Fearing Their Dogs Will Develop Autism, Some Owners Are Declining Vaccinations

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The ‘anti-vaxxer’ movement has moved beyond vaccinating children and seeped into the realm of pet vaccines, according to the Telegraph, leading the British Veterinary Association to clarify that dogs cannot get autism.

'Anti-vaxxers' believe that immunisations have harmful side effects and may be the cause of autism in children - beliefs widely debunked by the medical community.

This theory is increasingly being applied to pets, particularly in the US, and there are fears it is spreading to the UK and could cause already low vaccination rates to fall.

The BVA statement acknowledged the issue stems from U.S. pet owners and cautioned British animal lovers to ignore the new trend:

“We are aware of an increase in anti-vaccination pet owners in the US who have voiced concerns that vaccinations may lead to their dogs developing autism-like behaviour.

“But there is currently no scientific evidence to suggest autism in dogs or a link between vaccination and autism.”

“All medicines have potential side effects but in the case of vaccines these are rare and the benefits of vaccination in protecting against disease far outweigh the potential for an adverse reaction.”

https://mavenroundtable.io/theintellectualist/news/fearing-their-dogs-will-develop-autism-some-owners-are-declining-vaccinations-CXdLJTskf0qAcHql_sgCIQ/

To quote a science enthusiast, "These people are why shampoo comes with instructions."