The City Veterinarian’s Office (CVO) is planning to vaccinate 140,000 pets this year.
Dr. Maria Corazon Sepulveda, Officer-In-Charge of CVO, in an interview with Madayaw Program over city-owned Davao City Disaster Radio (DCDR) on Friday said that in addition to the free vaccine, they also target to castrate 2,900 pets this year.
In 2024, the CVO served 77,493 clients and vaccinated 156,817 animals.
“Libre po yan. Dapat mag-avail sila niyan so we could prevent yong pag-spread ng rabies. As early as three months old pwede na pong bakunahan ang ating mga pets (It’s free. To stop the spread of rabies, they ought to take advantage of that. We can have our pets vaccinated as early as three months old),” she said.
Aside from free vaccinations and castrations, she said that they have increased their informational campaign about proper pet ownership, particularly in schools. The office also intends to develop a module regarding responsible pet ownership.
“Kasi maganda po yung bata pa maging responsible sila sa kanilang mga pets. And yong mga myths na nakuha nila sa mga matatanda, kagaya ng paggamit ng bawang, tandok, mawala na po ‘yan (It’s good that at a very young age they know how to take care of their pets. Additionally, the misconceptions kids learned from the elders— like the one about using garlic and tandok —should be dispelled),” she said.
She said that to manage bite cases, especially those involving rabies, the CVO will also work with the City Health Office (CHO) to implement Integrated Bite Case Management (IBCM). The partnership entails cooperation between the human and animal health sectors to guarantee prompt and efficient responses to bite incidences.
Sepulveda also urged Dabawenyos to take advantage of the free vaccination for their pets as the CVO will visit Barangays Lizada and Alambre in Toril on February 24 and 27, respectively.
The CVO will also visit Barangay Mabuhay in Paquibato on March 10, San Isidro, Bunawan on March 11-12, Bangkas Heights on March 13, Binugao, Toril on March 19, Sibulan, Toril on March 25, and Tibuloy, Toril on March 26.
The CVO is scheduled to visit New Carmen, Tugbok on March 27, Talandang, Tugbok on March 28, and New Valencia, Tugbok on March 31.
For more information Dabawenyos may contact CVO on numbers (082) 225-0511, (082) 225-0530, or (082) 241-1000, go to their office located at 2nd Floor City Hall Annex Bldg, Pichon Street. CIO
