World Rabies Day marked with free pet vaccinations in Great Falls

“Rabies is a neurological virus,” said Tiffany Staigmiller, senior office clerk and volunteer coordinator at the City of Great Falls Animal Shelter. “The virus will travel up through the nervous system and make its way up to the brain and basically just destroy itself.”

Rabies spreads through saliva, most often from bites by infected wildlife such as bats and skunks. Once symptoms appear, the disease is almost always fatal.

“The numbers in the stats for the state of Montana may seem like a low number to most people,” Staigmiller said. “It’s still one too many, especially when considering that this is a 100% preventable disease by simply vaccinating your animals.”

The Animal Shelter stresses that rabies doesn’t only threaten outdoor pets. Bats, one of the most common carrier in Montana, can enter homes through small openings, putting indoor animals at risk.

“Once it’s there, it’s not a very good result,” said Joseph Parchen, community relations specialist at the shelter.

To help protect pets, the shelter will hold its annual rabies vaccination clinic on Sunday, coinciding with World Rabies Day. Vaccines will be free for cats and dogs from noon to 2 p.m. at the shelter. 

“There’s a need in our community to have this done,” said Parchen. “But it’s not just limited to the city of Great Falls. If you’re from out of town or a smaller community, please just make it down. Rabies is 100% preventable.”

Shelter staff say whether a pet lives indoors or outdoors, prevention is the only protection against one of the world’s deadliest viruses.