The Veterinary Technology Program at Pierce College is hosting its vaccine clinic this Saturday, April 23, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Veterinary Technology Building.
The clinic is offering vaccinations and microchipping for all dogs and cats that need it. A donation fee of $15 per vaccine is suggested while microchips are $25 each, including the registration fee.
The only two requirements prior to the treatment are that the animals must be at least eight weeks old and they must have had a physical exam done on them by a licensed veterinarian.
Angela Killips, who has been an instructional assistant in the RVT program at Pierce for the past eight years and a licensed veterinary technician for 11 years, said that the clinic has been held bi-annually for much longer than she’s been at the school. That way people who have cats and dogs that have not yet been vaccinated have two opportunities each year, once during the spring semester and once during the fall semester, to protect their pets.
“We offer the annual core vaccines for dogs and cats,” Killips said. “There are three different vaccines offered for dogs (against DA2PP, Bordetella, and Rabies) and two offered for cats (against FVRCP and Rabies) and you can get whichever ones you need for your pets.”
The entire treatment process doesn’t take long at all, according to Killips. Clinic treatment is on a ‘first come, first serve’ basis. Once the line wait is over, it usually takes between five to ten minutes to vaccinate and microchip an animal.
How long might the line wait be? Killips says it depends; the turnout range has been extremely varied throughout the years and is largely determined by how much advertising the veterinary students do. Killips said that, even though there are fliers all around campus, the majority of the people who show up hear about the event by word of mouth.
“We’ve had some really slow days where it’s only about 20 patients,” Killips said, “but we’ve also had some where we’ve had over a hundred patients, so it really just depends on the day.”
In terms of follow-up care, Killips recommends looking out for any vaccination reactions your pet might have that same day. This can include vomiting, a loss of appetite, and general lethargy. Any of these reactions might warrant a trip to your veterinarian.
So why should people come to Pierce’s vaccine clinic rather than go to their regular veterinarians to receive treatment?
“It’s inexpensive and it’s a good way to support the college and the program,” Killips said, “It gives our students experience since they’ll be the ones restraining and giving the vaccinations under direct supervision.”
A donation fee of $15 per vaccine is suggested while microchips are $25 each, including the registration fee. The class of students participating in the treatment on Saturday is well-trained, according to Killips, and they’ll be ready to help you and your pets for the three-hour block on Saturday.
