BATON ROUGE, LA (WAFB) – Veterinary care costs, even for yearly vaccinations, can easily become a burden and mean the difference between keeping a pet or giving it up.
“Animals are such important parts of a family. They give people health, they give people wealth and they give them a home. Often times, for people who live alone, their animals are the only person they come home to,” said Baton Rouge District 5 City Councilman Daryl Hurst.
Councilman Hurst has partnered with Louisiana State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine and the Companion Animal Alliance to provide free pet vaccinations to communities in need.
“We changed the law a year ago to allow Companion Animal Alliance to provide a range of services, primarily in underserved areas,” he added.
This is not the first free clinic hosted by Councilman Hurst, but he quickly resumed it after lines were so long at his last clinic that he had to turn away nearly 100 cars.
“The lines of people waiting three to four hours to get vaccinated show just how important it is to get vaccinated, especially in these days when money is being squeezed for every bill,” Councillor Hurst explained.
According to the LSU College of Veterinary Medicine, it’s not just about animals that it’s important to make sure all pets are vaccinated.
“Rabies vaccines are required by law because rabies is a human disease that can be transmitted from person to person and can be fatal, so being able to at least vaccinate these dogs and cats against rabies is really important for people’s health,” said Krista Miller, a community outreach veterinarian at Louisiana State University.
Today’s vaccines also include the parvo vaccine, which prevents a disease that can be fatal to animals and is therefore recommended for all animals.
“It’s a very debilitating disease and often fatal. Puppies and cats can also catch other diseases, so if we can keep our pets healthy, we can keep people in our community healthy,” Miller added.
Councillor Hurst said he is looking into making this a quarterly or even monthly event because he sees a need.
For more information about Companion Animal Alliance, visit their website
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