It appears anti-vaccine hysteria is spreading to U.S. dog owners—with more than half the respondents to a new poll expressing hesitancy in inoculating their furry friends to a host of easily preventable conditions, including rabies. “Honestly, we were pretty surprised,” said Boston University School of Public Health political scientist Matt Motta, who co-authored the study, which was published over the weekend in a scientific journal called Vaccine. In fact, nearly 40 percent of the study’s 2,200 respondents said they feared giving their dogs vaccines that could cause them to develop autism, extending an already debunked human conspiracy to the animal realm.
