Ask About Pet Vaccinations: Part of Taking a Good (Human) Patient History, Says Ethicist

This transcript has been edited for clarity.

Hi. I'm Art Caplan, and I'm at the Division of Medical Ethics at NYU Grossman School of Medicine. I have to say, in my job, I spend 99% of my time thinking about ethical issues that arise in the care of human beings. That is the focus of our medical school, and that's what we do. 

However, there are behaviors that are emerging with respect to pets that bear on human health and require the attention of doctors and nurses who deal with people who are pet owners.

Recently, there has been a great increase in the number of pet owners who are saying, "I'm not going to vaccinate my pets." As horrible as this sounds, what's happening is vaccine hesitancy about vaccines used in humans is extending through some people to their pets. 

The number of people who say they don't trust things like rabies vaccine to be effective or safe for their pet animals is 40%, at least in surveys, and the American Veterinary Medical Association reports that 15%-18% of pet owners are not, in fact, vaccinating their pets against rabies.

Rabies, as I hope everybody watching me knows, is one horrible disease. Even the treatment of it, should you get bitten by a rabid animal, is no fun, expensive, and hopefully something that can be administered quickly. It's not always the case. Worldwide, at least 70,000 people die from rabies every year.

Obviously, there are many countries that are so terrified of rabies, they won't let you bring pets in without quarantining them, say, England, for at least 6 months to a year, I believe, because they don't want rabies getting into their country. They're very strict about the movement of pets.

It is inexcusable for people, first, not to give their pets vaccines that prevent them getting distemper, parvovirus, or many other diseases that harm the pet. It's also inexcusable to shorten your pet's life or ask your patients to care for pets who get sick from many of these diseases that are vaccine preventable.

Worst of all, it's inexcusable for any pet owner not to give a rabies vaccine to their pets. Were it up to me, I'd say you have to license your pet, and as part of that, you must mandate rabies vaccines for your dogs, cats, and other pets. 

We know what happens when people encounter wild animals like raccoons and rabbits. It is not a good situation. Your pet can easily encounter a rabid animal and then put themselves in a position where they can harm their human owners. 

We have an efficacious, safe treatment. If you're dealing with someone, it might make sense to ask them, "Do you own a pet? Are you vaccinating?" It may not be something you'd ever thought about, but what we don't need is rabies back in a bigger way in the United States than it's been in the past.

I think, as a matter of prudence and public health, maybe firing up that question, "Got a pet in the house and are you vaccinating," could be part of taking a good history. 

I'm Art Caplan, at the Division of Medical Ethics at NYU Grossman School of Medicine. Thank you for watching.