Chief Executive Officer and founder of Dr. Care Medical Group and Animal Bite Center, Dr. Mark D’Spark Mendoza, advocates responsible pet ownership through anti-rabies prevention, not just for pets, but also for their owners.

Mendoza, who has been operating an Animal Bite Center for 15 years, told DAILY TRIBUNE that "no one should die from rabies" as treatment is already available.

“Death must not be an option for people who have been bitten by dogs and cats,” he said, emphasizing their long-standing advocacy that “prevention is better than cure” since day one.

Mendoza also warned the public about some animal bite centers offering suspiciously cheap vaccines.

“Beware. There are animal bite centers that are bad players,” he warned. “They sell vaccines that are too cheap because they are counterfeit,” he added.

On the other hand, Mendoza pointed out that Dr. Care uses Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved vaccines and employs Department of Health-trained staff.

He described the present time as the “golden era” to open more animal bite centers, filling the gap that existed 15 years ago. Mendoza stressed the need for more clinics, noting that there are only about 1,000 to 1,500 Animal Bite Centers nationwide to serve a population of 120 million. Moreover, he said there are around two million animal bite victims annually, and roughly 60 million people who require pre-exposure prophylaxis.

Dr. Care currently has over 100 branches nationwide, 70 percent of which are already operational, while 30 percent are set to open soon. Mendoza also pointed out that pre-exposure prophylaxis is covered under the Anti-Rabies Act as part of responsible pet ownership.