CVO intensifies animal anti-rabies vaccination in November

November 14, 2022

With the arrival of requested anti-rabies vaccines, the City Veterinarians Office aims to focus its manpower this month on rabies vaccination in all districts to achieve its 100,000 heads target for 2022, an official said.

“For the month of November, actually full force ta karon for the rabies vaccination since niabot ang atong more or less 10,463 vials of rabies vaccines, in which kung i-times ten na nimo 100,000 kapin ka heads nga dogs and cats nga pwede nato mabakunahan (For the month of November, actually we are in full force for our rabies vaccination since more or less 10,643 vials of rabies vaccines have arrived, which if we multiply this to ten, more or less 100,000 dogs and cats could be catered to),” Dr. Gay Pallar, chief of the Animal Husbandry and Disease Control Division of the City Veterinarian’s Office (CVO) said in an interview with the City Information Office on Monday.

Pallar said there has been a delay in the delivery of the bulk of the vaccine, which is why they will focus more on vaccination this month and would “lie low” on other services such as castration.

“As of October, naa nata’y nabakunahan nga 75,395 ka iring ug iro, so more or less 40,824 ka dog owners or cat owners ang nanag-iya (As of October, we have vaccinated a total of 75,395 cats and dogs, so more or less 40,824 dog and cat owners),” she added.

She said that anti-rabies vaccination has to be intensified because Davao City is at high risk of rabies due to stray dogs or cats.

”Makita ninyo sa baba nga everyday nga naay daghan kaayo nagapabakuna kadtong mga napaakan, mao gani nga gina-intensify nato ang pag-prevent og rabies diri sa atoang dogs and cats kay kung tagaan nato og services ug bakuna ang mga tao mas dako man gud siya in comparison with kining bakuna nga para sa mga hayop or dogs and cats against rabies (As you can see every day at the (CHO Animal Bite Center) a lot of people are availing of vaccines, those who had an animal bite, this is the reason why we are intensifying our rabies prevention for our dogs and cats because vaccines for people is much more costly compared to the vaccines for dogs and cats against rabies),” Pallar said.

She added that Dabawenyos may check with their barangays for their schedule and bring their pets.
“As much as possible kadtong i-submit nila nga animals for vaccination is dapat healthy. Wala nagsakit og wala nakapaak at least 14 days prior sa pagpabakuna (As much as possible the animals for vaccination should be in good health. They are not sick or have not bitten anyone at least 14 days before the vaccination),’’ Pallar said, adding that pet owners can also bring their own syringe and disposable needles if they want.

She encouraged Dabawenyos to keep an eye on their pets and care for them by providing good food and adequate shelter to prevent them from straying and scavenging for food elsewhere, such as in garbage dumps.

“Mao nay [nagahatag] og tendency for them nga magkaroon og rabies or magspread og sakit or infection (This causes the tendency for them to have rabies and spread diseases or infection),” Pallar said, adding that stray animals can also cause accidents affecting people.

She added that the prevalence of stray dogs could be evident from the request of even subdivisions in the city for the impounding services of the CVO.
“Grabe ang request karon sa opisina, almost every day ang mga subdivisions naga-request sa amoa for impounding… because of the irresponsible pet owners nga ginapasagdan nila nga naglatagaw ang ilahang hayop, especially dogs. Naa ta’y impounding vehicle nga nagasuroy to impound stray animals, to impound dogs and cats, at least to control rabies from spreading here in Davao City (We receive many requests in our office for impounding of animals from the subdivisions.. because of irresponsible pet owners who just let their pets go astray. We have impounding vehicles roaming around to impound dogs and cats, at least to control rabies from spreading here in Davao City),” Pallar said.

She said that to claim their animals from the animal impounding site in Malagos, Baguio District, owners should pay a Php500 impounding fee and an additional Php50 pesos per day. If not claimed for three days, the animals are euthanized because the city has no budget to allow them to stay for long.

The CVO’s facility for animal rehabilitation will have its full operation next year with the approval of its operational cost under the 2023 budget.

With the rehabilitation, the selected impounded animals will be rehabilitated and will be up for adoption by eligible individuals. CIO