The clinics feature the special vaccination rate of $12 for dogs and cats.
Local veterinarians will also be at the following locations on the specified dates and times:
- Tuesday, April 26, 6 to 7 p.m.
Bellefounte Baptist Church
Blue Springs School
Candies Creek Baptist Church
- Thursday, April 28, 6 to 7 p.m.
Valley View School
McDonald Post Office
Charleston Fire Hall
Oak Grove School
- Tuesday, May 3, 6 to 7 p.m.
Michigan Avenue School
Waterville School
Black Fox School
- Thursday, May 5, 6 to 7 p.m.
Taylor School
Blythe-Bower School
E.L. Ross School
- Saturday, May 7, 2 to 3 p.m.
Cleveland Animal Shelter
Charleston Fire Hall
Prospect School
All pets should be on a leash or in a carrier. Çats should be left in a vehicle for their safety.
Rabies is a deadly virus that is transmitted by bites from an infected animal. Rabies can be prevented if treated promptly before symptoms develop.
Left untreated, rabies is nearly always fatal. Although rabies in humans is rare in the United States today, up to 40,000 people each year receive preventive treatment following an exposure.
In Tennessee and elsewhere in the U.S., the number of rabies cases in domestic animals has declined dramatically due to mandatory vaccination laws for dogs and cats. However, rabies among wildlife (especially skunks, bats, and raccoons) has become more prevalent.
The higher the incidence of rabies in wildlife, the greater the risk to domestic animals who act as a buffer zone between wildlife and humans.
According to Eric L. Coffey, field office manager for the Southeast Regional office of the General Environmental Health, Tennessee Department of Health, there were 75 cases of rabies in Tennessee in 2010, including, three dogs, one cat, one horse, 54 skunks, five raccoons, nine bats, one fox and one swine.
The Bradley County Health Department, along with Animal Control, investigated 149 animal bites in the county in 2010, an increase from the 124 bite investigations performed in 2009.
Tennessee law requires that all dogs and cats be vaccinated against rabies and their shots kept up-to-date. Pets should be kept confined to a controlled area to limit their exposure to wild animals.
