Montgomery County Animal Care and Adoption Center Surgical Wing

About the Program

Category: Health (Best in Category)

Year: 2023

In September 2022, the Montgomery County Animal Care and Adoption Center (ACAC) partnered with the Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine (VMCVM) to help make necessary treatment and surgery for animals a little easier, as well as beneficial for all involved. Students at the VMCVM now provide free medical exams, surgeries and treatments for cats and dogs at the ACAC. This allows the VMCVM students to practice hands-on experience in a shelter environment as they care for animals under the supervision of two veterinarians and one licensed veterinary technician. This also allows the animals to receive care at the ACAC instead of undergoing the stress of being transported to and from local veterinary clinics. Finally, this allows employees of the ACAC to spend time working on-site instead of scheduling and transporting stressed animals between the ACAC and area veterinary clinics. Since September 2022, 290 surgeries have been conducted at the ACAC by supervised VMCVM students. In addition, the cost to Montgomery County for each surgery is now approximately $28. Prior to the surgical suite opening at the ACAC, the average cost to Montgomery County for spay and neuter surgery was $68 for cats and $83 for dogs.