Only a tiny fraction of BKK pets registered as being vaccinated against Rabies

Only 5,193 of Bangkok’s 1.136 million stray and pet dogs and cats are registered as having been vaccinated against rabies, a senior Agriculture Ministry official said this morning (Wednesday).

Ministry spokesman and inspector-general Sorawit Thanito said only 6,233 pet cats and dogs were registered with authorities in the capital and 1,266 of them had been sterilised.

But most owners by far haven’t bothered registering their pets. Most people take their pets to clinics or hospitals for rabies shots and do not register them as having been vaccinated.

Sorawit said recent random testing turned up 16 dogs and one cat with rabies.

He said the ministry wanted to control rabies in a sustainable way by encouraging owners to register their pets and report if they’ve been vaccinated.