Koronadal City—-The Provincial Veterinary Office spearheaded the culmination of Rabies Awareness Month with the theme “Rabies-free na pusa’t aso, kaligtasan ng pamilyang Pilipino.” PVET conducted dog and cat vaccination and castration at the Provincial Capitol of South Cotabato, Tuesday.
Dr. Flora D. Bigot, Provincial Veterinarian, reminded pet owners to be responsible in handling their pets during her welcome address.
“Be a responsible pet owner. Pagiging responble pet owner ay kailangang napabakunahan mo sa rabies ang alaga mong aso, bigyan mo ng magandang tulugan, pagkain, malinis na tubig, at huwag hayaang pagala-gala ang ating mga alagang aso,” Bigot said.
Lawyer Renette Bergado, Provincial Administrator, pointed out that when a dog bites someone, the owner will shoulder all the expenses needed by the person who got bitten by the dog. She also reminded pet owners that rabies is a death-causing virus, “…ang atin talagang aim dito ay zero, zero talaga na casualty because of rabies because every life is precious.”
Moreover, Dr. Ramelo G. Quinton, Rabies Program Coordinator, added, “…rabies is one hundred percent fatal but if we are responsible pet owners it is also one hundred percent preventable.”
According to Quinton, dog castration will cost 1,500-1,700 pesos, and cat castration costs 500-700 pesos. Removing the testes from male dogs and cats reduces the breeding instinct, making them less inclined to roam and more content to stay at home.
Furthermore, Quinton added that they have visited seven (7) out of ten (10) municipalities and one (1) city in the Province of South Cotabato in the last three months. These municipalities are Banga, Polomolok, Surallah, Tantangan, Tupi, Sto. Nino, and the city of Koronadal.
A partial total of 13, 105 dogs and cats were vaccinated with the anti-rabies vaccine. The team castrated 50 dogs and cats.
(With reports from Lucille Caberte and Photo by Joan Barcenas)
