JAY NIXON OUTLINES TIGHTER RULES FOR GAMBLING OVERSIGHT: RABIES SHOTS FOR PETS SHOULD BE DONE NOW

The city and local veterinarians again today are offering rabies vaccinations for $6 per pet, and we urge pet owners to take advantage of the offer.

Once the symptoms appear in an animal it is too late to do anything; the animal must be destroyed. For humans, the incubation period for those exposed to rabies ranges from 10 days to more than a year. Once the symptoms appear in humans, it's too late for the series of anti-rabies vaccine shots to be given, and it usually results in death.

Ste. Genevieve County has been under a rabies alert since last summer because rabid skunks have been killed there. A rabies outbreak occurred in eastern Kansas last year, and health officials fear it could spread across Missouri. Those cases bring the disease close to home.

If your pet is in need of a shot, take advantage of today's vaccination clinic, which will be conducted from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. at the Trinity Lutheran Men's Club shelter in Arena Park.