America's anti-vaccination movement may have moved to pets.
The Brooklyn Paper website reported this week that veterinarians in the New York City borough have been seeing an increase in pet owners who don't want to vaccinate their pets against diseases.
Although the fact-checking website Snopes points out the original story is vague, based on "speculative testimony of two Brooklyn vets, and from interviews of random people on the street," the story has been making the rounds of social media and getting attention nationwide.
Whether it's based in fact or not, it offers a reminder for pet owners that vaccinations play a role in keeping their pets healthy.
Rabies attacks the central nervous system and can kill within days. It can be passed by a diseased animal to humans. Unvaccinated dogs or cats that get exposed to the rabies virus are usually ordered to be euthanized.
Why would a pet owner put a beloved pet at risk?
Officials at the Centers for Disease Control say the majority of rabies cases seen in the U.S. are in wild animals, not pets or humans. That's a testimony to the effectiveness of making sure pets get those shots.
Vaccinations keep pets safe from other diseases as well. Core vaccines recommended for dogs guard against rabies, distemper, parvovirus and two types of adenovirus.
Distemper is viral disease, highly contagious in dogs. It attacks the respiratory, gastrointestinal and nervous systems, and can kill in two to five weeks.
Parvovirus, another viral disease, can cause severe vomiting and bloody diarrhea and can be fatal if untreated. Adenovirus can lead to liver damage and death.
Other vaccinations may be needed if dogs spend time in potential contact with wildlife or other dogs.
Cats need vaccinations too. Core vaccines for them include innoculations against rabies, feline distemper, feline herpesvirus and calicivirus.
After their initial puppy or kitten doses, most booster shots are needed just every three years.
"Outbreaks of disease among unvaccinated dogs can be devastating to a community," Brian Hare, an associate professor of evolutionary anthropology at Duke University and founder of the Duke Canine Cognition Center, told Time magazine when it looked into the Brooklyn report this week. "Unvaccinated dogs going to daycares or dog parks, or even walking around their neighborhoods, are at a much higher risk of contracting, and spreading, these diseases. ... If you love your dog and the people around you, vaccinate them," he said.
If cost is a problem, pet shops and rescue groups sometimes offer discounts on vaccinations. A web search for "low cost pet vaccinations" and your location should bring up multiple options.
The anti-vaccination movement among parents got started after a now-debunked report linking vaccinations to autism.
Dogs and cats don't get autism. But they can get rabies and distemper, which are terrible ways to die.
Pets deserve a shot at healthier lives.
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