There are numerous animal health groups online, many of which provide a space for owners to ask about worries and gain support. Many can be helpful; however, there are a number set up in relation to anti-vaccination and other such ideologies – including one group who recently claimed to be a support group for dogs who have suffered vaccine/medication damage.
This group aimed to support owners of animals who are (or suspected to be) autistic, suffer from attention deficit disorder (ADD), attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), or obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).
While the intent behind forming a group to support owners of dogs with behavioural problems is laudable, encouraging and promoting misconceptions and misinformation about such problems, in dogs and in humans, is harmful.
Medication ‘Injury’
Firstly, there is no evidence of vaccines or medications regularly causing brain or neurodevelopmental disorders, such as autism or OCD, in humans or in animals. Not only is there no evidence to support this claim, but extensive research clearly shows it to be false.
One study into human vaccination concluded that over a 20-year period, vaccines were found to be remarkably safe. In a canine study, no temporal association was found between vaccination and ill-health in dogs. Although there is always risk with any medication, the preponderance of the evidence supports minimal risk of harm from vaccines, and no risk of the kind of effects this group claims regarding autism in dogs.
Is there a link between vaccines and autism?
The theory that vaccines cause autism has been widely disproven following the scandal of Andrew Wakefield, who falsely portrayed research and caused a major decline in MMR vaccine uptake. Claims that vaccines are linked to autism, or are unsafe when administered according to the recommended schedule, have been wholly disproven by a robust body of medical literature.
Correlation does not equal causation
Given most pets are vaccinated against a number of serious or life-threatening diseases multiple times over an extended period, and many require some kind of veterinary attention, medication or preventative care during their lifetime, it makes identifying a connection between vaccination or medication and illness difficult.
This is one of the reasons the vaccine-autism link is still believed and continues to circulate in certain groups, despite mountains of contrary evidence: because the condition becomes apparent at about the same time the vaccines are given. It takes more sophisticated study to determine that this is coincidence and not causation.
When something starts to ‘go wrong’ and we see changes in health, or our puppy displays new challenging behaviour after 8 weeks old, it’s easy to see why people might want to look for a cause. Being skeptical and remembering that correlation doesn’t always equal causation is imperative. While in some circumstances correlation is a reasonable basis for a hypothesis of a link, science goes beyond this to more detailed study, and shows that the link is not causal – this is the case in the vaccine/autism debate.
This is where many owners are steered to wrongly believe that their pet has had an adverse effect from a medication that may have been given recently, or even months and years ago. Searching for something to ‘blame’ is a natural reaction – and given the way the online platforms that actively villainise vaccines and medication make extremely bold claims, you can see how owners fall into their trap.
Dogs in human autism research
Studies have been undertaken to see if canine research models could be helpful in the assessment of autism spectrum disorder. A recent account of the mechanisms underlying autistic behaviour in humans suggested that the core social symptoms of autism are rooted in changes in social motivation and social interactions.
One of the main challenges for autism research is developing animal models of human autism to increase the understanding and to test hypotheses about the aetiology of autism spectrum disorder.
Research for animal models of autism has mostly focused on rodents. However, as it has been suggested that core social symptoms of autism are rooted in impaired social motivation, taking the exceptional inter-specific social skills of the dog could make this species an ideal candidate to model certain behaviours of humans – especially those related to social functioning.
The study sought to investigate how the social-motivational behaviour of dogs with and without an autism spectrum disorder-like profile would dissociate in a behavioural task – it is important to note here that they do not claim that these dogs have autism, but that they had a profile that could be likened to that of a person with autism spectrum disorder.
It is unclear from this study if dogs are an appropriate animal model for research into human autism. While there is a potential canine model for research into autism in humans, that isn’t the same thing as saying these dogs were also autistic – indeed this is why the terminology states that their profile is ‘likened to’ the condition, not that they have it. Indeed, there appears to be no evidence base that autism spectrum disorder is experienced in dogs or any other companion animal.
Obsessive behaviour in puppies
In many of the groups online, a study that claimed medication injury and autism in dogs was cited. This study found that bull terriers displaying obsessive tail chasing are affected as early as 8 weeks of age – again a common age for receiving vaccines, which could lead owners to believe the behaviour has been caused by the recent administration of a vaccine.
This study investigated the link between increased serum levels of the peptide neurotensin in a small sample of 3-year-old autistic children, and Bull Terriers who displayed these behaviours. They found that in Bull Terriers that exhibit a behavioral phenotype similar to the clinical presentation of ‘autism spectrum disorders’, neurotensin levels are also significantly elevated, as compared with unaffected dogs of the same breed. Research on this is still in its infancy, and continued studies may give us more information into the cause in dogs.
Again, it is important to reiterate that the study states that this phenotype is similar to the clinical presentation of ‘autism spectrum disorders’ – not that these dogs are displaying the disorder. While some dogs can display idiopathic conditions or develop certain behaviours, these have not been attributed at any point to vaccines or medication.
Behaviour
Challenging canine behaviour has been on the rise, with over a quarter of owners saying that their dog has developed at least one new problem behaviour during lockdowns. Behaviour issues among ‘lockdown puppies’, including separation related behaviours, has been quoted as some of the biggest challenges for new owners, and over a 20-year period, admissions for dog bites almost tripled. Furthermore, one study found that dogs under three years of age are at a proportionately high risk of death due to undesirable behaviours.
There are many behaviours or stereotypies that can mirror human neurodevelopmental disorders in dogs. Many of these are not linked to a specific neurodevelopmental disorder, but a behavioural issue (which are often complex and extremely challenging to work through).
To conclude
Dogs do not experience autism. While dogs exhibit some behaviours that are superficially similar to autism in humans, there are also significant differences between human and dog behaviour.
Furthermore, it is clear in humans that vaccines and medicines are not the cause of these conditions in people, and there is no reason to believe they are responsible for any similar behavioural problems in dogs.
If your dog is displaying behaviours that seem to mirror these conditions, it is highly unlikely to be down to vaccines or medications that have been administered or prescribed.
