It's that time of year again when we continue the tradition of rabies clinics in each small town of Howard County: Glasgow, New Franklin, Fayette, and Armstrong. My last rabies clinic of the year is around the corner. It will be held under the Fayette City Hall on Thursday, July 6th at 5:30 P.M. Since I graduated, I've had mixed feelings about rabies clinics. In school, they taught us that offering things like vaccination clinics cheapen our services and don't do the patients justice. First, I'll explain the purpose of rabies clinics, which is to vaccinate animals for rabies and pick up a city license at the same time for a lower price. While most cities only require rabies for licensing, we also bring the other core vaccines with us for dogs and cats if the owners want those as well. The major problem with rabies clinics are that there's no time to examine animals and discuss any health issues they might have, which is just as important (if not more so) than vaccinations. Then, throughout the years, I learned to get off my high horse and accept that sometimes people just need the opportunity to vaccinate their pets for a low fee so they can get them licensed with the city. As a veterinarian, I want to do what's best for the individual patient, but sometimes we have to broaden our lens and focus on herd immunity and public health. So alas, I've made peace with offering rabies clinics. That being said, any time you commingle lots of animals that may or may not be socialized, you can have some interesting adventures. The following is my list of do’s and don'ts of rabies clinics that I've compiled throughout the years. Enjoy! 1. DO bring hand sanitizer- I've found this is a must for rabies clinics. I wash my hands between patients at the office, so it only makes sense to do this at rabies clinics. At least reserve it for the cat you pull out of the carrier covered in vomit and/or urine, the flea ridden or mangey dogs, or just animals that rolled in something disgusting before they came in. 2. DO bring your dogs on a leash- This is important for vaccination clinics or the office. When I politely ask people to put their pets on a leash, the common response is, “Oh, my dog is fine around other dogs.” That's fine and dandy, but not all dogs or cats are that way, and the next animal your pet approaches might want to fight. So put your animals on a leash, please. 3. DO bring your cat in a carrier (or not at all)- I probably shouldn't have to tell people this (and I know I'm preaching to the choir when it comes to my blog readers), but carrying your cat in a towel across the parking lot around fifty dogs is not ideal. I've seen this scenario played out many times, and it doesn't end well. Usually the owner is covered in blood and scratches with possibly a lost cat. Just don't do it. If you absolutely have to bring your cat to a vaccination clinic, bring them in a legit carrier (not a cardboard box). Ideally, don't bring them at all. You think your cat gets stressed going to the vet's office? A rabies clinic with lots of dogs will be ten times worse. 4. Don't pay me in pennies! Look, I'm not trying to be ungrateful or unsympathetic. Most of the time I'm just happy to get paid, no matter what the form...until I was paid the $10 rabies fee...in all pennies. Yup. One. Thousand. Pennies. I'm pretty sure I thought I was getting punked at first. It wouldn't be such a problem, except that when I return from the clinics, I have to make a deposit and balance my checks and cash, which means I need to count everything at least twice. When you have mild ADHD like me, you probably have to count it four times because you got distracted and lost count. On the bright side, it was probably a good exercise in memory improvement or strength training. I really do sympathize. Sometimes times are tough and people have to gather whatever loose change they have to vaccinate their pets, but for the love of all that is Holy, please stop by the change machine at the bank before coming to the clinic. Speaking of which, I think that's what I'll do next time instead of counting that much change. Brilliant! 5. DON’T ask for your pet to be examined or multiple pet health questions- Well, you can actually do this if you want, but don't be surprised if my response is, “I see you're concerned about Fluffy. Why don't you call the office and schedule an appointment so we can have enough time to adequately address these issues?” I assure you I'm not trying to be insensitive and greedy. However, when I have over 60 animals to vaccinate in an hour, there isn't time for a fifteen minute consultation. Also, my time after-hours is valuable, especially now that I have a cute baby to go home to. As mentioned before, a huge benefit of having your pets vaccinated in the office is that they are examined and issues can be discussed. Vaccination clinics are cheap, but there's not enough time in that setting to address those issues. Unfortunately, you can't have it quick, cheap, and thorough. If you're concerned about your pet's heath, skip the rabies clinic and make an appointment with my office. 6. DON’T bring extremely aggressive animals- Many in the profession know that there are different forms of aggression in dogs. Some have predatory aggression. Some dogs are great with people and just aggressive with other dogs (or cats). Then there's the dogs that want to eat you for dinner. None of these animals are easy to handle at a rabies clinic with lots of animals and limited staff for restraint. Not to mention these clinics are usually held in an open outdoor area. If you think your dog may try to bite other people or animals, I recommend bringing them with an appropriately sized basket muzzle. The benefit of basket muzzles is the dog can still pant for cooling. I've seen all sorts of contraptions at these clinics. I even had a dog show up with his mouth duct taped shut (not recommended). If you have an aggressive animal, we definitely have more resources in our office to deal with them (including my favorite method, which I like to call chemical restraint). Not to mention, there will be fewer animals in the office that could trigger that behavior. Sometimes we'll even have people stay in their vehicles with their dogs until all animals are out of the lobby and a staff member can tell you when to come in. I'm a stickler for safety. I don't want to see other animals, clients, me, or my staff getting hurt. Despite my initial hesitation of rabies clinics, I'm now glad that my clinic can continue to offer this service for those who need it. Pets need vaccinations to protect themselves and their humans from disease. I look forward to seeing most of you in my office in the near future, but if money is tight, stop by our rabies clinic this Thursday in Fayette to get your pets up-to-date.
1 Comment
4/3/2023 08:40:58 pm
Thank you for emphasizing the necessity of bringing your pets on a leash to vaccination offices or clinics. My sister recently took in a puppy. I'll advise her to obtain the vaccination at the animal hospital.
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Jessica Stroupe, DVM
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August 2017
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