59 Dogs, 23 Cats Vaccinated At Clinic

 

All manner of dogs from tall, sleek greyhounds to stocky pugnacious toy canines came together last weekend at the Edmond Town Hall gymnasium for the town’s 22nd annual low-cost anti-rabies vaccine clinic.

Pet owners brought 82 pets to the clinic, including 59 dogs and 23 cats.

Forming a line in the rear parking lot at town hall, the owners, with their dogs on leashes and cats within carriers, filed into the gymnasium, after which they filled out the paperwork for the vaccinations.

Brian J. Silverlieb, VMD, gave the pets their vaccinations. The veterinarian swiftly injected the dogs and cats with the rabies vaccine seemingly before they even knew that they had been protected against the disease.

Town Clerk Cindy Simon said the session, which ran from 8 to 10 am, was a good time of day for the clinic, pointing out that it had occurred before the heat of day. In the past, the clinic was held in the early afternoon.

Ms Simon explained that the number of rabies vaccinations given to pets varies from year to year. Last year, 106 pets received vaccinations, among them 58 dogs and 48 cats.

The greatest number of animals ever to receive vaccinations at one clinic was 669 pets in 1991, when 428 cats and 241 dogs received shots, she said. At that time, rabies was reemerging as a problem in the Northeast.

Rabies is an infectious disease of the central nervous system in mammals that can be transmitted to people through the bite of an infected dog, cat, or other animal. If untreated, rabies can be fatal.