[Blacksheep]

Some friends and I were talking about getting a program going for our community. There are two public low cost spay programs in a 100 mile radius that are open to everyone. All of the other programs require you to prove you are low income. That is fine and we understand that vet bills are the owner's responsibility BUT just one shelter...ONE shelter took in over 700 strays in November alone. Two of my area's main shelters took in over 1400 strays just in November. Our goal is to help take the load off our shelters.

We call it project "spay the stray away." It is aimed at EVERYONE, not just low income and for four surrounding counties. The basic idea is to railroad animals to participating/low cost clinics and back. We will be looking for vets that will tie tubes and such for those that wish to keep their animals whole or that "don't want to take away manhood."

What do you guys think? Any ideas on how to get started?

 

[Nibbler]

I think it sounds like an amazing idea ^_^ . why not call your local vets and vets around all over,and see if this would be something that interest them and then once you get all the names of the vets willing to do this, you could put a flyer out with names and numbers of the vets to neighbours asking them to spread the word ?

 

[Dragonrain]

Are these strays that are coming in from litters by owned pets or are they strays that are coming in off the streets?

I think a lot of times it can help to look at the root cause of the problem. If a majority of the animals going into the shelters in your area are in fact being bred from owned pets and then surrendered or dumped than a program like you mentioned could be helpful. That is, of course, assuming that you can convince a majority of people to actually take advantage of the program.

But if these are feral animals that are breeding out in the streets, rather than owned pets, than I think that would call for a different type of program.

I'm just wondering Because in my town we have a similar problem, however a majority of our animals being taken in by animal control are feral cats. These are cats that do not have owners, but they are breeding out on their own in vast numbers. In this situation, a program like the one you mentioned I don't think would do as much benefit.

 

[Blacksheep]

Both are a problem but we have a ton of feral programs. Most people look at a check though. Example, my friend's mom makes enough to not qualify for low income but had 5 other mouths to feed. To neuter their first cat, it took them months to save up.

On top of that, low cost programs are funky about when they offer spay/neuter. Some only do it on week days making it impossible for some people to drop off their animal at 7am or pick them up at 5 pm due to location. The hardest thing I have ever done was carry another friends 5 cats to SPCA. I took a train...I got up at 5 in the morning to do so. They wanted their animals done but they didn't own a working car. Her mom stayed at home and her dad was a truck driver. We will be there to help people like this.

 

[Dragonrain]

That makes sense. My fiance and I don't qualify for low income either but vets around here charge around $500 normally for a neuter. That's a lot of money to a lot of people, especially in this economy.

Another thing to look into is if any vets in your area accept low cost spay/neuter certificates. I know Friends of Animals has a low cost program that anyone can take advantage of, as long as you have vets in your area that participate in the program. We actually used this program to bring the cost down a bit when we got our dog neutered. If you found out that vets in your area participated in that program then maybe you could help get the message out to local pet owners.

You know your area better than anyone here would so I think you'd be the best judge of whether a service like this would be useful. I think in a lot of places, there are already a lot of spay/neuter programs. But it sounds like the ones in your area are maybe not all that accessible.

I'm really not sure how you could get something like that started but perhaps a good place to start would be to talk to the vets/lost cost clinics that you where thinking of working with. You never know, maybe one of them would even be willing to work with you to get your program started

 

[Nibbler]

That makes sense. My fiance and I don't qualify for low income either but vets around here charge around $500 normally for a neuter. That's a lot of money to a lot of people, especially in this economy.

Another thing to look into is if any vets in your area accept low cost spay/neuter certificates. I know Friends of Animals has a low cost program that anyone can take advantage of, as long as you have vets in your area that participate in the program. We actually used this program to bring the cost down a bit when we got our dog neutered. If you found out that vets in your area participated in that program then maybe you could help get the message out to local pet owners.

You know your area better than anyone here would so I think you'd be the best judge of whether a service like this would be useful. I think in a lot of places, there are already a lot of spay/neuter programs. But it sounds like the ones in your area are maybe not all that accessible.

I'm really not sure how you could get something like that started but perhaps a good place to start would be to talk to the vets/lost cost clinics that you where thinking of working with. You never know, maybe one of them would even be willing to work with you to get your program started

Really 500 for a neuter ? thats insane, at my vet its 80 to neuture a male cat and 180-200 for a female. Although iv called other vets n its 300 and up its insane.

 

[Blacksheep]

I agree holy crappers! It was $200 for Spyros but he was 10 years old!

 

[Dragonrain]

Yeah $500 for my 15 lb male dog who was 7 months old at the time, but that price also included the extra stuff like pre-surgery blood work and an IV during the surgery. I have had a pet pass away during surgery before so I'm always super paranoid about it now, and usually get all the extra stuff just to be extra safe.

Vets here, like a lot of other things, are way over priced. I live just outside of NYC so rent and stuff is expensive here. The vets in the area pretty much jack up the prices of everything and claim it's because they need to charge more to be able to afford their rent and such.

Even using the Friends of Animals certificate, which for like $50 covers the cost of the anesthesia and the actual surgery, I still ended up having to pay the vet something like $200 out of pocket for the extra stuff I mentioned that the certificate doesn't cover.

I've spent a small fortune on my pets vet bills since moving here, but they're totally worth it

 

[Storyseeker]

We've got a program like that here in my hometown. They've run into their share of legal issues, mostly brought by other vets claiming they are stealing potential income away from them. They're still working through it, but it's a job.

Along with working with low income families, one of the things they do is work with rescue organizations to facilitate a spay and release program for feral cats. Here's the link to the clinic, and also a link to one of the cat rescue programs. I paid $75 to catch spay and vaccinate 3 feral cats and release them back into my back yard. Contact both of these groups. I'm sure they are a wealth of experience for you to draw on:

Alabama Spay Neuter Clinic: http://www.alspay.org/
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Alabama-SpayNeuter/109089402489978?sk=info
Facebook Page about their legal struggles: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Help-Save-Alabama-SpayNeuter-Clinic/223800927638796

Momakat Rescue: http://www.momakat.org/
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Alabama-SpayNeuter/109089402489978?sk=info

 

[Blacksheep]

We've got a program like that here in my hometown. They've run into their share of legal issues, mostly brought by other vets claiming they are stealing potential income away from them.

I HATE vets like that. Veterinary isn't really an income job. If they wanted a high income, they should have been human doctors...MOST people go to doctors and get check ups. Few humans take their pets to vets unless it is an emergency.

I guess thats why I love my current vet (and holistic vet.) They have no problem with sending you elsewhere.

 

[BichFrisBeefry]

When is the best time to spay your dogs? Is it as early as 5 months or is that a little too early?