How the Rabies Clinic Came to Be

Mid-summer has arrived! It's hot and humid, and it's time for one of the busiest weeks of the year. Now, those of you who have been with us at Arcadia Vet for some time will know that we have an annual Rabies Clinic in July. It's a busy week for all involved with animals coming in and out for their vaccinations (and maybe back again with the required eight dollars in cash).

If you're like me, you probably haven't given much thought to the why behind this annual event. The 1st of July arrives and that simply means the Rabies Clinic will come before month's end. Better stock up on your cash if you have more than a couple pets.

So imagine my surprise when I realized that there was a story behind this fixture in the schedule of Arcadia Veterinary Practice.

Picture this: It's 1994, summertime in Elizabeth City. As part of making the pets of the city safer and assisting those who might not think of rabies being a problem unless it is pointed out, veterinarians all over the city have Rabies Clinics. They are set up outside in parks and in the parking lots of shelters. It is hot. In an attempt to stay cool, owners are overheating their cars and stranding themselves. Dogs are biting the vets and volunteers. Cats are scratching anyone close enough. There are no less than five escape attempts per hour. Dogs go straight into the nearby active street. Cats aim for trees and underneath parked cars. There's at least one animal that escaped while in the owner's car and refuses to emerge. Clients, vets, volunteers, and animals are all prone to injury and heatstroke.

Every clinic is the picture of chaos.

Then everything goes back to normal. Until next year, when it is repeated.

Dr. Kaylor, like any veterinarian of the area, participated in the war to fight rabies whenever it was time for the clinic to happen back when she worked in Elizabeth City. It's a serious virus after all. Any mammal can become infected by bites from rabid creatures, and once symptoms appear, it's fatal. Man is no exception to this rule. Our saving grace is getting Post-Exposure Prophylaxis before the symptoms appear.

Man's best friend(s), however? They don't get that second chance. If an unvaccinated pet is bitten by a wild animal, then they need to be kept in isolation to wait for symptoms to appear (think about the end of Old Yeller). And if they do....well, I again refer you to the end of Old Yeller, (spoiler, it is not a happy ending). Treatment methods have not changed, though they have become more humane.

Then there are the facts that owners don't always think about. In most states, it is illegal for your dog or cat to remain unvaccinated, regardless of whether they are indoor or outdoor pets. If a bat or raccoon gets into your house, your indoor cat could be exposed to rabies. If you have outdoor animals, you never know what might wander into the yard or onto the path of your walk.

Or who for that matter. If an unvaccinated pet bites someone, then by law, the pet in question is required to undergo a ten day quarantine, and then be vaccinated if they have survived the quarantine period.

The only way to prevent a furry friend from contracting the virus is by administering the rabies vaccine prior to exposure. And that vaccine is the only way for the law to recognize that your pet cannot possibly spread rabies.

An example certificate which acts as definitive proof of a rabies vaccination. Posted with owner's permission.

So every year, the veterinarians went out en masse in order to spread the word and help ensure pets from all walks of life got the vaccine they needed. When Dr. Kaylor joined Arcadia Veterinary Practice in 2000, there was a yearly Rabies Clinic already established at all practices in the area. They were much like the others - bring your pet and five dollars, and the vaccine would be administered. There was, however, one noticeable difference: This Rabies Clinic wasn't done outside in a parking lot. It was not hot despite the heat of July. There was no chaos of trying to contain the animals. There was, in fact, not a single escape that involved staff and owner alike attempting to recapture a dog that had decided it preferred racing across an active road rather than getting a shot. The cats never made it to nearby trees. Not a single person ended up stranded by an overheated car.

This was all due to one very simple reason that Dr. Kaylor thought was pure genius: The Rabies Clinics were done on location.

And thus, it remains so to the present day. Still in the heat of summer on the third week of July, still lasts only a week, and - though the price has increased slightly over the years - cash is still required no matter how many people would prefer card or check, but always at the brick and mortar building we are all so familiar with. The idea of Rabies Clinics has begun to drop off as attention shifts to other focuses over the decades, but the fact remains that vaccinating your pets is just as important now as it was around the turn of the century.

So if your pet hasn't been vaccinated, come on over during the annual Rabies Clinic (July 18-25 this year). If you want a three year vaccine, bring a certificate to prove that your pet received received a prior shot (see above for an example). The rabies tag will not count as proof. The vaccine during this clinic will cost eight dollars, in cash only. No appointment needed!

Best,

Dr. K's Blonde Daughter