Free vaccines for pets given at local events
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POLSON — The Mission Valley Animal Shelter and Petco teamed up on Saturday to help protect the four-legged furry members of our families by holding a free vaccination event.
Hosted at the Polson Skate Park, Mission Valley area pet owners were able to bring their cats and dogs to a portable clinic staged in the parking lot to receive the free vaccinations.
“A lot of people cannot afford to get their pets vaccinated and we like to help them protect their animals,” said Raeva Corkill, manager of the Mission Valley Valley Animal Shelter.
The free vaccinations were made possible through Petco Love’s new national vaccination initiative, which is providing one million free pet vaccines nationwide to family pets in need.
According to a press release from Petco Love, “An estimated 30% of pet parents do not take their pet to a veterinarian annually for preventative care.”
To address this critical need and ensure the health and wellness of pets, Petco Love has partnered up with local community organizations like the MVAS to make pet vaccines free and accessible.
Vaccines distributed during the event were the DAPPv Canine vaccination, which protect dogs against five serious illnesses including parvovirus and distemper, and the FVRCP vaccination, which protect cats from three serious illnesses including panleukopenia were given to cats.
“We received a grant for 425 vaccinations to distribute throughout our community,” noted Corkill.
The parvovirus and distemper in dogs, and panleukopenia in cats, are some of the most prevalent deadly diseases impacting pets that are preventable with a simple vaccine.
“It is heartbreaking when any pet suffers or dies from a disease that could have been prevented. It is further exacerbated when unvaccinated pets come into busy shelter kennels, where these deadly diseases can spread quickly, resulting in multiple deaths, skyrocketing expenses, and hindering saving pet lives,” said Susanne Kogut, Petco Love President. “By creating greater awareness and making this crucial preventative care more accessible to pets not currently receiving these lifesaving vaccines, we can prevent the dangerous spread of disease.”
The goal for MVAS was to vaccinate 400 local pets through Saturday’s event.
“For our first clinic we had expected a little better turnout, but hopefully more people will come to our next clinic which will be announced once we have the day set,” said Corkill.
MVAS administered 14 dog vaccinations and 16 cat vaccinations.
“Overall, it was a good day for our first vaccine clinic,” said Corkill. “We also raised $132.50 in donations. We appreciate all the people who did come and get their animals up to date. Pet vaccinations are extremely important, and it was our pleasure to get some free ones out to the public.”
MVAS urges community members to take advantage of this free resource to help ensure the health and wellness of our community’s pets.
For more information about free vaccine distribution or pet adoption services, call MVAS at 406-883-5312 or visit missionvalleyanimalshelter.org. To learn more about Petco Love’s lifesaving impact, visit PetcoLove.org.
