From a public health perspective, low vaccination rates for pets are equally concerning as those for humans, writes Simon F. Haeder, PhD. He reviews key elements of attitudinal research he published in 2024 <Link> that reveal pet owner sentiments about vaccination carry over to their inoculation decisions for their pets.
More than half of pet owners question the effectiveness of vaccines . . . a similar percentage was concerned about vaccine safety and side effects.” – Simon F. Haeder, PhD
Source: The Conversation, January 14, 2025. Link. Haeder’s study identified 22 percent of dog owners and 26 percent of cat owners as vaccine-hesitant regarding their pets including about 4 percent of dogs and 12 percent of cats that remained unvaccinated against rabies.
INSIGHTS: Reviewing the discussion section of Haeder’s paper <Link>, we found these comments gave us more reasons for sharing the study. They reinforce the need to continue assertive education about vaccine benefits with animal owners:
- A majority of respondents were concerned about the efficacy of vaccines as well as vaccine safety and side effects.
- In light of these findings, it is not surprising that many pet owners were concerned about giving their pets multiple vaccines at the same time and that a majority thought that pets were getting too many vaccines.
- At the same time, almost half of dog and cat owners felt it was better for their dogs to get immunity from getting sick than the disease.
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