Free jabs for cats and dogs to mark World Rabies Day

To mark World Rabies Day, September 28, the Animal Welfare Society will be offering free rabies vaccinations to cats and dogs until the end of the month. Pet owner Rehana Rutti took her dogs Blaze and Bella for the jab and were attended to by staff Mthembeni Mdudu and Jaques le Roux. Picture : Tracey Adams/African News Agency (ANA)

To mark World Rabies Day, September 28, the Animal Welfare Society will be offering free rabies vaccinations to cats and dogs until the end of the month. Pet owner Rehana Rutti took her dogs Blaze and Bella for the jab and were attended to by staff Mthembeni Mdudu and Jaques le Roux. Picture : Tracey Adams/African News Agency (ANA)

Published Sep 22, 2021

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Rabies is 99% fatal, yet 100% preventable.

September 28 is the 15th World Rabies Day, an event created to raise awareness and advocate for rabies elimination globally and designed to unite all people, organisations, and stakeholders against rabies.

This date was chosen as it is the anniversary of the death of Louis Pasteur - the first person to successfully create a vaccine against rabies.

This year the Animal Welfare Society of South Africa will be offering free rabies vaccinations to cats and dogs until the end of the month to help prevent the spread of this potentially deadly disease.

To mark World Rabies Day, September 28, the Animal Welfare Society will be offering free rabies vaccinations to cats and dogs until the end of the month. Pet owner Rehana Rutti took her dogs Blaze and Bella for the jab and were attended to by staff Mthembeni Mdudu and Jaques le Roux. Picture : Tracey Adams/African News Agency (ANA)

By law, all dogs and cats in South Africa must be vaccinated against rabies.

The first rabies vaccine is given at 12 weeks (3 months) of age, followed by a booster vaccination between 1 to 12 months later. Thereafter a booster every three years.

In high-risk areas, annual vaccination is strongly recommended.

It is never too late for your pet to receive their first vaccination, followed by the booster protocol.

If dogs and cats are effectively vaccinated and boosted as required, it creates a buffer of protection for humans as well as against other wildlife species that may have rabies.

Vaccinating 70% of dogs in at risk areas can eliminate canine rabies.

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