Vaccine hesitancy in veterinary medicine poses a substantial challenge to optimal patient care. It undermines effective protection against vaccine-preventable diseases and, in certain instances, public health. Two separate surveys from 2021 and 2023 found that vaccine hesitancy was highest where there were antivaccination movements for childhood vaccines.1,2 Major factors in pet owner vaccine hesitancy include an underestimation of disease risks and considerable fears of vaccine safety. These viewpoints are shaped by diverse types of content with various scientific substantiation. As veterinary professionals, understanding this landscape is crucial for effective client engagement in order to protect dogs and cats against vaccine preventable diseases.
How Vaccine Hesitancy Manifests in the Clinic
The World Health Organization defines vaccine hesitancy as "a delay in acceptance or refusal of vaccination, despite available vaccine services."3 This definition highlights that hesitancy exists along a continuum of complex spectrum of beliefs and behaviors, not as a binary choice. People fall into categories ranging from "Accept all" to "Refuse all," with significant populations in between, such as "Accept but feeling unsure" and "Delay." Many clients are in the middle of this spectrum, readily accepting some vaccines (e.g., rabies) but hesitant about others.4 These clients, who attend wellness visits and accept some vaccines, represent the greatest opportunity to improve vaccination rates and patient health during wellness discussions.
Identifying vaccine misinformation can be challenging. Clients often arrive at the clinic with pre-existing ideas about vaccines, influenced by a wide distribution of information from various sources, including social media and personal networks. This can lead to an overestimation of vaccine risks and an underestimation of disease risks.
Conversely, veterinarians themselves may harbor concerns about potential side effects like anaphylaxis, sarcomas, soreness, or lethargy, which can subtly influence their communication. There is good information about vaccine risks and side effects, and these concepts can be shared with pet owners.
Talking to Pet Owners About Vaccination Risks
Data consistently shows that adverse event rates for vaccines are extremely low. Large studies involving millions of dogs have shown just how low the risk really is: recently <1%, and when reactions do occur, they’re most often mild sensitivity reactions that can be managed without long-term consequences.5 Explaining the difference between a vaccine response (lethargy, fever) and a hypersensitivity reaction can also be helpful. For pet owners, the actual risks associated with vaccination can be misunderstood and misconstrued. In a 2023 survey 37% of people believed that vaccines could cause cognitive issues, such as autism, in dogs.2 It's important to acknowledge client concerns without inadvertently reinforcing misinformation such as this. Understand exactly what the concern is so that it can be addressed with the right information. For example, vaccine-induced sarcomas in cats, while devastating, have a very low incidence rate (as low as 1 in 50,000).6 The focus should be on reassuring clients about the safety of current vaccines and emphasizing that the benefits of vaccination far outweigh the risks.
Talking to Pet Owners About Disease Risks
Another critical step is to help clients understand the true risks of disease. One 2023 survey showed that 30% of people thought most vaccines that dogs receive aren’t medically necessary.2 Veterinarians, with their deep understanding of disease presentation and local epidemiology, can provide context that clients would not inherently know, These real-world connections, such as discussing local outbreaks of parvovirus or explaining the zoonotic potential of leptospirosis, can help clients recognize that these risks are very real. and that vaccine guidelines aren’t an afterthought but a scientific medical recommendation.
Strategies for Communication
The good news is that veterinarians are still one of the most trusted professions. When a pet owner presents with their dog or cat for a wellness visit, a conversation can go a long way to reinforce scientifically sound viewpoints.
Questions and hesitations often stem from genuine concern for a pet's health, making this a shared value and a starting point for conversation. Motivational interviewing can be a beneficial framework to help veterinarians and clinic staff have these conversations. This technique is not necessarily designed to change an opinion completely in the moment. It is meant to move one step closer to vaccination. Using motivational interviewing means resisting the “righting reflex,” understanding motivations, and asking questions. It’s about being empathetic, listening, and better understanding what’s driving viewpoints and decisions.
Additionally, presumptive messaging, where veterinarians confidently state which vaccines are needed, has been shown to increase compliance more than participatory messaging, which offers open-ended choices. Listening to and acknowledging concerns, clarifying misconceptions, and reaffirming correct beliefs are all vital communication strategies.
Elanco's Contribution to a Comfortable Vaccine Experience
Addressing vaccine hesitancy requires a multi-faceted approach that combines empathetic communication with clear, evidence-based information. ElancoTM is here to help by providing tools and resources to help address clinic and pet owner questions about vaccines and vaccine preventable diseases. Sales representatives, Regional Consulting Veterinarians, and the Product and Veterinary Services group are just a call away (1-888-545-5973).
Beyond communication, the vaccination experience itself plays a significant role in client perception and compliance. Elanco Animal Health is committed to supporting a Fear Free® approach to vaccination, which can directly address client concerns about their pet's comfort and the stress associated with veterinary visits. Elanco vaccines are the only vaccine line recommended by Fear Free.* For a decade, Fear Free and Elanco have supported a shared mission: preventing and alleviating fear, anxiety, and stress in pets.
Elanco offers the largest line of 0.5 mL vaccines for dogs and cats. 99% of pet owners reported it is important that their veterinarians use highly purified, low-volume vaccines designed for a more comfortable experience for their pet.7
Furthermore, Elanco provides the most combinations for dogs and multiple FeLV combination vaccines for cats, including ½ mL and non-adjuvanted options. These combination vaccines are instrumental in reducing the number of injections a pet receives during a visit. Fewer pokes mean less discomfort, and a more positive experience for the pet, which in turn fosters greater client acceptance and adherence to vaccination protocols.
By minimizing the physical and emotional impact of vaccination, Elanco's innovative vaccine formulations help create a comfortable veterinary visit, reinforcing the value of preventive care and helping to overcome vaccine hesitancy.
By combining empathetic, evidence-based communication with vaccine solutions designed for comfort and convenience, veterinary professionals can effectively address vaccine hesitancy and ensure more dogs and cats receive the protection they need.
*Elanco is a corporate sponsor of Fear Free.
- Kogan LR, Hellyer PW, Rishniw M. American and Canadian veterinarians’ perceptions on dog and cat core vaccination rates and the impact of the human medicine anti-vaxx movement on veterinary medicine. Can Vet J. 2021;62(3):247-252.
- Motta M, Motta G, Stecula D. Sick as a dog? The prevalence, politicization, and health policy consequences of canine vaccine hesitancy (CVH). Vaccine. 2023;41(41):5946-5950. doi:10.1016/j.vaccine.2023.08.059
- World Health Organization. Vaccine hesitancy: A growing challenge for immunization programmes. WHO website. Published August 18, 2015. Accessed February 3, 2026. https://www.who.int/news/item/18-08-2015-vaccine-hesitancy-a-growingchallenge-for-immunization-programmes
- MacDonald NE; SAGE Working Group on Vaccine Hesitancy. Vaccine hesitancy: definition, scope and determinants. Vaccine. 2015;33(34):4161-4164.doi:10.1016/j.vaccine.2015.04.036
- Moore GE, Morrison J, Saito EK, Spofford N, Yang M. Breed, smaller weight, and multiple injections are associated with increased adverse event reports within three days following canine vaccine administration. J Am Vet Med Assoc. 2023;261(11):1653-1659. doi:10.2460/ javma.23.03.0181
- Dean RS, Pfeiffer DU, Adams VJ. The incidence of feline injection site sarcomas in the United Kingdom. BMC Vet Res. 2013;9:17. doi:10.1186/1746-6148-9-17
- Elanco Animal Health. Data on File. REF-24996
Elanco is a trademark of Elanco or its affiliates. EM-US-26-0097
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