Shelter Animal Comprehensive Spay and Neuter Program

About the Program

Category: Financial Management (Best in Category)

Year: 2021

Faced with repeated failures in achieving sterilization for dogs and cats adopted through Onslow County Animal Services, the County adopted a program of performing the surgeries in-house which has benefited the animals’ health, saved considerable county funds and achieved total compliance in having all animals spayed or neutered. On February 24, 2020, Onslow County Animal Services (OCAS) began utilizing its full-time Veterinarian and Veterinary Technician to complete all spay and neuter surgeries in-house, prior to adoption. This has saved Onslow County approximately $53,000 to date. The OCAS spay and neuter program for shelter pets eliminates the need for an outside spay and neuter facility, increases the productivity of current Veterinary Medical Staff, makes more efficient use of shelter staff time, and improves the welfare of shelter animals. This program eliminates the need for staff to spend ten hours per week on animal transport, decreases length of stay for shelter animals because the in-house program is available daily as opposed to the previous used twice weekly program, and it allows Onslow County to save money because providing in-house surgery is less expensive, as it eliminates the need for paying an outside contractor and lessens the frequency for vehicle maintenance.