Survey of veterinarians' receptivity to a canine vaccine for Rocky Mountain spotted fever reveals a potential vaccine market and opportunities for education.

OBJECTIVE

To understand veterinary practitioner awareness about Rocky Mountain spotted fever (RMSF) and their receptivity and clients' perceived receptivity to a vaccine to protect dogs from RMSF.

METHODS

The survey tool was developed in collaboration with the CDC and AVMA. Responses were collected June 9, 2025, through July 1, 2025. Respondents were surveyed on whether they had ever diagnosed a case of RMSF and their confidence in identifying the symptoms of RMSF, receptivity to a canine RMSF or anti-tick vaccine, and clients' perceived receptivity to a vaccine. We calculated survey-weighted estimates for the companion- and mixed-animal practitioner population for proportions (95% CIs) and multinomial logistic regression to compute ORs (95% CIs) for comparisons of interest. Free-text responses to questions on vaccines were also collected for educational purposes.

RESULTS

Eligible respondents included 731 (91.3%) companion-animal practitioners and 70 (8.7%) mixed-animal practitioners. The odds of practitioners recommending a vaccine who felt very confident in recognizing symptoms were 3.9 (95% CI, 3.1 to 4.9) times that of those who felt not confident at all. Fifty-four percent (95% CI, 50% to 58%) of practitioners' clients would be interested in a canine RMSF vaccine, and 79% (95% CI, 76% to 82%) of practitioners were interested in a combined anti-tick vaccine. Vaccine interest was not limited to a single geographic or practice environment.

CONCLUSIONS

A potential market for a canine RMSF vaccine and a more general combined anti-tick vaccine exists across geographic regions and practice environments.

CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Vaccine receptivity and patient care could be improved through education about RMSF and vaccine technology.