By MATT PIKE
St. Joseph Post
Spring is here and that brings the ticks and fleas out
Friends of the Animal Shelter's Melanie Barnes says it's important to protect your pets from those fleas and ticks as you have them out this spring
"Not only are they pesky, annoying, but they can carry a lot of disease, they can have a lot of dramatic effect on your pets," Barnes tells KFEQmunnity host Brent Martin. "Ticks carry a lot of infectious disease including Lyme, rocky mountain spotted fever, there's a tick that can cause paralysis, so it's really important to understand what your pets need so they stay protected from flea and tick infestation and disease."
Barnes encourages pet owners to find the best preventative measures for fleas and ticks for both their dogs and cats to protect their animals
"So finding out what is good for the owner, good for the pet, and this is more than dogs this is cats as well, finding out what's the best route to get it in them, what are we talking about from dollars and cents they can be expensive, and then also what are we talking about from it being effective," Barnes explains. "Because a ot of the early flea and tick medications only kill the adults, and sometimes that's not enough."
Barnes says pet owners should ensure they find the right treatment and prevention measures that attack every life cycle stage for ticks and fleas to protect their pets
The St. Joseph Animal Shelter is also holding its annual low-cost rabies vaccination clinics to help protect pets from rabies and help keep them legal
Barnes says the clinics will be held on five dates this month, with the first happening today at Lindbergh Elementary School
Barnes says the clinic provides low-cost rabies vaccinations
"And then most of the time you can also get a reduced cost combination vaccine for your cat or your dog through the veterinarian whose providing that, they also did microchipping, and city tags, and dog park tags, etc.," Barnes says. "So it's a great way to get a convenient low-cost way to get your pets up to date on their vaccines and stay legal."
Clinics will also be held May 6th at Hosea Elementary School, May 8th at Church of the Nazarene, May 13th at Skaith Elementary School, and May 15th at Mark Twain Elementary School.
The clinics each run from 6 to 8pm. Vaccinations cost five dollars, or you can get a combination vaccine for 10 dollars.
You can follow Matt on X @KfeqMatt and St. Joseph Post @StJosephPost.