BENDIGO pet owners are encouraged to bring their beloved pooches and kitties to the town's RSPCA shelter in Piper Lane for discount vaccinations next Saturday.
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RSPCA Victoria and the City of Greater Bendigo will vaccinate pets for $20 and microchip for $20.
Owners will also be able to register their cat or dog.
Council parking and animal services manager Neville Zimmer said microchipping and registering pets gave owners peace of mind.
"It means that if your dog or cat escapes and is found, then it can be returned,” he said.
“A microchip is inserted by a qualified implanter under the skin using a needle and is implanted at the base of the neck.
"It has a unique number, as is the registration tag that is given to each owner to place on their pet’s collar when it is registered to the city."
Mr Zimmer said registration could save heartache.
“It can be very traumatic to lose a beloved family pet, so to ensure that you are a responsible pet owner, make sure it is registered and has a microchip," he said.
“Unfortunately, many pets that go missing do not have identification on them when they are found, which makes it difficult to reunite them with their owners.”
Kangaroo Flat Veterinary Clinic vet Kara Frost said all pets needed to have vaccinations up to date in order to live long and happy lives.
"It's so important to prevent disease in pets and also to develop a herd immunity which means we're less likely to see disease in the area," she said.
"Some of these diseases can be very difficult to treat and quite life threatening."
Dr Frost said parvovirus was present in Bendigo.
"It's not something we usually see but it is around. It's a very, very, very bad disease in young puppies and can be fatal," she said.
