Leeds, Grenville and Lanark District Health Unit

MEDIA RELEASE:

The Health Unit is pleased to announce the return of low cost rabies vaccination clinics on September 14, 2022. Our partner veterinarians and municipalities are supporting 16 low-cost Rabies Vaccination Clinics throughout Leeds, Grenville and Lanark Counties. As in many other sectors, staff shortages have affected many of our vet clinics and therefore not all area vets have the capacity to participate.  Some areas where clinics operated previously may not have a clinic this year. To find the locations where clinics will be held, call 1-800-660-5853 or visit the Health Unit’s Low-Cost Rabies Vaccination Clinic page. Vaccinations are $20 cash only. Pets must be on a leash or in a carrier. Proof of Vaccination certificates are provided and these should be kept in a safe place as replacements will not be provided.

The goal of hosting these clinics is to help provide rabies vaccinations to as many cats and dogs as possible. Keeping your pets’ rabies immunization current protects your pet and your family from this disease.  In Ontario all owners of cats and dogs are required by law to have their pets immunized against rabies.

We encourage hunters to take advantage of these low cost clinics to get their dogs vaccinated against rabies prior to hunting season.  Hunting dogs are at a greater risk of encountering wild life that may have rabies, so vaccinate them to keep them protected

You can protect yourself and your family from animal bites by staying away from unknown or wild animals. If you or any member of your family has been bitten, scratched or in contact with a potentially rabid animal, seek medical attention from your health care provider, or go to your local hospital emergency department immediately. The Health Unit follows up on all reports of bites.   If you are the owner of a pet involved in a biting incident, regain control over your pet, provide assistance to the person bitten and provide your contact information to the person so the health unit can reach out to you to conduct a risk assessment.

For more information about preventing animal bites and the spread of rabies, visit our Low-Cost Rabies Vaccination Clinic page or connect with us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter @LGLHealthUnit or @lglhealthunit.z on Instagram for important public health updates.