2017 Low-Cost Rabies Vaccine, Microchip Clinics Scheduled by Cook County Animal Control Department

Cook County’s inaugural low-cost rabies vaccine clinic of 2017 will take place Tuesday, May 30, from 10 a.m. to 2:45 p.m. at the Southwest Ice Arena, 5550 W. 127th St., Crestwood. It is the first of more than 30 rabies vaccine clinics scheduled throughout suburban Cook County and Chicago.

The first low-cost microchip clinic of the season will take place Thursday, June 8, at Cicero Community Park, 34th Court and Laramie Avenue in Cicero. It is the first of four scheduled in Cook County.

A full schedule of where and when the rabies clinics will take place in the coming months is posted on the department’s website. 

The cost of a one-year rabies shot  at the rabies clinics is $7 for dogs and cats and a three-year rabies shot is $21. Ferret vaccines, which last one-year, are $9. Only rabies vaccinations will be available at the low-cost rabies vaccination clinics

Dr. Donna Alexander, administrator of the County’s Animal and Rabies Control Department, emphasized the importance of ensuring that dogs, cats and ferrets are up to date on their rabies immunization.

“The clinic addresses a serious public health issue,” she said. “If your dog, cat or ferret is bitten by a rabid animal, this shot will prevent them from getting rabies and passing it on to other animals or to humans.”

The cost of the microchip implantation is $10 per animal. The registration of the chip in a national database is $19.95 per animal. Only microchips will be provided at the low-cost microchip clinics.

“Microchipping your pet can help in the event that the animal goes missing,” Dr. Alexander said. “If the animal is found by police, animal control or a Good Samaritan, a scan of the microchip can help you be reunited with your pet.”

Only cash or checks are accepted for the rabies vaccine and for the microchip implantation; no credit or debit cards.

The rates represent a substantial discount in what is normally charged for these services.