THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT 
              Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: Friday, September 29, 1995             TAG: 9509290522
SECTION: LOCAL                    PAGE: B7   EDITION: FINAL 
SOURCE: BY LARRY W. BROWN, STAFF WRITER 
                                             LENGTH: Short :   48 lines

PET OWNERS TO RECEIVE DISCOUNTED RABIES SHOTS

To help alert pet owners to the deadly rabies epidemic spreading throughout Virginia, veterinarians will offer discounted shots for the disease from Oct. 1-7.

The reduced rate will run during Virginia's first Rabies Awareness Week, which Gov. George F. Allen declared this week.

``The epidemic is serious,'' said Dr. Constance Pozniak, president-elect of the Virginia Veterinary Medical Association. ``We're the first line of defense.''

The risk of a rabies death can be greatly reduced by having dogs and cats vaccinated. State law requires dogs and cats be vaccinated by four months of age and that they receive regular booster shots.

Rabies shots normally cost $10 to $20, said Pozniak, who practices at the Boulevard Veterinary Hospital in Norfolk. The discount price may be as low as $5, she said.

``Most of vets in the area are participating,'' Pozniak said. ``An individual should call either their regular veterinarian or whoever is close geographically to them.''

Dr. Dale Cupp, regional director of the association on the Peninsula, said nearly 100 percent of the veterinarians there are participating in the offer, but pet owners should contact their veterinarians to be sure.

Veterinarians on the Peninsula will charge $6 for shots during the weekend, said Cupp. The usual charge ranges from $12 to $20 dollars, said Cupp, who is the rabies-awareness chairman for the state association.

The rabies outbreak started in the late 1970s with infected raccoons in Shenandoah County and has spread to 83 percent of the state, officials said this week.

More than 300 rabid animals have been reported this year. Last year, 446 people in Virginia were treated for a possible rabies exposure, up from 250 cases in 1990.

Advanced cases of rabies can be fatal to both humans and animals, Pozniak said.

If a person or a pet is suspected of being bitten by a rabid animal, clean the wound immediately, see a physician or veterinarian and contact the health department, Pozniak said. by CNB