Why vaccine hesitancy feels harder in veterinary medicine: full analysis

Vaccine hesitancy isn’t new in veterinary medicine, but many clinicians say it feels harder to manage now. That’s the core message emerging from recent podcast conversations in Clinician’s Brief and Veterinary Viewfinder, which frame hesitancy not as a fringe issue, but as a growing part of everyday preventive care discussions. Their timing also lines up with newer survey research showing that skepticism around human vaccines and pet vaccines often travels together, shaping how some pet parents approach core immunization recommendations. (music.amazon.com)

The backdrop is broader than veterinary medicine alone. A 2023 national survey published in Vaccine found human and pet vaccine hesitancy were closely related, with nearly half of respondents opposing mandatory rabies vaccination for pets. Earlier coverage of that work reported that more than half of dog pet parents expressed at least some hesitancy toward canine vaccines. More recently, an American Journal of Veterinary Research study validated an adapted Parent Attitudes about Childhood Vaccines tool for veterinary use and found 21.7% of dog pet parents and 25.9% of cat pet parents met criteria for vaccine hesitancy. (pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov)

At the same time, hesitancy doesn’t necessarily mean refusal. A 2025 AJVR study using Dog Aging Project data found 94.7% of respondents reported vaccinating their dogs according to their veterinarian’s recommendations, although uptake was associated with income and education. That distinction matters for practice teams: many pet parents may still vaccinate, but with more questions, more delays, and more concern about safety, necessity, or scheduling. In other words, the friction is real even when compliance remains relatively high. (pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov)

Industry and clinical commentary points to a familiar set of pressure points. AAHA reporting says some clients worry about over-vaccination, injection-site sarcomas, vaccine reactions, pain, or whether their pet is truly at risk. Communication guidance tied to AAHA’s canine vaccination guidelines and continuing education materials from experts such as George Moore, DVM, PhD, emphasizes that these conversations hinge on both content and process: not just the facts presented, but whether the team listens, frames disease risk clearly, and avoids letting rare adverse events dominate the discussion. (aaha.org)

There are also public health stakes. Rabies remains the clearest example, because delayed or declined vaccination can affect both animal and human health. AAHA noted that fallout from pet parent hesitancy can damage the veterinary professional-client relationship and create broader One Health concerns. Other reporting has highlighted how anti-vaccine sentiment in human health may be spilling into veterinary care, reinforcing the sense among clinicians that these are no longer isolated objections, but part of a wider mistrust environment. (aaha.org)

Why it matters: For veterinary professionals, the takeaway is that vaccine hesitancy should be treated as a practice communication competency, not just a client education problem. The emerging evidence suggests trust in the veterinarian still carries real weight: longer-term veterinarian relationships were associated with vaccination in the 2024 AJVR study, and most surveyed pet parents did not self-identify as hesitant even when they held concerns. That means clinics may have room to prevent refusal by addressing uncertainty early, standardizing how teams explain core versus non-core vaccines, and making room for shared decision-making without blurring the standard of care. (pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov)

For teams on the ground, that likely means preparing for more nuanced conversations, not just more opposition. Scripts, technician training, risk-based vaccine discussions, and client-facing handouts from organizations such as AVMA and AAHA may become more important as clinics try to keep recommendations consistent across the care team. The challenge is balancing empathy with clarity: acknowledging concerns without overstating rare risks or presenting core vaccination as optional when public health and patient protection are on the line. (ebusiness.avma.org)

What to watch: Expect more research on how to identify hesitant pet parents earlier, whether validated screening tools can inform interventions, and how veterinary teams can respond as broader cultural skepticism about science continues to shape preventive care decisions. (pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov)