Anti-vaccination campaigners are targeting dog and cat owners with vaccine misinformation

It’s not just human vaccinations that Facebook anti-vax campaigners want to stop — they’re now targeting the Australian family pet too.

Exclusive: Rabid anti-vaxxers are no longer just targeting humans with misinformation but are now going after the family pet.

Both paid advertisements and posts in Facebook groups are branding vaccines for dogs and cats as “poison” and encouraging pet owners to leave them unprotected.

But vets and animal experts say the trend is dangerous, and could lead to a devastating outbreak of disease.

The disturbing new trend emerged just weeks after Facebook was slammed for failing to remove anti-vaccination content on its platform, or remove paid ads against vaccines, despite pledging to crackdown on the material in March this year.

But a News Corp investigation showed the social media giant had hosted advertisements against dog vaccinations, claiming a “silent epidemic” of pets had been “damaged” by vaccines, and Australian anti-vax Facebook groups were encouraging other members to avoid inoculating their dogs and cats.

Some claimed the vaccines raised the rates of cancer in dogs, others wrote that vaccines were “potentially lethal,” and more made laughable claims that they had “cured cat flu with garlic” and that animals “live 50 per cent longer than their vaccinated counterparts”.

Anti-vaccination advocates even used Facebook groups to find kennels or petsitters that did not require animals to be vaccinated, or breeders with an anti-vax policies.

Shitzu Poodle Cross Bruno pictured with owner Sandra Pillai. Picture David Clark

Australian Veterinary Association president Dr Julia Crawford said the groups were sharing dangerous messages not proven by science that could have devastating outcomes for beloved family pets.

“While it is still a choice for people to vaccinate their pets, pet owners need to be aware that there are risks that come with choosing not to vaccinate pets against severe, life-threatening diseases,” she said.

“Current scientific evidence has shown that the vaccinations we have today for pets are the best defence against diseases that could be potentially fatal.”

She said all animals should receive annual check-ups, and advised that cats should be vaccinated against parvovirus, calicivirus, and herpesvirus, while dogs needed protection from distemper, adenovirus, and parvovirus.

Sandra Pillai, from Brisbane’s inner north, said her family was vigilant about vaccinations for their feisty two-year-old Shih tzu-poodle cross Bruno, and their resolve hardened recently when a friend’s dog fell ill.

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A previous Anti Vaccination Rally in the Flagstaff Gardens in Melbourne.

“I would go with a vet recommendation rather than what I see on Facebook. It’s not a particularly robust source or something I would trust,” Ms Pillai said.

“We have friends whose dog got parvovirus and they said it was just an awful experience.

“Just like with your children, making sure you avoid these infections is more important than any questionable correlation that some person has drawn that hasn’t been investigated.”

An RSPCA spokeswoman warned it was also important to vaccinate horses against Hendra virus, and rabbits against haemorrhagic disease to ensure their health.

Facebook promised to crackdown on anti-vaccination content earlier this year, and has added warnings from the World Health Organisation on some groups.

But a company spokesman said it could not “catch every ad” with anti-vaccination misinformation, and relied on users reporting questionable content.

”We do not want ads that include widely debunked misinformation or make misleading and unsubstantiated claims on our platform,” the spokesman said. “When we find them, we will reject them.”