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

Veterinarian confidence in recognizing RMSF symptoms significantly drives receptivity to recommending a canine RMSF vaccine.

This cross-sectional survey, developed in collaboration with the CDC and AVMA, assessed veterinary practitioner awareness, diagnostic confidence, and receptivity to a canine Rocky Mountain spotted fever (RMSF) vaccine among 801 respondents (91.3% companion-animal, 8.7% mixed-animal practitioners) surveyed between June 9 and July 1, 2025. Key findings demonstrate that practitioner confidence in recognizing RMSF symptoms strongly predicted vaccine recommendation likelihood: those who felt very confident had 3.9 times greater odds of recommending a vaccine compared to those with no confidence (95% CI, 3.1–4.9). Approximately 54% of practitioners reported their clients would be interested in a canine RMSF vaccine, while a notably higher 79% of practitioners expressed personal interest in a combined anti-tick vaccine. Importantly, vaccine interest was broadly distributed across geographic regions and practice environments, suggesting a nationwide market rather than region-specific demand. Multinomial logistic regression was used to compute weighted population-level estimates and adjusted odds ratios. Free-text responses were collected to further characterize educational gaps. The study highlights two actionable opportunities: (1) a demonstrable market exists for both a standalone canine RMSF vaccine and a combined anti-tick vaccine, and (2) targeted continuing education on RMSF recognition and emerging vaccine technologies could enhance both practitioner confidence and vaccination uptake. These findings are particularly relevant as RMSF remains a potentially fatal zoonotic disease with dogs serving as sentinels and sources of tick exposure for human household members.

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