Pet owners still have a week to take advantage of this year’s annual Rabies Clinic offered at the offices of area veterinarians and the Charleston Pet Emergency Clinic, as well as three remaining dates for off-site events.

Discounted prices ($12) will remain in effect through Saturday, May 7.

Animal lovers can have their dogs or cats vaccinated at vets’ offices during normal operating hours or visit one of the remaining off-site clinics. These dates, times and locations include:

- Tuesday, May 3, from 6 to 7 p.m., at Michigan Avenue School, Waterville School and Black Fox School.

n Thursday, May 5, from 6 to 7 p.m., at Taylor School, Blythe-Bower School and E. L. Ross School.

- Saturday, May 7, from 2 to 3 p.m., at the Cleveland Animal Shelter, Charleston Fire Hall and Prospect School.

Owners attending the clinics should keep their pets on a leash or in a carrier. Cats should be left in a vehicle for their safety.

Eric Coffey, field office manager for the Southeast Regional Office of the General Environmental Health Division of the Tennessee Department of Public Health, described rabies as a “deadly virus that is transmitted by bites from an infected animal.”

The disease can be prevented if treated promptly before the onset of symptoms, he said.

“Left untreated, rabies is nearly always fatal,” Coffey stressed. “Although rabies in humans is rare in the United States today, up to 40,000 people each year receive preventive treatment following an exposure.”

In Tennessee and elsewhere in the U.S., the number of rabies cases in domestic animals has declined dramatically over the years due to mandatory vaccination laws for dogs and cats. However, rabies among wildlife (especially skunks, bats and raccoons) has become more prevalent.