Get Your Pets Vaccinated

Tuesday, 22 October 2019 05:51

Following a rabies outbreak in the Port Stanley area last week, all pet owners are being reminded to get their animals vaccinated.

PORT STANLEY - A reminder to all pet owners that it is very important to get your pet vaccinated for rabies partly due to the risk of exposure to wild animals with rabies.

Late last week a wild mink tested positive for the rabies virus in the Port Stanley area, there is no report of the animal exposing people or pets to the virus.

The rabies vaccine is important for your pets and families safety, Manager of Environmental Health Amy Pavletic explains.

"We always promote insuring pets are vaccinated within our rabies program we always make sure that messaging is out. we were recently notified of a positive mink that was in the area, sharing that information with the public can let them realize that wild animals in their area can carry the rabies virus, and that if their pet comes in contact with a wild animal and they aren't vaccinated they could run the risk of contracting the rabies virus."

Rabies is caused by a virus that can infect any mammal, including pets and humans, the virus is found in the saliva of an infected animal and can be spread through:

- Bites that break the skin

- Getting infected saliva in an open cut, sore, or other wound

- Getting infected saliva in the mouth, nose, or eyes

Pavletic explains why it is so important to make sure your pet is vaccinated.

"The rabies virus is almost always fatal, so if you get the vaccine it can protect you from getting sick and dying, and once an animal shows symptoms of the rabies virus its too late you cant treat it at that point so having them vaccine is the best step to make sure that our pets don't get rabies and die. humans can also get rabies so insuring that our pets are vaccinated against this virus also protects people who may come in contact with pets or animals who aren't vaccinated, it prevents the virus from getting to humans as well, it is a very important public health initiative to make sure that nobody in our population is exposed to the rabies virus."

The rabies vaccine protects pets, animals and humans from the disease, in Ontario wild animals are the most common carriers of the rabies virus the province vaccinates the local wildlife by dropping bait containing the vaccine in urban, forested and rural agricultural areas to control rabies in wildlife ensuring that the transmission of the rabies virus is prevented in Ontario.

This a joint effort between pet owners, Public Health, veterinarians, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry and the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. Public health officials suggest talking to your vet about the appropriate vaccination schedule for your pet.