The Westchester County Department of Health will sponsor a free rabies vaccine clinic for pets on Sunday, April 19, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Stamen Animal Hospital, 61 Quaker Ridge Road in New Rochelle.
Vaccines will be given on a firstcome, first-serve basis. Please call ahead to 914-632-1269 so Stamen will have an accurate estimate of the number of cats, dogs, or ferrets to be inoculated. Please bring proof of prior rabies vaccination if available. An adult must supervise each pet. Cats and ferrets must be in carriers, dogs must be leashed, and aggressive dogs must be muzzled. No exams will be given.
Westchester County Department of Health Commissioner Dr. Sherlita Amler said: “As spring warms up, people and their pets spend more time outdoors, and that brings increased chances of contact with feral cats or other animals that may carry rabies. To protect yourself and your family, verify that your pets’ rabies vaccines are up to date, and arrange for a free booster
shot if needed. If you, your child or your pet are bitten or scratched by someone else’s pet, wash the wound right away,
seek medical attention immediately, call the Health Department and get the name and address of the owner so that the biting pet’s rabies vaccine records can be verified. That way, the bite victim may be able to avoid a series of rabies shots.”
New York State law requires a first rabies shot for dogs and cats by four months of age; a second shot within one year of the first and boosters every one or three years, depending on the vaccine. Owners who fail to comply could face fines of up to $2,000.
Rabies is a fatal disease that spreads through bites or contact with saliva from infected animals. Rabies exposures have happened throughout Westchester, during encounters with stray and feral cats and kittens, raccoons, skunks, coyotes, foxes and even a bear cub. Bats can also carry rabies. Cats and dogs are at risk because they can easily contract rabies through contact with wild or stray animals.
A pet that is up-to-date with its rabies vaccinations would only need a booster dose of vaccine within five days of the pet’s exposure to a known or suspect rabid animal. Animals not upto-date with rabies vaccinations would be quarantined or euthanized following contact with a rabid or suspect-rabid animal.
