessary
• "Vaccine hesitancy" among pet parents isn't new — a 2019 article in Time magazine discusses the so-called threat of "anti-vaxxer" pet parents; the article's author, a veterinary vaccine advocate, conflates "anti-vaxxers" with pet parents concerned about the dangers of over-vaccinating their animal companions
• It's possible the bigger threat is actually veterinarians who can't provide answers as to why pets need to be repeatedly vaccinated against the same diseases throughout their lives; pet parents have a right to be concerned about a veterinary community disinterested in both the potential long-term effects of repeated vaccinations, and offering titer testing in lieu of automatic re-vaccinations
• The goal of both veterinarians and pet parents should be to immunize companion animals against disease, thereby preventing the spread of infectious diseases and confirm enduring immunity through antibody titer tests