The Oklahoma Alliance for Animals announces FIX 5000, a new spay/ neuter program to help low-income households get pets spayed or neutered affordably and conveniently.
FIX 5000 will work with private animal hospitals in the region to provide local services for low-income residents. The program will serve residents of Creek, Pawnee, Washington and Rogers counties, with even more locations to come.
OAA President Jamee Suarez said, “For many low-income homes, the distance to an affordable clinic is a big factor in following through with getting a pet spayed or neutered. By equaling the cost at a low-income program in Tulsa, and providing the service locally, we hope that hundreds of unwanted litters will be prevented.”
The Nuts and Bolts
- $45 per dog or $35 per cat, includes the spay or neuter, rabies shot and deworming.
- For homes earning under $35,000 per year/ proof of income needed
- Not limited to one county, all low-income homes are welcome at each location
- Other services or vaccinations are available at regular prices
- An appointment is necessary.
Our goal is to provide 5000 surgeries in the coming year.
A jump in the number of reported cases of animal abandonment in rural Oklahoma prompted us to develop this program. Although abandoning a domestic animal is a crime in Oklahoma, a little known state law prevents counties with populations under 200,000 from operating a public shelter, resulting in widespread abandonment.
The positive impact of spay/ neuter efforts have been proven in large and small cities. Although Tulsa had a spay/ neuter ordinance for several years, it was not enforced until April 2008. That year, as other large city shelters in the region had an increase in intakes, Tulsa’s intakes declined as the use of SPAY OK, the low-income spay/ neuter program, increased dramatically. In fact, in Tulsa the July spike seen nationwide (when many litters are relinquished) was 22 percent lower in 2008 than in 2007. Additionally, shelter intakes in Bristow had declined from over 700 per year prior to 2002, to around 100 per year since an aggressive spay/ neuter effort was provided in 2003-04, a reduction of over 80 percent.
Dr. Bill Mitchell of Bristow Veterinary Hospital has provided over 3000 low-income spay/ neuter surgeries since 2001. As a part of FIX 5000, Bristow Veterinary Hospital will have regularly scheduled days available.
Bill Mitchell, DVM said, “There is a serious need to prevent the tragedies rather than responding to each one after the fact.” As the veterinarian who assisted the Bristow shelter for several years, Mitchell welcomed the change in intakes at that shelter after 2002. He said that unwanted animals often become “at-risk,” animals which are subject to starvation and intentional cruelty. Mitchell has treated cruelty cases including the small dog which was dragged behind a pick-up truck in 2008. Two perpetrators are charged in connection to that case.
Dr. Carolyn Cash of Locust Grove owns a mobile spay/ neuter unit which will work with non-profit organizations as well. Dr Cash will partner with Neuter Sooner of Bartlesville to provide services to the east and north of Tulsa. Cash said, “This is about helping people become responsible pet owners. It helps the animals and the communities as well.”
Mitchell said, “When we look at areas where people live in poverty and without many opportunities, animals are often placed into situations that are not humane by anyone’s standards. That’s especially true for the pets that are unwanted. This program is certainly about helping animals, but it’s also about raising awareness and community standards for people who are otherwise unable to take action to prevent a crisis on their doorstep.”
OAA extends a warm thank you to FIX 5000 veterinarians Marc Campbell, DVM, Carolyn Cash, DVM, Bill Mitchell, DVM, Brady Robbins, DVM and many other OVMA veterinarians for stopping animal suffering by helping low-income homes get pets.