Confirmed cases of wildlife rabies is on the rise in Ontario. To help you protect your pets and you family from this deadly disease, Peterborough Public Health is teaming up with local veterinarians to offer low-cost rabies vaccinations clinics on Saturday, April 29th from 12 to 2 p.m. at locations across Peterborough and Peterborough County.
“We hope that the community will take advantage of these low-cost rabies clinics,” says Atul Jain, who oversees the rabies prevention and control program for Peterborough Public Health. “Not only is vaccinating your cats and dogs the law, but it is the easiest way to protect your pets and family from rabies. While it’s rare, when humans develop rabies from infected animals it is almost 100% fatal.”
The cost to vaccinate each pet is $25, cash only.
Provincial law requires that all cats and dogs over three months of age in Peterborough City and County must be vaccinated for rabies.
If your pet has received a rabies vaccination, it may be due for a re-immunization. A pet must get a booster shot within one year of the date it was first vaccinated. After that, re-vaccination is required ever one to three years, depending on the type of vaccine used (the date for re-vaccination will be listed on the certificate of immunization).
Rabies is a virus that can be transmitted from the saliva of an infected mammal to any other mammal, including livestock, pets, wildlife, and humans. A pet can get rabies if it is bitten by an infected animal, or gets saliva or brain/spinal tissue from an infected animal — dead or alive — in its mouth, eyes, nose or an open cut or sore.
Rabies is untreatable and almost always fatal, typically within a few days, once symptoms appear. If your pet gets infected with the rabies virus, it can transmit rabies to other pets and humans as soon as the virus gets into its saliva. This can happen up to 10 days before your pet starts to show signs of rabies. Vaccinations not only protect your pet, but your family as well.
Bats, foxes, raccoons, and skunks are the primary carriers of the rabies virus in Canada.
While the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry had significantly reduced the number of wildlife rabies cases in Ontario through its Rabies Control Program, the number of cases rose significantly last year. As of December 31, 2016, there were 288 confirmed cases of fox and raccoon strain rabies in Ontario, compared to just 24 cases in 2015. Pet vaccination and the provincial baiting program are still required to keep rabies at bay for the protection of Ontario families.
Peterborough and Area Low-Cost Rabies Clinics
These low-cost rabies clinics take place from 12 to 2 p.m. on Saturday, April 29, 2017. The cost for vaccination is $25 per animal (cash only)
Asphodel-Norwood
- Norwood Veterinary Services, 4248 Hwy 7, Norwood
Cavan-Monaghan
- Peterborough West Animal Hospital, 2605 Stewart Line, Cavan-Monaghan
- Millbrook Valley Animal Hospital, 3 Queen St., Millbrook
Douro-Dummer
- Public Works Garage, 435 Douro 4th Line, Douro
- Warsaw Fire Hall, 910 Water St,, Warsaw
Havelock-Belmont-Methuen
- H.B.M. Public Works Garage, 6th Line Belmont & Hwy 7, Havelock
- Highway 7 Veterinary Hospital, 25 Ottawa St, E,, Havelock
Trent Lakes
- Buckhorn Works Depot, 8 Melody Bay Rd., Buckhorn
North Kawartha
- North Kawartha Community Centre (Zamboni entrance), 340 McFadden Rd., Apsley
Selwyn
- Champlain Animal Hospital, 2673 Lakefield Rd,, Selwyn
- Selwyn Fire Hall #5, 801 Tara Rd., Ennismore
- Village Animal Hospital, 108 Queen St., Lakefield
Peterborough
- Burnham Mansion Veterinary Services, 2235 Keene Rd.
- High Street Animal Hospital, 815 High St., Unit 7A
- Jackson Creek Veterinary Services, 1140 Parkhill Rd. W.
- Parkhill Animal Hospital, 1535 Chemong Rd.
- Peterborough Pet Hospital, 379 Lansdowne St. E.
- Peterborough Veterinary Services, 720 The Kingsway
For more information, visit www.peterboroughpublichealth.ca or call Peterborough Public Health at 705-743-1000 ext. 232.
