Park Hill Vet: A Boy, A Cow, A Vaccine
The World Is Much-Improved For People And Pets
By Margot K. Vahrenwald, DVM, CVJ
For the GPHN
Over the course of the pandemic, we’ve learned much more about vaccines than the average person ever expected.
It’s hard to find true numbers, but I know from 30 years in veterinary medicine that vaccinations have made an enormous impact on pets’ and peoples’ lives. And, recent and continuing advancements in vaccination technologies will enhance those protections and even potentially become part of treating other diseases, including specific cancers.
The history of vaccinations starts with humans when Dr. Edward Jenner in 1796 inoculated a boy with vaccinia virus (cowpox) and demonstrated that it created immunity to smallpox. From there vaccine science expanded and created a much-improved world for humans and then for our food and domestic animals. And, aren’t you glad that vaccine technology has advanced so far from having your skin scratched with the contents of a cow’s broken lesion?
We have seen the positive impact of vaccines against tetanus, polio, measles, mumps, rubella and now COVID-19 for human health. And, the same has been true for our pets. Since Dr. Jenner implemented his primitive test, vaccinations have been so effective in helping to saving and extending lives that human life spans have more than doubled human life expectancy in the U.S.
In 1796, living past 40 years of age was a feat. Rabies, diptheria, tetanus and measles were but a few threats that shortened life. We see the same benefits extending our pets’ lifespans with vaccinations against rabies, canine distemper, canine parvovirus, feline upper respiratory viruses and feline viral leukemia.
But it has not been without controversy and some politics. Lori Kogan, PhD and a professor at the Colorado State University College of Veterinary Medicine, wanted to see what impact “vaccine hesistancy” in people was impacting the vaccination rates for pets.
Vaccine hesitancy is defined by the World Health Organization as a “delay in the acceptance of vaccines despite the availability of vaccine services.” WHO declared vaccine hesitancy No. 8 in its Top 10 threats to global health in 2019.
What Dr. Kogan and her fellow researchers found in their research completed prior to the pandemic was a correlation in vaccine hesitancy in pet owners. Primarily, it found that vaccine hesitant pet owners were not necessarily “anti-vaxxers” but were influenced by anti-vaxxer conversations in social media and advertising. The study also indicated that advances in communications via social media were exposing pet owners to incorrect or misleading information about vaccinations being unnecessary or risky for their pets.
With all that we’ve learned about the positives of vaccinations, it literally pains veterinarians to see pets going unprotected. All cats and dogs do need vaccinations, but those vaccinations should be tailored to their stage in life, their lifestyle risks, the endemic risks in their area, legal vaccination requirements of the city/county/state and the pet’s age.
Vaccinations for our pets fall into two types: core and non-core. In our area of Colorado, core vaccinations include rabies for both cats and dogs because we have endemic rabies in both terrestrial animals such as raccoons and skunks, and also in our bat populations. All jurisdictions in the United States have some requirement for rabies vaccinations for dog, cats and sometimes pet ferrets.
Don’t hesitate to talk with your veterinarian about vaccinations and any concerns you have regarding your pet/s.
Check out these references for more:
AAHA NewSTAT, Feb. 3, 2022: tinyurl.com/PetVaccineHesitancy
New York Times, Jan. 21, 2022: tinyurl.com/NYTPetVaccine
World Health Organization, 2019:
tinyurl.com/WHOglobalHealth
Dr. Margot Vahrenwald is the owner of Park Hill Veterinary Medical Center at 2255 Oneida St. For more information, visit parkhillvet.com