Protect your pet Sept. 29

Think of it as time well spent, especially if it can save the life of your four-footed friend.

Local pet owners are reminded about upcoming Low-Cost Rabies Vaccination Clinics being held in the City of Kawartha Lakes on Saturday, September 29. The annual clinics are organized by local veterinarians in partnership with the Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge District Health Unit.

“Many of us consider a dog or cat to be part of our family, so the Low-Cost Rabies Vaccination Clinics provide an opportunity to give these pets the protection they deserve,” says Bruce Barthorpe, a public health inspector with the HKPR District Health Unit. “Rabies is fatal, so getting pets vaccinated is an important part of caring for animals and being a responsible pet owner.”

The Low-Cost Rabies Vaccination Clinics cost only $30 per animal (cash only). No examination of the animal will take place at the clinic, and participating veterinarians ask that dogs be on leashes and cats in carriers. The Low-Cost Rabies Vaccination Clinics are set to take place on Sept. 29 at the following locations and times:

BOBCAYGEON:

• Three Island Veterinary Services (115 East St. N.), 9 am to 1 pm

FENELON FALLS:

• Fenelon Animal Clinic (474 County Road 121), 9 am to 1 pm 

LINDSAY:

• Kawartha Animal Hospital (130 Angeline St. S.), 9 am to Noon
• Lindsay Animal Clinic (62 Lindsay St. S.), 9 am to Noon

OMEMEE:

• Omemee Veterinary Hospital (128 King St. W.), 9 am to Noon

“With the rapid rise in rabies cases found in wildlife in certain parts of Ontario over the past few years, it’s even more important to get your pets vaccinated,” Barthorpe adds.

Rabies is transmitted when there is contact with the saliva of an infected animal through a bite, lick or scratch. If left untreated, rabies is almost always a fatal disease caused by a virus that affects the central nervous system of warm-blooded animals, including humans. To learn more about rabies and the upcoming clinics for pets, call the Health Unit at 1-866-888-4577, ext. 5006, or visit www.hkpr.on.ca.