Fr Co Health Department Schedules May Rabies Clinic

The Franklin County Health Department will be holding their countywide rabies clinic Saturday, May 22 at various locations.

Veterinarians from all three of the county’s animal hospitals will be out offering the rabies vaccine for dogs and cats for just $5 each.

Rabies in wild and domestic animals is a problem all year round but is particularly prevalent in the warmer months when wild animals such as raccoon, fox, and skunk are more active, according to District 2 Public Health spokesman Dave Palmer.

“People should always avoid contact with unfamiliar dogs, cats, and wild animals. This includes feeding or attempting to help an animal that appears injured. Maintaining current rabies vaccinations for your pets and keeping them away from wild animals is the best way to protect them,” he said.

Palmer advises that if you see a normally nocturnal animal, such as a fox, raccoon, skunk, or even a coyote out in the daytime, do not go near it, but call your local health department or 911.

Cases of rabies in the 13-County District 2 area have been fairly consistent but Palmer said another reminder for everyone is that rabies can be transmitted from animals to humans and if not caught in time, is always fatal.

“Rabies is a viral infection transmitted in the saliva of infected mammals. The virus enters the central nervous system of the host causing inflammation of the brain that is almost always fatal. The most common carriers of rabies in the United States are raccoons, skunks, coyotes, foxes, and bats. Rabies in humans can be prevented by eliminating exposures to rabid animals or by providing exposed persons prompt medical treatment. Post-exposure rabies treatment includes a series of vaccine injections. The treatment can be costly; however, it is extremely important because rabies is almost always fatal without it,” Palmer explained.

If you are bitten by a rabid animal you can get the post-exposure series of vaccinations, but you must get them quickly and they are expensive.

Now if you cannot make the low-cost rabies clinic on May 22, Palmer says local veterinarians are still able to vaccinate your pets.

Again, a one-year rabies vaccine for dogs and cats will be $5 each.

You don’t have to live in Franklin County to take advantage of the low-cost rabies clinic.

A schedule of the times and locations of the rabies clinic is posted on our Facebook page.