The clinic will be held at the Rockmart Gym on Hogue Avenue, behind the tennis courts. The clinic runs from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, April 25.
All shots will be $5 for dogs, cats and ferretts and $10 for horses. All animals must be at least 12 weeks of age, healthy and restrained with a leash or carrier.
The Polk County Humane Society will also be at the event distributing information concerning rabies and pet care information.
The incidence of rabies is on the rise in the State of Georgia. Hall County had 15 cases in 2008. Polk County had three positive cases of animal rabies in 2005, one in 2006 and two in 2008.
A Cedartown woman reported being bitten by a raccoon, believed to be rabid, last October near the Silver Comet Trail southwest of Cedartown.
Rabies is a fatal virus that attacks the central nervous system. The virus is transferred through saliva when a rabid animal bits and/or scratches another animal.
Unless the victim obtains immediate treatment, the virus will penetrate the nerve endings, traveling to the brain and saliva glands, resulting in the victim's death.
Symptoms can vary or mimic other neurological diseases.
To protect yourself and others against rabies, the following is a list of necessary precautions that should be taken:
1) All cats, ferrets and dogs, especially hunting dogs, should be vaccinated against rabies. Not only is it the law, but it protects you and your loved ones;
2) Limit your contact with stray dogs and cats, and avoid wild animals such as raccoons, bats, coyotes, skunks, etc. as they could be carrying this deadly virus.
The following is a list of things you should do if you think you may have been exposed to a suspected rabid animal through a bite or a scratch:
1) Wash the wound with warm, soapy water;
2) Seek immediate medical treatment;
3) Contact the local health department in your area.
The following is a list of things you should do with the animal that bit you:
1) If the animal is a dog or cat, do not kill it! The health department will determine if the animal should be confined for 10 days or if the animal should be euthanized for testing. If the animal is killed, the health department will not be able to confirm that the animal was rabid, consequently making it difficult to determine if the victim will require rabies post-exposure treatment. If the dog or cat is a stray, Polk County Animal Control can provide asistance in the capture and confinement of the animal;
2) If the animal is wild, PCAC may require the assistance of the Department of Natural Resources in its capture.
For more about rabies prevention and vaccinations, contact Kathy Couey-Miller, Polk County Health Deparmtent, 770-749-2270.
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