Creative Solutions

Increase the availability of free or low-cost spay/neuter services.

There are a number of ways to increase the volume of spay/neuter services in your community. From adding clinic days to expanding voucher programs, many of these methods, or delivery systems, have been in use for decades with much success. Some folks find that one particular method works best, while others find a modified or hybrid approach (with one or more systems adapted in-part) is a better fit for them and their community. 

To help combat the backlog of spay/neuter surgeries, and make free or low-cost surgery more accessible to the community, consider whether you might be able to incorporate one (or more!) of the following delivery systems into your practice. 

Brick-& Mortar HQHVSN Clinic

If the need is more spay/neuter, why not try to provide as many of those surgeries as possible, as efficiently as possible, while staying as affordable as possible? 

That’s the logic driving high-quality, high-volume spay/neuter (HQHVSN) clinics. These brick-and-mortar locations specialize in spay and neuter surgeries – it’s what they do! As such, veterinarians and teams hone their skills and become highly efficient with a select scope of services. As a result, they can complete those surgeries more quickly and efficiently, for much less cost.

Keep reading and learn more on our blog!

Model programs to emulate:

• All About Animals Rescue
• Alley Cat Advocates
• Feral Cat Coalition
• Feral Cat Coalition of Oregon
• FixNation

MASH Clinics

One of the more popular interventions has become known as the MASH clinic, or Blitz Clinic. Similar to the Mobile Army Surgical Hospital after which they are named, these clinics are ad-hoc. They’re coordinated and organized “in the field,” often turning gymnasiums or empty warehouses into surgical space to provide high-quality, high-volume spay/neuter (HQHVSN) services to the community. 

MASH clinics are temporary, sometimes just for a day or a single weekend. They aim to provide services to as many animals as possible, in as short a time as possible, for as low a cost as possible. 

Keep reading and learn more on the blog!

Model programs to emulate:

• Operation Catnip
• Spay ASAP
• Spay Mexico
• Spay Panama

Mobile Clinics

If people can’t make it to the veterinary clinic, what if the veterinary clinic could make it to them? That’s the basic concept behind a mobile unit. 

Mobile units are a great way for veterinarians to provide care exactly where it is needed most. These units are fully equipped, ready to handle most veterinary needs. 

In terms of spay/neuter, mobile units can be a great way to bring low-cost services to “resource desserts.” They can go out into the community, and specifically target communities that have the biggest issue with spay/neuter access. 

Keep reading and learn more on the blog!

Model programs to emulate:

• Fido Fixers
• Merrimack River Feline Rescue Society: Catmobile
• Rascal Unit
• SNAP San Diego: Neuter Scooter

Voucher Programs

Voucher Programs allow individuals to access free or low-cost spay/neuter services at private veterinarians. The voucher is much like a coupon, allowing individuals to access services at a reduced cost, with the promise to the practice that another organization (usually a local rescue or animal shelter) will subsidize the full cost of service.

Model programs to emulate:

• Massachusetts Animal Fund
• Pet Friendly Services of Indiana

Public-Private Partnerships

Private veterinary practices can perform spay and neuter surgeries on days when the practice is normally closed, using their existing resources to implement a revenue-generating program for the business, while serving a portion of the community which may not otherwise have access to veterinary care.  

You read that right. One of the easiest things private veterinary practices can do is to open their doors when they might otherwise be closed.  

What’s more, you don’t have to do it all! Once you decide on the day(s) or timeframe your clinic can be available, reach out to a local rescue group and see if they’d be interested in working together. 

This approach has been referred to as the Private Practice Partnership, or In-Clinic Clinic model. 

Keep reading and learn more in our article, published in PetVet Magazine here!

Model programs to emulate:

• Spay FIRST

Expand reciprocity to ease veterinary licensing requirements

For veterinarians to practice in any state, even for the purpose of training and learning, they often must acquire a license specific to that state’s rules and regulations. The application process can be exhaustive and expensive, thus creating a barrier. Veterinarians who may want to support a clinic in a neighboring or nearby state may find themselves stymied by red tape. 

For this reason, the VSTF is supportive of updating laws to ease licensing restrictions, and make it easier for veterinarians in good standing to perform spay/neuter surgeries across state lines.

During the 2023 legislative session, Florida passed a landmark bill which will allow veterinarians who are in good standing in other jurisdictions to perform spay/neuter surgery and to provide routine preventative medical care at the time of sterilization, provided they work as unpaid volunteers under the responsible supervision of a Florida-licensed veterinarian. Read the full press release here. 

AAVSB has introduced a paid service to help make licensing easier. Learn more about VAULT Transfer Services here.