America is seeing a range of new concerns in animal health even about rabies vaccine. Recent reporting in The New York Times and research from Texas A&M University have spotlighted how pet owner vaccine hesitancy is beginning to affect dogs and cats. And unfortunately, that trend can ripple out to humans and communities. Studies now show that more pet owners are questioning whether to vaccinate their pets, including for diseases like rabies.
For clarity, rabies is a viral disease that affects mammals and is fatal once symptoms show. Pets can contract rabies, and they can also pass it to humans in rare but dangerous cases. If you get rabies, you will die. That’s the severity of this disease. In that sense, vaccinating pets is not just about their health, it’s a public health measure.
Real-Life Impacts of Not Vaccinating for Rabies
When pets do not get their rabies vaccine, the consequences can be serious. First, a much higher risk exists that the animal itself will become infected if exposed. The data show that animals with up-to-date rabies vaccinations are far less likely to contract rabies than those unvaccinated. In other words, vaccination controls the spread of this deadly disease.
Second, if a pet becomes rabid and then interacts with humans or other animals, the cost is large. The public health system must respond. People may need post-exposure treatment, which is expensive not to mention painful. Unfortunately, the local or state animal control authorities may require the pet to be quarantined or even euthanized—something no pet owner wants to face.
Third, there is the emotional and financial toll. A pet owner might lose their companion, face costly medical and legal processes, and live with guilt and worry. Plus, other pets in the household or the neighborhood may be put at risk.
And finally, if enough skip pet vaccinations, the “herd‐effect” of animal immunization drops. That means more animals could be sources of infection for wildlife or humans in contact with wildlife. This is especially relevant in regions where rabies is carried by bats, raccoons, skunks or foxes and can spill into domesticated animals. And it is true right here in Texas.
Emerging Trends and Rabies Vaccine Hesitancy
As pet‐owner vaccine hesitancy grows, we face an emerging issue: the refusal or delay of pet vaccines mirrors what we’ve seen in human medicine in recent years. Surveys show that up to 22% of dog owners and 26% of cat owners express hesitation about vaccinating their pets. Specifically, some studies indicate about 4% of dogs and 12% of cats in the U.S. have not received the rabies vaccine.
This matters because when vaccination rates drop – even just for pets – you don’t just lose protection for that one animal. You lose protection for your community. In other words, the risk is no longer just theoretical. It’s real and the consequences are deadly (can’t be said enough).
Medical Freedom Debates in Pet Vaccination: A Cautionary Note
In recent years, the concept of “medical freedom” entered the conversation around pet vaccinations, mirroring debates seen in human health. Some pet owners argue that they should have more choice in whether, when, or how often their animals receive vaccinations. However, this trend deserves careful scrutiny rather than automatic acceptance.
Health of Others
Firstly, the argument for expanded choice in pet vaccine schedules tends to rely on framing vaccinations as optional rather than essential. Yet in the case of diseases like Rabies, the evidence clearly shows that vaccination protects not just individual animals, but also human health and community safety. Rabies is nearly always fatal once symptoms appear, and domestic animals can serve as a bridge to wildlife or humans. For these reasons, skipping the rabies vaccine is not simply a personal choice. It creates public health risk for others.
An animal owner cannot control or oversee every moment of that animal’s interactions and thus cannot ensure they do not encounter a wild and/or infected animal.
It’s the Law
Next, many jurisdictions already require rabies vaccination for dogs (and often for cats) precisely because the disease poses a serious hazard. The presence of legal mandates underscores that for certain core vaccines; individual preference is constrained by collective risk. Thus, treating pet vaccine decisions purely as “freedom” issues overlooks the regulatory dimension as well as caveats that existing case law place on individual rights. It is similar to the right to free speech not allowing someone to yell “fire” in a crowded theater.
Follow the Science
While tailoring vaccination frequency and type to an individual pet’s lifestyle (indoor vs outdoor, travel history, exposure risk) is sensible veterinary practice, the so-called medical freedom approach that suggests broadly skipping or delaying core vaccines has little evidence or scientific support. Vaccines for pets are designed and recommended because of well‐documented risks of dangerous disease, even in animals whose lifestyle might seem low risk.
Responsibility
Also, framing pet vaccination as an issue of “rights” without simultaneously recognizing responsibilities can mislead. Responsible pet ownership includes ensuring that the animal does not become a vector of disease to other animals or people. When vaccination rates fall, outbreaks of preventable diseases can rise, including animal diseases that cross species, like into humans.
Conclusion: Responsibility Over Rhetoric
Rabies is not a political issue, a matter of belief, or a question of “medical freedom.” It is one of the oldest, deadliest, and most preventable diseases known to science. Once symptoms begin, rabies is virtually 100 percent fatal – for animals and for humans. Yet the vaccine that stops it is safe, effective, and readily available.
When pet owners choose not to vaccinate, they are not only putting their own animals at risk. They are putting their families, their neighbors, and their communities at risk. Rabies control is one of the greatest public health successes of modern veterinary medicine, achieved through decades of cooperation between veterinarians, animal owners, and public agencies. Allowing that progress to erode in the name of “choice” misunderstands both science and civic responsibility.
True freedom in animal health doesn’t come from ignoring proven tools. In fact, it comes from using them wisely. Vaccination protects the animals we love, the people we live among, and the balance of the ecosystems we share. In the end, choosing vaccination isn’t just about preventing disease. It’s about defending a society’s health and well-being, maintaining community safety, and honoring the science that keeps both people and animals healthy.
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