Ben Madilynn
DAGUPAN CITY — At least 100 pet dogs and cats were vaccinated against rabies, dewormed, spayed, neutered, and received minor surgical services during a free veterinary mission through the collaboration between the local government unit (LGU) of Pozorrubio and the Center for Christian Veterinary Mission Pilipinas, Inc. (CCVMPI) to promote pet care and wellbeing on July 1 at the Florencio M. Buen Sports Complex in Pozorrubio town.
The CCVMPI is a Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)-registered non-profit organization dedicated to providing veterinary care and services, promoting animal health, and integrating faith-based principles into their mission.
Dr. Tuesday Cariño Templon, veterinarian and founding president of the organization, emphasized the importance of ensuring the health and well-being of both pets and humans in the community.
“We performed rabies vaccinations and other minor surgical services. We also performed spaying and neutering because dogs and cats are wanderers and will look for mates, that is why they are spayed and neutered to prevent them from roaming and to reduce the number of stray animals,” Templon said.
She affirmed that rabies is a deadly viral infection that can be transmitted to humans through the bite of an infected animal, hence, vaccinating pets not only protects them from the virus but also helps prevent the spread of the disease to humans.
They have provided free rabies vaccinations across various barangays and mentioned that there have been no reported rabies cases in the town.
According to data from the Department of Health Center for Health Development 1 (DOH CHD 1), there were 14 reported cases of rabies in the Ilocos region as of June 22.
Dr. Rheuel Bobis, head of the Disease Prevention and Control Section at DOH CHD 1, said there were nine cases in Pangasinan, two in La Union, one in Ilocos Sur, and two in Ilocos Norte.
“Ang magandang balita po ay kung ikukumpara natin ito sa mga kaso noong nakaraang taon, nagkaroon po tayo ng kaunting pagbaba. Mayroon tayong 6.7 percent na pagbaba sa mga kaso po ng rabies kumpara sa nakaraang taon, dahil sa parehong time period last year, mayroon tayong 15 na naitalang kaso,” he said.
(The good news is if we compare it with the cases last year, we noted a slight decrease. We have a 6.7 percent decrease from our rabies cases last year because, during the same period last year, we recorded 15 cases.)
Templon advised that if bitten by a dog or a cat, the individual must clean the wound for several minutes with running water and soap and then go to the hospital immediately for treatment.
Also, she said the dog or cat should be observed for 14 days to see if it shows signs of rabies.
If the animal has rabies, it will die or show clinical signs within 14 days after the bite.
Meanwhile, Pozorrubio Mayor Kelvin Chan underscored the importance of collaborations between public and private entities in providing valuable services to the community.
“Public-private partnerships offering free veterinary services for pets are greatly beneficial to the community by improving pet health, reducing the financial burden on pet owners, and promoting responsible pet care practices,” said Chan.
Melanie Fernandez, a 46-year-old pet owner from Barangay Palguyod in Pozorrubio, who availed of the free veterinary services for her five cats, affirmed the importance of regularly monitoring the health of animals.
“Sa pagkakaroon ng mga alaga, hindi lamang dapat na pet lover ka, kundi responsableng fur parent ka rin. Kasi kung hindi mo sila aalagaan ng mabuti, maaari silang magkasakit at magdulot ng problema sa tahanan,” she said, expressing her appreciation for the service received for her pets.
(Having pets means you should not only be a pet lover but also a responsible fur parent. If you don’t take good care of them, they could get sick and cause problems at home.)
Lovely Pamela Serran, a 29-year-old from Barangay Batakil in Pozorrubio, also expressed her appreciation for the service provided during the veterinary mission, which included deworming and neutering her three dogs and two cats.
“Ang mga ganitong free veterinary service ay talagang malaking ginhawa sa bulsa. Minsan lang ito, at kung may susunod ulit na libreng serbisyo para sa mga alaga natin, why not grab it?,” she said.
(These free veterinary services are a big help financially. This opportunity comes rarely, and if there’s another free service for our pets next time, why not grab it?) (PIA Pangasinan)
