A Growing Number of People Refuse to Vaccinate Their Pets. They Have a Mind-Boggling Reason Why.

"Influenced by the tenets of TCM and a book he read on the unethical practices of rabies vaccine pioneer Louis Pasteur, Grant became skeptical that the collection of symptoms identified by veterinarians as rabies was an actual, distinct disease that could be targeted by an injectable drug. Though he distrusts pharmaceutical products, potential adverse effects aren't his major objection to the shots. "It's more about not being convinced at all that there's really anything to vaccinate against," he said."

"Though health authorities adamantly agree that rabies is a real virus, Grant is far from alone in his skepticism about vaccines. In a 2023 survey of American dog owners published in the journal Vaccine, 30 percent deemed dog vaccines medically unnecessary, 22 percent called them ineffective, and 37 percent worried that they could cause autism in their pets. A small majority expressed at least one of these three positions, exhibiting what the researchers called a concerning degree of vaccine hesitancy."

"Studies and anecdotal reports have documented vaccine skepticism among pet owners around the world for years. In 2017, a Brooklyn Paper article declared that veterinarians in the New York borough were hearing clients express concerns about routine shots. According to a report from an animal welfare organization in the U.K., just 66 percent of cat, dog, and rabbit owners said in 2019 that their pet was vaccinated while young, compared to 84 percent in 2016."

Grant stopped vaccinating his dogs after training in Traditional Chinese Medicine, questioning the utility of preventive vaccines. He became skeptical after reading about Louis Pasteur and began to doubt that symptoms labeled rabies represented a distinct disease targetable by an injectable. He distrusts pharmaceuticals but states his main objection is disbelief that there is anything to vaccinate against. A 2023 Vaccine survey found 30% of American dog owners deemed vaccines medically unnecessary, 22% called them ineffective, and 37% feared vaccines could cause autism in pets. A U.K. report found 66% of owners vaccinated young pets in 2019, down from 84% in 2016.

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