As Part of Petco Love’s Initiative to Provide One Million More Free Pet Vaccines, the Vanderburgh Humane Society will provide free vaccines on August 21st in Evansville
The Vanderburgh Humane Society (VHS) will once again be providing free vaccinations for pets in Vanderburgh County at their next monthly community outreach event on August 21, 2023. The free vaccines are made possible through Petco Love's new national vaccination initiative, which is providing one million more free pet vaccines to existing animal welfare partners, including the VHS, for family pets in need. Families will also be able to receive free pet food while supplies last thanks to Chewy and Humane Society of the United States, and free microchips thanks to Best Friends. T
he event as a whole is made possible by the Best Friends Prince & Paws Shelter Collaborative, and will be the sixth such event hosted by the VHS and Evansville Animal Care & Control in 2023. Parvovirus and distemper in dogs and panleukopenia in cats — the most prevalent deadly diseases affecting pets — are preventable with a simple vaccine. An estimated 30% of pet parents do not take their pet to a veterinarian annually for preventative care. To ensure the health and wellness of our beloved pets and to address this critical need, the VHS and Petco Love have partnered to make pet vaccines free and accessible. Through this national effort, the VHS aims to vaccinate 500 pets overall. 240 pets received vaccines at the July event, with the remaining 260 expected to be vaccinated in August and October. The next event is Monday, August 21st, 2023 at the Vanderburgh Humane Society from 12:00-4:00. It is first-come firstserved with no pre-registration required, and is available to Vanderburgh County residents only. Vaccine records will be provided. Puppies & kittens must be at least 6 weeks of age. Adult dogs must be leashed, cats & kittens must be in individual carriers, and puppies who have not received their full series of vaccines yet should be carried ONLY, not placed on the ground, for their safety. The free vaccines distributed at events through the Petco Love initiative will be the DAPPv Canine and HCP Feline vaccines. There will not be rabies vaccines available.
“Thanks to Petco Love, we can offer these important vaccine events at no cost to pet owners,” said Amanda Coburn, Director of Advancement. “We urge community members to take advantage of this nocost resource to ensure the health and wellness of our community’s pets.” “It is heartbreaking when any pet suffers or dies from a disease that could have been prevented. It is further exacerbated when unvaccinated pets come into busy shelter kennels, where these deadly diseases can spread quickly, resulting in multiple deaths, skyrocketing expenses, and hindering saving pet lives,” said Susanne Kogut, Petco Love President. “By creating greater awareness and making this crucial preventative care more accessible to pets not currently receiving these lifesaving vaccines, we can prevent the dangerous spread of disease.” For more information about vaccine distribution, contact the Vanderburgh Humane Society at www.vhslifesaver.org. Learn more about Petco Love’s lifesaving impact at PetcoLove.org. For information about this new collaboration between the VHS and Evansville Animal Care & Control thanks to Best Friends, visit https://www.vhslifesaver.org/news/team-up.