Is your pet vaccinated against rabies? If not, veterinarians and health officials throughout the world are urging you to get your pet immunized as soon as possible, and World Rabies Day might be a good day to do it. According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), rabies kills more than 50,000 people and millions of animals around the world every day.
Many pet owners make the mistake of thinking that rabies is rare and usually only found in wild animals like raccoons and skunks. But if you have a pet cat or dog that roams free, they could be exposed to rabies if the get in a tussle with an infected wild animal. Rabies doesn’t usually show up right away. When signs occur, it is usually too late – rabies is fatal to both pets and people.
Many states require dogs and cats to be vaccinated against rabies. It’s particularly important with cats since the number of reported feline rabies cases in the U.S. exceed that of all other domestic animals. Often, people think they don’t need to vaccinate an indoor cat, but indoor cats sometimes get loose. Plus, it may be the law, so check with your local authority.
Rabies isn’t something to take lightly. Our U.S. vaccination laws and programs have helped to minimize cases in the U.S., but it has not been eradicated. Many veterinarian clinics will be offering free vaccinations in conjunction with World Rabies Day. You can find some events listed here – scroll down to “United States.”
