Tuesday, April 1, 2008

Fort Worth will offer low-cost rabies vaccinations April 12, 26

By Pegasus News wire

FORT WORTH — Low-cost pet license and rabies vaccination clinics are set from 1 to 3 p.m. April 12 and April 26. The first clinic will take place at the Animal Care and Control Center, 4900 Martin St. The second one will be at Trail Drivers Park, 1700 NE 28th St. The clinics are designed to increase the number of pets with current tags and rabies vaccinations.

The annual city pet license costs $7 per animal, and a rabies vaccination can cost even more. However, to increase the number of animals with current identification and protect residents and pets from rabies, Fort Worth’s Animal Care and Control Division offers both the license and the three-year rabies vaccination for only $4.

You also can have your pet micro-chipped for $10. A tiny, rice-sized computer chip with a unique number is injected under the skin on the pet’s shoulder. If the pet is lost, the microchip can be used to find its owner. All lost pets are scanned for microchips when they arrive at the city’s animal shelter.

Owners of impounded animals with current identification are quickly notified when a pet is lost. Although all pets in Fort Worth are required to be licensed, less than 1 percent of impounded animals have identification. Animal Care and Control officials believe the lack of identification is the number one reason for high euthanasia rates in animal shelters.

A city-issued pet license and rabies vaccination are required each year for all dogs, cats and ferrets living inside the city limits of Fort Worth. City licenses may be obtained with proof of a current rabies vaccination at the Animal Care and Control Center, 4900 Martin St., or a local veterinarian.

Currently, dogs, cats and ferrets must have their first rabies vaccination by the age of four months, the second rabies vaccination one year later and then every three years after the initial series.

The rabies vaccination also is required for all pets to protect the population from the threat of the deadly rabies virus present in wild animal populations. For more information, call 817-392-3737.

Source: City of Fort Worth

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• Pets

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