With World Rabies Day coming up on September 28, the Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge District Health Unit is teaming up with selected veterinarians to offer reduced-cost rabies vaccination clinics.
Intended for pet owners who face financial challenges, the clinics are being held for the first time since the pandemic began. They will be offered on Saturday, October 1st in the City of Kawarthas Lakes and Northumberland County. No clinics are available in Haliburton County, as a participating veterinarian could not be found there.
The cost for a rabies vaccination at these clinics is $40 cash only per animal (unless otherwise specified). No appointment is needed. Owners should keep dogs on leashes and cats in carriers, and bring proof of their pet’s most recent rabies vaccination if possible. The clinics do not offer examinations of pets, only vaccinations.
“Rabies is fatal, so getting pets vaccinated is an important part of caring for animals and being a responsible pet owner,” says Richard Ovcharovich, the health unit’s manager of health protection, in a media release. “By vaccinating your four-legged friend, you are also protecting the health of your family and loved ones.”
Here is a list of the reduced-cost rabies vaccination clinics on October 1:
- Kawartha Animal Hospital (130 Angeline St. S., Lindsay) from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m.
- Fenelon Animal Clinic (474 County Rd. 121, Fenelon Falls) from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.
- Dale Veterinary Clinic (121 Toronto Rd., Unit 131, Port Hope) from 2 to 5 p.m., with registration starting at 1:30 p.m.
- Ganaraska Animal Clinic (146 Rose Glen Rd. S., Port Hope) from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
- English Line Veterinary Services (527 County Rd. 38, Campbellford) from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.
- Presqu’ile Animal Hospital (46 Prince Edward St., Brighton) from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. or while supplies last.
Masks will be required to be worn indoors at the clinics. Anyone who is feeling sick is asked to stay home.
Rabies can be transmitted to humans when there is contact with the saliva of an infected animal through a bite, lick, or scratch. In each of the past three years, the health unit has investigated more than 600 animal bite or scratch incidents in Haliburton County, Northumberland County, and the City of Kawartha Lakes.
World Rabies Day on September 28 raises awareness about rabies prevention and highlights the progress made in defeating this horrifying disease. It also marks the 127th anniversary of the death of Louis Pasteur, the French chemist and microbiologist who produced the first rabies vaccine. The vaccine was first used to save the life of nine-year-old Joseph Meister in 1885, after the boy was badly mauled by a rabid dog.
According to the World Health Organization, dogs are the main source of human rabies deaths around the world, contributing up to 99 per cent of all rabies transmissions to humans.
