Decline in vaccinations for pets is a ticking time bomb
CONCERN is rising among vets that an 18% decline in the number of dogs, cats and rabbits receiving primary vaccination courses is a ticking time bomb.
The decline from 84% of pets receiving vaccinations in 2016 to 66% in 2019 is the key finding of a recent nationwide survey.
While the data from our own practice is that vaccination rates are higher than the reported national average, that figure can always be improved.
The concern is that, if vaccination rates continue to decline, the national “herd immunity” could decline and that risks us seeing a resurgence of very unpleasant, but entirely preventable diseases.
The diseases of concern include parvovirus, leptospirosis and distemper in dogs, cat flu and feline leukaemia virus in cats and myxomatosis and rabbit viral haemorrhagic disease in pet rabbits.
The incidence of many of these diseases has declined significantly in recent years as a result of successful ongoing veterinary vaccination activity and campaigns. The very worst thing we can do when these unpleasant diseases start to become rare is to ease off on vaccination uptake. The only reason they have become less common is because of regular vaccinations.
The recent survey identified lack of knowledge as being a significant factor in the vaccine decline with some owners thinking that vaccination was unnecessary. Some of this scepticism related to stories in the media around risks associated with human vaccinations like the MMR vaccine. Although many of those historic stories around vaccine reactions and complications have been completely discredited, their memory lives on and impacts on decision-making for pets.
There are also misplaced concerns that an annual booster vaccination may not be required in pets. Again, the evidence that immunity drops off very swiftly for certain diseases is very strong and modern vaccines allow vets to give protection every year for the conditions that really require them while choosing less frequent vaccinations for those diseases where protection lasts longer.
As a vet, I would certainly advocate the importance of annual vaccinations. I vaccinate my own pets every year and have seen the heartbreak that can result when immunity drops.