Friday’s pet vaccination and microchipping event in Edinburg bore all the usual sights and sounds one normally encounters at these events, now drive-thrus due to the pandemic — car engines rumbling, volunteers running about, and emphatic doggie and kitty gestures from furry friends apprehensive about a little prick of a needle. But this day was different.
According to Donna Casamento, executive director of the Palm Valley Animal Society, Friday’s kickoff of a three-day vaccine and microchipping effort was unique in that the goal through the weekend is to help thousands of animals in just a few days, and all at no cost.
Casamento said this is imperative now that the summer months are ahead, when the animal population usually skyrockets in the Rio Grande Valley due to more and more strays wandering city streets.
Palm Valley partnered with Petco Love, Heal House Call Veterinarian, and other local and national companies to offer Valley pet owners free vaccinations and microchips for their pets at the Edinburg Municipal Park.
Casamento said Thursday that the clinic has offered around 100 vaccines in the past. However, she believes this event will be monumental not just for the Valley but nationwide because “this is the first time anyone has attempted doing 2,000 animals over a three-day period.”
She hopes that the drive-thru clinic can reverse the number of dogs who are infected with “preventable” diseases.
According to Casamento, there is a high percentage of unvaccinated pets in the Valley. She explained that during the summertime, the clinic sees an increase of pets in their care, many of them coming in with deadly viruses such as canine distemper and parvo.
She believes the major contributing factor to the large number of unvaccinated pets in the Valley is that the region does not have enough resources to provide the appropriate care for animals.
“We have an extreme shortage of veterinarians in this community and so access to care is a big problem. We have amazing veterinarians in this town. We just don’t have enough of them,” Casamento said. “For our population, we need about 300 veterinarians in this town and we don’t even have a third of that.”
According to Arlina Alarson of Palm Valley, the approximate number of veterinarians in the Valley is 36.
Alarson also said that while the event began at 2 p.m. they had people lining up since 8 a.m. By the estimated start time, around 200 vehicles were lined up.
Samuel Saintonge of Heal House Call Veterinarian said the event included three veterinarians from North Carolina, one from Colorado and another from Houston.
Before driving up to the veterinarians, pet owners filled out a survey where they selected what services they wanted their pets to receive.
“Microchipping is actually a radio frequency identifier and it is about the size of a grain of rice. It has a protective coating in it. You insert that subcutaneously so just underneath the skin of the dog or a cat and it stays there … It is like a shot, just a little bigger needle,” said Saintonge, adding that microchipping has a variety of functions, but the major function is pet reunification.
Alfredo Contreras attended the event to get his three dogs vaccinated for rabies.
“Right now everything is very expensive. So just to vaccinate my dogs I would use around $250.” Contreras said. “Since this event is free it is a big help for us since the pandemic made it difficult for us to take pets to the vet.”
As long as supplies last, the event is scheduled to run through Sunday. The drive-thru clinic will start at 9 a.m. and run until 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.
