Sara Gonzalez, a clinical associate professor in the College of Veterinary Medicine, spoke with The New York Times about the risks of vaccinating your pets or not.
A growing number of clients are hesitant to vaccinate their pets, but Gonzalez said that vaccines are “very safe, and I’ve seen so many animals suffer and die from vaccine-preventable illnesses.”
Although all medical interventions have side effects, essential pet vaccines are widely considered to be both safe and effective, according to experts. Some serious diseases, like rabies, can also pass from pets to people, so vaccinating cats and dogs helps protect human health, as well.
The most common side effects are mild and temporary, such as pain or swelling at the injection site. More serious adverse reactions are rare but possible. These include allergic reactions and injection-site sarcomas in cats. Still, experts believe these risks are outweighed by the risks that come with not vaccinating pets.