Bacolod Targets 14,000 Pets for Post-Holy Week Rabies Shots

By Glazyl M. Jopson

BACOLOD CITY – The City Veterinary Office is targeting to vaccinate 14,000 dogs and cats against rabies after Holy Week.

Dr. John Michael Cabuguason, assistant city veterinarian, said the CVO plans to resume house-to-house vaccinations with the arrival of vaccines worth PHP700,000.

He said procurement delays held up the vaccination drive, but they expect the supply to arrive next week.

Cabuguason reported that nearly 1,500 pets from Barangays 1 to 7 were vaccinated during the city’s first pet festival held last week.

Including an earlier round in Barangay Mansilingan, the total accounts for only 8 percent of the city’s estimated 100,000 dog and cat population.

The CVO aims to vaccinate 80,000 animals by the end of the year.

Cabuguason said institutionalizing the pet festival could help expand programs and activities to support their rabies control campaign.

He thanked the community for its overwhelming turnout and support during the event.

“We didn’t expect this kind of reception, especially since this was the first time the event was held,” he said.

He added that they were surprised by the number of walk-in clients who joined the pet expo and other activities.

The CVO also registered 301 pets during the event through a digital system designed to streamline communication of its programs, including vaccinations.

The registration initially aimed for just 100 pets, but the enthusiastic response helped surpass that goal between April 4 and 6.

Cabuguason said paper records are often misplaced, adding unnecessary work, while the new digital platform stores data securely.

Pet owners can register through a QR code that links to an online platform where they enter their and their pets’ information.

The pet data is instantly uploaded to the system.

Registration was free during the festival, but owners could pay PHP175 for an optional QR-coded tracking tag through partner site pethub.ph.

The city covered tracking tags for 100 pets, while 117 pet owners paid for theirs, bringing the total to 217 pets with digital tags.

Cabuguason said the system remains in testing and will officially relaunch after adjustments are made.

He expects the registration to resume in two weeks to one month.

Those who already signed up online may print QR tags for their pets, he added.