Tangipahoa Parish Animal Services Holding Free Vaccine Clinics for Family Pets

HAMMOND, La (press release) – Tangipahoa Parish Animal Services will be holding two free vaccine clinics for family pets thanks to generous support from Petco Love and the Brandywine Valley SPCA. Free shots include rabies and distemper vaccines for dogs and rabies and FVRCP vaccines for cats.

The clinics will be a drive-through format. Families will bring their pets in their car and queue up to an outdoor vaccination station. Cats should be in carriers, and dogs should be leashed should they need to come out of the car for their vaccinations.

Annual rabies and distemper/parvo vaccinations protect pets against the most common potentially fatal infectious diseases. For puppies and kittens, distemper vaccinations should begin at 6 weeks of age followed by a series of boosters then a rabies vaccination at 3 months of age.

The free clinics help families care for their pets who may not otherwise be able to afford this preventive care. “We’re excited to be offering these free clinics for the first time,” said Chip Fitz, Director, Tangipahoa Parish Animal Services. “No family should have to trim back on basic, essential care for the safety of their pets simply for financial reasons.”

These clinics are part of a larger initiative at Tangipahoa Parish Animal Services to increase its impact in the community. In January of this year, the shelter began a peer-to-peer mentoring project with the Brandywine Valley SPCA, located in Pennsylvania and Delaware.

“Our mentoring project marries the Tangi team’s passion for saving lives with additional resources and expertise that we’re able to bring,” said Adam Lamb, Brandywine Valley SPCA CEO. To date, the collaboration has resulted in increasing lives saved at the shelter from 20% to 80%, with a goal to reach a sustainable 90% by the end of the year.