DENVER — We’ve heard about hesitancy surrounding vaccinations in people, but what about our pets? A new report shows some pet owners are concerned about vaccines causing autism in dogs.
Colorado State University participated in a month-long study showing 37% of pet owners believe vaccines cause autism in dogs.
Julie Bonneau is not one of those people.
“We like to come out here and play, and I feel much safer knowing that their health is somewhat protected by having those vaccines,” Bonneau said. “We think it’ll save on vet bills in the long run. Hopefully, they won’t get sick as much.”
Dr. Margot Vahrenwald makes a living keeping pets healthy, which includes administering vaccinations.
“There are going to be owners that will understand and then accept a vaccine for their pet, and there are some owners that just won't, and there’s a point when you don’t argue with a brick wall,” Vahrenwald said.
Vahrenwald said the results from the new study are concerning,
“It becomes a process of education and really trying to have owners understand that maybe they’re putting an emotional response based on something they’re fearful of, but to have them realize dogs don’t get autism,” she said.
If a dog is not properly vaccinated, Vahrenwald said it can be impossible to help them recover from an illness.
“I’ve seen parvo cases where pets could have -- those puppies should have been vaccinated, and by the time the owner addressed the illness that they were seeing, they were too debilitated to survive,” Vahrenwald said.
Vahrenwald said vaccines are tailored to the pet's age, risk and lifestyle. She said the only vaccine for pets required in Colorado is the rabies vaccine.
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