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The Harlan Animal Hospital will be holding their annual Rabies Clinics soon, making getting your pet vaccinated for rabies as easy as taking your dog or cat to the nearest clinic location rather than having to travel all the way to Harlan Animal Hospital.

The clinics will be offering rabies vaccinations throughout Harlan County throughout the month of May and well into June.

Amanda Bray, Harlan Animal Hospital Office Manager, talked about this year’s rabies clinics during a recent telephone interview.

Except for 2020, 2021, and 2022, the Rabies Clinic has been taking place every year for approximately 35 years.

Bray explained the clinics are for vaccinating dogs and cats for rabies, however some additional vaccines will also be available.

The cost for a rabies vaccination will be $7 for both dogs and cats. Additional vaccinations for dogs will be Distemper/Parvo – $16, Bordetella – $16, and Lyme $42. For cats, the Fel Leukemia/Distemper/Calici vaccine will be available for $31. Price does not include tax.

“At the clinics, we always have a couple employees set up before the doctor and his assistant arrive,” Bray said.

After the vaccination, the pet owner will receive a written record of the vaccination.

“We keep a copy and give you a copy,” Bray said. “We keep a copy for our records.”

In addition to the health of the animal, Bray pointed out there are additional reasons for a rabies vaccination.

“If you have a dog, it’s the law that you have them vaccinated for rabies,” Bray explained. “If you have a dog and it bites somebody and the dog hasn’t been vaccinated, the only way to definitively know if your dog has rabies or not is euthanasia.”

Bray pointed out the only way to test a dog for rabies is to remove the head and test the brain of the animal.

There may be some minor side effects of the vaccine.

“Some of them you don’t see any difference at all, they go on like nothing happened,” Bray said. “But occasionally, you’ll have some that get a little lethargic, they may not eat, they might be a little achy and whining.”

While an allergic reaction is not common, it is a possibility.

“If you see them having any kind of allergic reaction, you need to get them to a vet immediately,” Bray said. “It’ll be like anaphylactic shock, and it would happen pretty quickly.”

The clinic locations and times are:

Tuesday, May 7 – Evarts Elementary School from 5:50 – 6:30 p.m. and Saylor’s Grocery at Holmes Mill from 6:50 p.m. until 7:10 p.m.;

Thursday, May 9 – Cumberland (Old High School Parking Lot) from 6:10 p.m. until 7:30 p.m.;

Tuesday, May 14, Wallins Elementary School from 5:45 p.m. until 6:30 p.m. and Howard’s Gas Station in Pathfork from 6:45 p.m. until 7 p.m.;

Thursday, May 16, Coldiron Post Office from 5:50 p.m. until 6:15 p.m., Tremont Gas Station from 6:25 pm until 6:40 p.m.; and Loyall Post Office from 6:50 p.m. until 7:20 p.m.;

Tuesday, May 21, Baxter Post Office from 5:50 p.m. until 6:15 p.m., Bledsoe Post Office from 6:30 p.m. until 6:15 p.m., and the Pine Mountain Settlement School from 7 p.m. until 7:30 p.m.;

Thursday, May 23, The Extension Depot from 5:50 p.m. to 6:20 p.m., and The Laurels in Teetersville from 6:30 p.m. to 7 p.m.;

Tuesday, June 4, Ages Pentacostal Church from 5:50 p.m. to 6:20 p.m., Old Verda Grade School from 6:30 p.m. to 7 p.m., and Old Evarts High School from 7:10 p.m. to 7:50 p.m.;

Thursday, June 6, Rosspoint Elementary School from 5:50 p.m. to 6:20 p.m., Putney Bible Church from 6:30 p.m. to 7 p.m.;

Tuesday, June 11, Challenge Academy from 5:50 p.m. to 6:20 p.m., Cawood Elementary School from 6:30 p.m. to 7 p.m., and Cranks Post Office from 7:15 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.

“So many things that we see are preventable,” Bray said. “We’ve seen an uptick in Parvo, we’ve been battling that recently. It’s really sad because it’s 100 percent preventable. You can keep your pet from having to go through it. Some of them make it and some of them don’t, but they’re not going to make it without help. Then there’s the expense, it’s cheaper to go ahead and prevent it than it is to treat it.”

The Rabies Clinics are cash or check only. For more information, go to the Harlan Animal Hospital Facebook page or call 606-573-9662.

“Just come see us and have your pets vaccinated!” Bray said.