Spay/Neuter Clinic

Reasons why Feline Fix by Five Months is important

1. Medical
2. Behavioral
3. Community

Does my cat need spayed or neutered?
Well, that depends.  If your cat is a female, she needs to be spayed.  Your pet will be required to undergo general anesthesia for this procedure.  A spay, also known as an ovariohysterectomy, is a surgical procedure in which both ovaries and the uterus are removed.  

This is performed by making an incision through the skin and into the abdomen.  Your pet may have skin sutures or staples that will need to be removed, but usually there are dissolvable sutures in place.  

If your cat is a male, he needs to be neutered or castrated.  This procedure is performed with heavy sedation.  A small incision is made on each side of the scrotum to remove male cat’s testes.  There are usually no skin sutures or staples required for this procedure.  

There are several benefits to spaying and neutering your cat:

1. Reduce the risk of unwanted litters.
2. Reduce the risk of pyometra in females.
3. Reduce the risk of dystocia in females that do get pregnant and have complications.
4. Reduce the risk of testicular torsion in males.
5. Reduce the risk of males roaming and being injured in the process.
6. Reduce the risk of some unwanted behaviors in both male and female cats. 

At Columbia Animal Shelter, we are able to provide low cost and high quality spay and neuter procedures for your pet.  

Our process

1. 1. Please review the Spay/Neuter Clinic general information and price list of services offered.
      1. Everything on this page:
      2. Spay/Neuter Clinic — Columbia Animal Shelter Columbia, PA 17512
   2. Please review the Spay/Neuter Clinic anesthesia and surgical requirements.
      1. Everything on this page:
      2. Spay and Neuter – What you need to know! — Columbia Animal Shelter Columbia, PA 17512
         1. Please add a bullet point: We are unable to perform general anesthesia on pets with pre-existing conditions, such as a heart murmur, as these patients require a different anesthesia protocol then we are able to accommodate in our low cost clinic.  

• Our veterinarian reserves the right to decline services on any patients that may be at an increased anesthesia risk for an elective procedure at our clinic.  

1. After reviewing all the requirements for our Spay/Neuter Clinic, please complete this form in its entirety.  A shelter staff member will reach out to you to schedule an appointment and to collect your $50 non-refundable deposit.  
   1. Everything on this page:
   2. Spay/Neuter Clinic Intake Form — Columbia Animal Shelter Columbia, PA 17512

Does my pet really need preoperative blood work? 

1. The short answer is, yes!  
2. Performing a complete blood count and chemistry blood profile on even the youngest patients can detect blood disorders, blood protein or blood sugar concerns, electrolyte abnormalities, as well as detect any abnormalities to liver and/or kidney values. 
3. Preoperative blood work can also serve as a baseline for what is normal in your pet! With future bloodwork, your veterinarian can determine if there are abnormal trends to certain lab values that may be indicative of underlying disease.
4. If you’ve selected an option for preoperative bloodwork, a shelter staff member will schedule this appointment separately from your surgery appointment.  These appointments are made with the shelter veterinary staff and are scheduled on Thursdays.  Payment for preoperative blood work is expected at time of service. 

Post operative care

1. 1. Post operative care is critical to your pet’s healing process.  
   2. You will be provided with post operative care instructions at time of discharge from the spay/neuter procedure.
   3. It is imperative that you follow the instructions provided so that we can ensure optimum healing of your pet’s incision.
   4. A cone collar is strongly recommended for your pet during the post operative healing period to prevent him/her from gaining access to the surgical site.  
   5. We cannot be held responsible for complications resulting from failure to follow post operative instructions or for contagious diseases for which the animal was not previously properly vaccinated. 
   6. If there is an emergency, please contact your regular veterinarian or an emergency veterinarian.