Anti-vax movement prompts Brooklynites to withhold inoculations from their pets
Just wait until their dog gets parvo or distemper from another dog at the park, and suffers horribly. This is lunacy.
Some Brooklynites are refusing to vaccinate their pets against virulent and potentially deadly illnesses — some of which could spread to humans — thanks to a growing movement against the life-saving inoculations, according to borough veterinarians.
“We do see a higher number of clients who don’t want to vaccinate their animals,” said Dr. Amy Ford of the Veterinarian Wellness Center of Boerum Hill. “This may be stemming from the anti-vaccine movement, which people are applying to their pets.”
The increased skepticism towards inoculating pets is likely the result of a national movement that claims vaccines can cause autism in children, according to the doctor, who said she has seen an increase in clients unwilling to have their dogs vaccinated in recent years — despite experts’ findings that show no link between the inoculations and the developmental disorder.
Core vaccines for canines include distemper, hepatitis, and rabies, the only shot required to get a pet license in New York state, without which, owners can get fined.
A squirrel’s recent biting spree in Prospect Park sparked fears over the deadly illness last month, and all identified victims were told by the city to get the rabies vaccine although the animal was neither found nor diagnosed with it.
Hip youngsters who promote a more holistic lifestyle for their pets tend to be the most vocal anti-vaxxers, Ford said, but rarely have a particular reason for leaving Fido open to infection.
“It’s actually much more common in the hipster-y areas,” she said. “I really don’t know what the reasoning is, they just feel that injecting chemicals into their pet is going to cause problems.”
http://www.brooklynpaper.com/stories/40/31/all-pet-anti-vaccination-movement-2017-08-04-bk.html
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