Some pet owners believe vaccines give dogs autism. Vets say that’s not true – By Ellen Samek (National Post) / March 12 2019
Preventable diseases are also starting to re-emerge as a result, Ontario vet says
Can dogs develop autism? Some pet owners think so, and believe that vaccines are the cause. However, research doesn’t give a definitive answer on whether or not dogs can develop autism in the first place.
“As far as we know from research, dog’s can’t develop autism,” said Dr. J. Scott Weese of the Ontario Veterinary College in Guelph, Ont.
The question was originally raised by the British television show Good Morning Britain in April 2018 when they put out a call on Twitter to interview skeptical pet owners. The British Veterinary Association responded harshly, saying vaccines are crucial to prevent diseases and that any potential risks outweigh the benefits.
We're looking to speak to pet owners who haven't given their pets vaccinations because they're concerned about side effects – as well as people who have done so and now believe their pet has canine autism as a result.
Tweet us or email GMB@ITV.com pic.twitter.com/ChWX9mu3mV
— Good Morning Britain (@GMB) April 23, 2018
Weese agrees that the rare possibility of an adverse reaction trumps the risk of dogs catching a preventable disease like canine parvovirus or canine distemper.
Weese said that “nasty diseases we haven’t seen in a while” in Canada like parvovirus are starting to make a come back because of pet owners aren’t vaccinating regularly. Some side effects of canine parvovirus include bloody diarrhea, vomiting and sometimes death.
A Tufts University study from 2014 suggests some bull terriers exhibit behaviour similar to autism due to their compulsive habits like tail chasing, aggression and phobias — similar to how some autistic children flap their arms or spin in circles. Dr. Nicholas Dodman, a veterinary behaviourist at Tufts, was one of the study’s authors.
“I would say, in general because some of these dogs are socially withdrawn, which is another sign of autism, they could have something. They also spin, which autistic children do,” said Dodman. “I would say, I think that the bull terrier might be a model for a canine form of autism in that specific breed alone.”
However, Dodman doesn’t want his study to be taken out of context. He stresses that vaccines do not cause autism in bull terriers, any other dogs or humans. He also said that his study only examines the behaviour of some dogs of one particular breed, not all dogs.
Dodman and his team are still undertaking further research on bull terriers to see what roles genes play.
Despite the insistence of veterinarians like Dodman and Weese, as well as veterinary associations and colleges urging pet owners to vaccinate regularly, a community of pet owners and holistic veterinarians are questioning if it’s possible to over-vaccinate dogs, and if vaccines can have harmful effects.
Dr. Peter Dobias is a holistic veterinarian who believes it is possible to over-vaccinate dogs and that over-vaccinating can damage the immune system. Dobias previously practiced as a vet in British Columbia but now works in the Czech Republic. He also runs a website that sells nutritional supplements and recommends natural, drug-free remedies for dog health.
“I’m not necessarily saying all vaccines are bad when used properly, but from vaccines that are saving lives, we made it a business venture and I when I say “we”, I mean “we” as a profession,” he said.
Instead, Dobias opts for checking a dog’s immunity levels and antibodies at 12-weeks-old to decided whether or not he would recommend vaccinating a dog.
“I’m not necessarily saying we shouldn’t be checking immunity, do blood tests to make sure antibodies are there and quite often dogs carry them (antibodies) for a lifetime without being vaccinated,” said Dobias. “The exception is obviously rabies because rabies is a serious disease.”
When it comes to some pet owner’s claims about vaccines are causing abnormal behaviour in their dogs, Dobias says “the jury is still out.”
“In some situations I’ve seen behavioural changes from vaccines, but I’m not necessarily saying they were autistic changes,” he said.
Dobias recalls a case in his own practices where he gave a “very well-adjusted” adult dog a rabies vaccine prior to travel and in a few days the dog was suddenly too afraid to leave the house.
Dobias is unsure whether or not the vaccine itself caused the coincidental behavioural change, but stresses that he believes vaccinating too often can be damaging to a dog’s immune system.
In response to concerns about “over-vaccinating” Weese says that vaccine immunity in dogs doesn’t last forever and that the only way to protect against disease is to re-administer when necessary.
He also says that blood tests looking at antibodies and immunity levels aren’t enough to guarantee whether or not a dog will be immune to a disease.
“I think it’s the same message as with people who are concerned about kids,” said Weese. “You have to explain the cost benefit analysis and be clear that illness and death is a possibility without the vaccine.”
An email from Dobias’ company, Dobias’ Healing Solutions Inc., read: “Any general recommendations that Dr. Dobias makes are not a substitute for the appropriate veterinary care and are for informational and educational purposes only.”
