Those periodic grooming appointments and checkups are so important to the health of our pets. We are getting into summer when the risk of heartworms is high as mosquitoes swarm. Flea and tick season is upon us. These are just a few things to stay on top of for the regular maintenance of your pet.
The Gordon County 4-H is doing a great job of helping local residents vaccinate their pets at a reasonable price. They recently completed their annual rabies clinic (see page 2A) and are gearing up for the first horse care day Saturday, June 6, at the Northwest Georgia Fairgrounds. With all of these opportunities, it’s hard to make excuses for not staying on top of those annual vaccinations for both house pets and equines.
These shots and medications may seem trivial, but they help to keep animals healthy from year to year. The bottom line is, pets are living, breathing creatures, and they deserve the best care we can give them.
As procedures and medications become more advanced, prices go up, similar to the human medical field. Kurt Sutherland, 4-H Coordinator, said 4-H clinics are not only easy on the pocketbook — flea and tick medications, rabies shots and equine procedures like Coggins tests are offered at a reduced price — but they are easy to access. The rabies clinic takes place during two days at various locations throughout the county including Resaca, Fairmount, Oakman, Oostanaula, Nickelsville and Calhoun, Sutherland said.
The drawback at this point is that the clinics do only take place once each year. Sutherland said he is considering coordinating another rabies clinic in the fall for people who missed the first one. The clinic would be a one-day event that would take place in one location sometime in September, he said.
If you can’t get to a rabies clinic or horse care day, remember to take advantage of the wonderful veterinarians we have in this area and keep those vaccinations current.
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