Our pets are part of our family, and that means we will do everything we can to keep them healthy — so they can live long happy lives.

One of the most important things you can do to keep your pet safe is to make sure they are always up to date on their vaccinations.

Every day, shelters across Arizona witness the devastating impact of what happens when pets aren’t vaccinated. These animals suffer and often succumb to serious diseases that could’ve easily been prevented.

Prevention can be as easy as one shot, and there are so many reasons why it’s imperative that we make vaccines affordable and accessible to all pet owners. Here are just a few:

1. Prevents serious disease: Vaccines help your pet build immunity to deadly diseases like Rabies, Distemper, Parvovirus, and Panleukopenia. These diseases can cause severe illness and can often lead to death. Luckily, it’s as easy as getting your pet vaccinated to keep them safe!
2. Keeps your family safe: Although many diseases like distemper and parvo can’t spread to humans, Rabies is transmissible between humans and animals. This dangerous disease spreads through saliva, so if your pet is bit by infected animal (wild or domesticated) it can then spread very easily to humans. Therefore, vaccinating your pet against Rabies will not only protect them, but it will keep your family safe as well.
3. Protects our community: You may be more worried about protecting your own pet, but when you keep your pet vaccinated you are also protecting your community. The more pets that receive their vaccinations, the closer we get to “herd immunity.” This will not only make our community safer for our owned pets, but it can also help decrease community spread among homeless pets that may be more vulnerable to these diseases.
4. Saves money: Not only can vaccines help protect your furry family members for serious diseases, but they can help you avoid the costly treatments that would be needed if your pet got sick. Vaccines are small cost to pay to protect your pet’s life when disease like Parvo and Panleukopenia could cost you thousands in medical bills.

These are the reasons why the Arizona Animal Welfare League is expanding our efforts to provide free or low-cost vaccines to more pet owners in need. We host a low-cost vaccine clinic every third Saturday of each month to members of our local community. Our clinics make it convenient and affordable for pet owners to get their pets vaccinated without having to schedule or pay for a vet appointment.

If you would like to learn more about our low-cost vaccine and microchip clinics or would like to register for an upcoming event, visit aawl.org.

There are no excuses when it comes to not vaccinating your pets, so make the appointment and protect your pet!

Editor’s note: Alessandra Navidad is president and CEO of the Arizona Animal Welfare League.