Every year, the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control teams up with local veterinarians to put on several rabies clinics.

Rabies is not a widespread problem, but in 2007 there were 162 cases of rabies confirmed in animals in South Carolina.   The positive rabies cases included 92 raccoons, 32 foxes, 14 skunks, 10 bats, seven cats, three dogs, two bobcats, and two cows, according to th SCDHEC website.

The South Carolina Rabies Control Act requires that all dogs and cats have a current rabies vaccination.  So these clinics help everyone make sure that their pet is protected.

"Veterinarians will conduct special reduced-cost rabies clinics to vaccinate pet cats and dogs against the fatal disease," said Sue Ferguson of DHEC's Bureau of Environmental Health. "Vaccinations will cost $3 each at the clinics."

According to Ferguson, more than 33,000 pets were vaccinated against rabies during the special clinics statewide last year.

Here is the schedule for this year's Rabies Clinics:

Make sure that your dogs are on leashes and that your cats are in carriers. 

And remember, there are normally good crowds that come out for these vaccines, so please be patient with the veterinarians and with other people's pets.