Protect Your Pets: Suffolk To Offer Free Rabies Vaccines Next Weekend

BROOKHAVEN, NY — Suffolk County residents can bring their fur babies to Brookhaven for free rabies vaccinations next weekend.

The Suffolk County Department of Health Services is offering free rabies vaccinations for dogs, cats and ferrets on Saturday, July 26, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Brookhaven Animal Shelter at 300 Horseblock Rd.

The clinic is available to Suffolk County residents; however, the quantity of vaccines is limited and available only while supplies last.

All dogs must be on leashes and all cats and ferrets must be in carriers.

According to the Department of Health, rabies is a deadly disease caused by a virus that attacks the central nervous system and is most often found in wild animals such as raccoons, bats, skunks, and foxes.

However, any mammal can be infected with rabies and pets and livestock can get rabies if they are not properly vaccinated.

Two dozen cases of rabies have been reported in Nassau County since last summer, inspiring the Department of Health to issue a public health warning on Monday.

Recently tightened New York State laws require dogs and cats to receive their first rabies vaccine no later than four months after birth. A second rabies booster must be given within one year of the initial vaccine.

Rules require additional booster shots every one or three years after that, depending on which vaccine is used. Pet owners who do not have their pets vaccinated or keep the animals' booster shots current can be fined as much as $2000 for violations.

Pets and livestock can get rabies if they are not vaccinated to protect them against infection.

Three to six percent of the bats tested annually in Suffolk County test positive for rabies, the DOH said. In 2017, one river otter tested positive for rabies.

The first sign of rabies is often a change in an animal's behavior. A rabid animal might become abnormally aggressive or unusually tame. Infected animals might stagger, spit and/or froth at the mouth.

All animal bites or contact with animals suspected of being rabid should be reported to the Suffolk County Department of Health Services at 631-853-0333. If possible, contain the animal so that it can be tested.

Animal lovers can find the latest news and alerts about rabies incidents in Suffolk County at the health department’s website.