The Suffolk
County Department of Health Services (SCDHS) and the Town of Brookhaven will
offer free rabies vaccinations for dogs, cats and ferrets on Saturday, October 27, 2018, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Brookhaven Animal Shelter located at 300 Horseblock Road, Brookhaven, NY. The clinic is
available to all county residents, however, the quantity of vaccine is limited
and available only while supplies last. All dogs must be on leashes and all cats and
ferrets must be in carriers.
Rabies, a deadly disease caused by a virus
that attacks the central nervous system, is seen most often among wild animals
such as raccoons, bats, skunks and foxes, but any mammal can be infected with
rabies. Pets and livestock can get rabies if they are not vaccinated to protect
them against infection.
New York State and Suffolk County laws
require that all dogs, cats and ferrets be vaccinated against rabies.
Vaccinating pets not only provides protection for the animals but also acts as
a barrier to keep the rabies virus from spreading between wild animals and
people.
Although no raccoons have tested positive
for the rabies virus in Suffolk County since 2009, three to six percent of the
bats that are tested annually are positive for rabies.
The Suffolk County Department of Health
Services recommends the following precautions to protect your pets and your
family from possible exposure to rabies:
-
Do
not feed, touch or approach wild animals, or stray dogs or cats.
-
Be
sure your pet dogs, cats and ferrets as well as horses and other livestock
animals are up-to-date on their rabies vaccinations.
-
Pets
that are too young to be vaccinated should be kept indoors and allowed outside
only under direct observation.
-
Keep
family pets indoors at night. Do not leave them outside unattended or let them
roam free.
-
Do
not attract wild animals to your home or yard. Keep your property free of
stored bird seed or other foods that may attract wild animals. Feed pets
indoors. Tightly cover or put away garbage cans. Board up any openings to your
attic, basement, porch or garage. Cap your chimney with screens.
-
Do
not transport or relocate any wild animals.
-
Teach
children not to touch any animal they do not know and to tell an adult
immediately if they are bitten by any animal.
To keep bats from
getting into buildings:
-
Make
sure windows have screens, chimneys are capped, and electrical and plumbing
openings are plugged;
-
Avoid
leaving unscreened doors and windows open to the outside;
-
Seal
all openings to the outdoors that are larger than 1/2 inch;
-
Use
materials such as expanding spray-on foam, caulk, wire mesh, wood that fits
tightly, steel wool (around pipes that enter buildings), or polypropylene bird
netting, to seal or cover gaps and holes.
Report all animal bites or contact with wild
animals to the Suffolk County Department of Health Services at (631) 853-0333 weekdays, 9:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. Animal bites or
contact with wild animals can be reported to the Department at (631) 852-4820
outside normal business hours. If possible, try to contain the
animal so that it can be tested.
For more information
about the rabies vaccination clinic, call Brookhaven Animal Shelter at 631-451-6950
For more information on rabies, visit the
New York State Department of Health website at http://www.health.state.ny.us/nysdoh/rabies/rabies.htm,
the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website at http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvrd/rabies/.
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