Great Falls to Host Free Rabies Vaccination Clinic for Pets
Great Falls, MT – The City of Great Falls Animal Shelter will offer free rabies vaccinations for dogs and cats on Sunday, September 28, 2025, from noon to 2 p.m. The clinic aims to protect local pets and the wider community from this perhaps fatal disease.
Rabies remains a significant public health concern,even though it’s rare in domestic animals.The virus, typically transmitted through the bite of infected wildlife like raccoons, skunks, bats, and foxes, attacks the central nervous system and is almost always fatal once symptoms develop. Vaccination is the most effective way to safeguard pets – and people – from exposure.
The walk-in clinic, located at the Great Falls Animal Shelter (1010 25th Avenue NE), requires no appointments.To ensure safety for all, pets must be leashed or contained in carriers.
According to the Animal Shelter, rabies replicates in the muscles and nerve fibers after entering an animal’s body, eventually reaching the central nervous system. Symptoms can take up to four weeks to appear, but once present, the disease progresses rapidly, often leading to death within ten days.
The Animal Shelter recommends pets receive thier initial rabies vaccine between four and six months of age, followed by a booster one year later.
For additional details,contact the Great Falls Animal Shelter at 406-454-2276 or email jparchen@greatfallsmt.net. More details are available on the shelter’s website: https://krtv.org/gr8flzanimal.
