Preventive shots for pets will be offered on Nov. 12 at Jack Read Park.

From 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Pearl River County residents can bring their dog or cat to the park to have them vaccinated against a number of ailments.

Pearl River County SPCA President Carla Gerrard said that if the shot clinic held in April is any indication, she expects to administer hundreds of shots during the event.

She has planned to administer 400 shots each of dog wellness shots and rabies vaccines. Gerrard has also planned to sell 200 cat wellness shots, 150 heartworm tests, 100 microchips and 100 shots against Bordetella.

Each of these shots will be sold at a reduced cost to entice local pet owners to protect them from these preventable ailments.

Rabies shots and microchips will cost $7 each, but both can be purchased at the same time at a $2 discount.

Bordetella shots will cost $7, heartworm testing will be offered for $10, wellness shots for dogs and cats will cost $7 and series shots for younger animals will be offered for $25.

Gerrard said the series shots for young animals, those less than 8-weeks-old, come with a coupon that is presented upon each subsequent visit to the SPCA on Palestine Road. After the first shot is administered at the shot clinic on Saturday, the pet owner is tasked with bringing their pet to the shelter every two weeks for a follow-up shot, for a total of four doses.

Wait time may be long during the shot clinic, but Gerrard said the volunteers and staff will have water bowls handy for pets, and sodas and cookies for pet owners.

A licensed veterinarian, Dr. Ann Borgen, will administer the shots.

More than two-dozen volunteers will be on hand to help the event run smoothly, and if anyone has a pet that is less than social, they can alert the volunteers so the shots can be administered in a vehicle. Gerrard said the same service is also available to anyone with a disability. This event is self-funded off the money generated. Gerrard said she plans to continue to hold shot clinics biannually.