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Humane Society Celebrates 25,000 Spay-Neuter Surgeries
The Humane Society of Northeast Georgia (HSNEGA) reached a significant milestone Thursday, July 1 when it performed its 25,000 spay-neuter surgery in the shelter’s Spay-Neuter Clinic. The surgery was performed on Cabo, a male Papillon from Gwinnett County.
"When we started our Spay-Neuter Clinic 5 years ago, we never thought we would reach this milestone in such a short period of time,” says Rick Aiken, HSNEGA President. “This achievement was only possible by the continuing support of the community and the dedication and clinical excellence of our Spay-Neuter team, who’ve been specially trained in a high-volume surgery environment.”
HSNEGA started their Spay-Neuter Clinic in May 2005 as an effort to curb the growing issue of pet overpopulation in northeast Georgia. The Clinic served only low-income residents of northeast Georgia for the first 3 years in addition to performing surgery for the shelter’s adopted animals; however, 2 years ago, HSNEGA began performing surgeries for the public at large.
“When the economy began its downturn, we had more people calling to ask about our low-cost surgery, many of whom had their family income impacted but still wanted to be responsible pet owners,” says Frankie Grant, HSNEGA Spay-Neuter Clinic Manager. “We also have greater ability to accommodate more public animals for surgery since we no longer provide services for Hall County.”
“Unfortunately, even with the number of surgeries we have been able to perform, we’ve yet to see a significant impact on the area’s pet overpopulation problem, which illustrates how important it is to continue offering this service for area residents,” Grant continues.
Aiken says the Clinic tracks its clients to see if they have a regular veterinarian, as well. “Approximately 75 percent of the people who come to our Clinic for surgery do not have a regular vet, which means if they were not able to receive the surgery here, they would probably not be able to afford it elsewhere,” he says.
“We’re able to offer our surgeries at a lower cost because of the volume we perform, but also because it is part of our mission,” Aiken continues. “We feel it’s our responsibility to provide this service for not only the people, but also the pets of northeast Georgia.”
Currently, HSNEGA’s Spay-Neuter Clinic offers surgery for $60 for female dogs, female cats and male dogs, and $50 for male cats. Surgery is scheduled by appointment and the Clinic is able to accept all sizes and breeds from any pet owner; however, the animals must be at least 2 pounds and/or 8 weeks old in order to have surgery.
“I would encourage all pet owners to have their animals spayed or neutered because there are multiple health and behavioral benefits,” says Dr. Kerstin Martin del Campo, HSNEGA’s full-time Spay-Neuter Clinic veterinarian. “Spaying and neutering also reduces the number of unwanted and feral animals which helps curb the disease and dangers associated with a large animal population.”
HSNEGA’s Spay-Neuter Clinic is funded in part by surgery fees, but also is subsidized by corporate grants and private donations from individuals and businesses. To learn more about the Spay-Neuter Clinic at the Humane Society of Northeast Georgia, including information on appointments or donating to benefit the Spay-Neuter Clinic, please contact HSNEGA at 770-532-6617 or visit www.hsnega.org.
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