Animal Welfare Professionals

The COVID-19 pandemic started with a surge in pet adoptions, but it has had another dramatic – and unfortunate – effect on the country's pets: a huge chunk of missing neutering surgeries. New research finds that there are almost 3 million missing neuter/spay surgeries in the U.S. due to the pandemic, which, combined with veterinarian and staff shortages, is contributing to widespread overcrowding at pet shelters.

The findings come from a study of over 200 clinics from 2019 to 2021 by researchers at the University of Florida. Progress made over decades to control overpopulation of dogs and cats through high-volume spay-neuter surgeries is at risk thanks to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, a team of UF researchers conclude in a new study.

The impact - felt both at community shelters and veterinary clinics - includes sharp declines in spay-neuter surgeries after the initial pandemic-triggered lockdowns, followed by staffing shortages in clinics and shelters, overcrowding and lagging pet adoption rates. All of these problems are compounded by a nationwide shortage of veterinarians, which has been felt even more acutely in shelters and spay-neuter clinics, the researchers say in a study published Sept. 13, 2022 in Frontiers in Veterinary Science. Click here to read the full-length paper.

How is your community holding up in regards to spay-neuter capacity?

#AccesstoCare
#AdmissionsandIntake(includingIntake-to-placement)
#CommunityCatManagement
#Medicine,SurgeryandSterilization
#PetSupportServices*

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Julie Levy
Maddie's Shelter Medicine Program at the University of Florida
Maddie's Million Pet Challenge
https://sheltermedicine.vetmed.ufl.edu/
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Thank you for posting this! We have had to add a day each week to our spay/neuter clinic. We have been very lucky in our ability to find vets, although it was not easy. As well as finding vet techs (we have several vols with a medical background that help in our clinic). Part of the reason we had to add another day to our schedule was to meet the demand from our community, but an even bigger reason is that we are transferring in pets from overcrowding shelters more than we ever have before. The problem that we are starting to face is the lag in adoptions and finding fosters willing to take in young adult dogs. 

On the foster side, we've decided to poll our volunteers and fosters and figure out what the real barriers are to fostering a young adult dog. From there, we're hoping to overcome those barriers and help make it easier to folks to help us in the foster world. 

As for adoptions, we've tried holding a huge adoption event, with fees waived, multiple marketing campaigns, etc. We've never had an issue with adopting our pets, in fact our length of stay last year on average was 6.2 days and I'm thinking that's going to look a lot different this year if adoptions don't start to pick up. Even puppies and kittens are hanging around longer than normal. 

I'm curious if other shelters are also up against these same problems and if you've found any creative ways to combat those issues.

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Erin Ellis
Community Engagement Director
Humane Society of Truckee-Tahoe

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Foster Program & Volunteer Management Specialist
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We are definitely struggling with this! Biggest factors I have seen:

• Finding vet assistants to work in our clinic has been a huge challenge- we post and post and try and use word-of-mouth relationships and just can't compete with what private practice is offering!
• As  length of stay has risen due to reduced adoptions, the demands on our clinic outside of s/n has also grown, as more pets are developing URI due to length of stay, so there is more treatment necessary, which pulls from surgical capacity, resulting in longer length of stay for pets waiting for surgery, and the vicious cycle continues.
• Demand for intake has gone up and I wondered if in addition to economic factors driving intake, there could be correlation to the period of time when we were unable to provide s/n due to state restrictions on preserving the PPE supply for hospitals. You answered this one for me!

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Alexis Pugh
Director, Memphis Animal Services
www.memphisanimalservices.com

Organizational Management
& Pet Support Services Specialist
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Alexis - I agree it's such a vicious cycle of intakes greater than outcomes >> shelter crowding >> increased length of stay >> disease and stress >> increased costs and labor >> decreased shelter and community safety net programs >> increased pressure for shelter intake.  The decreased spay/neuter capacity and the critically depleted veterinarian and veterinary technician workforce problem is but one of the forces contributing to this disturbing trend.

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Julie Levy
Shelter Medicine Program at the University of Florida
Maddie's Million Pet Challenge
https://sheltermedicine.vetmed.ufl.edu
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Original Message:
Sent: 09-14-2022 01:49 PM
From: Alexis Pugh
Subject: Decrease in spay-neuter surgeries during pandemic isn't over yet

We are definitely struggling with this! Biggest factors I have seen:

• Finding vet assistants to work in our clinic has been a huge challenge- we post and post and try and use word-of-mouth relationships and just can't compete with what private practice is offering!
• As  length of stay has risen due to reduced adoptions, the demands on our clinic outside of s/n has also grown, as more pets are developing URI due to length of stay, so there is more treatment necessary, which pulls from surgical capacity, resulting in longer length of stay for pets waiting for surgery, and the vicious cycle continues.
• Demand for intake has gone up and I wondered if in addition to economic factors driving intake, there could be correlation to the period of time when we were unable to provide s/n due to state restrictions on preserving the PPE supply for hospitals. You answered this one for me!

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Alexis Pugh
Director, Memphis Animal Services
www.memphisanimalservices.com

Organizational Management
& Pet Support Services Specialist
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This message was posted by a user wishing to remain anonymous

In Sacramento California the spay neuter clinics are way behind. They cannot keep up with the need for this spay and neuters. The waiting lists are full and they aren't even taking anymore people onto the waiting list in most cases. Some dogs have to wait months.

I live in AZ and volunteer for an organization that promotes TNR.  We have been working with a university where 4th year students are doing TNR surgery with, of course, the guidance of an experience vet.  This is a WIN-WIN for the vet students and the cats getting sterilized.  Has anyone else been doing this in other states - reaching out to colleges/universities with veterinary programs to see how they can help with SN efforts?

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Maurna
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Original Message:
Sent: 10-09-2022 02:53 PM
From: Anonymous Member
Subject: Decrease in spay-neuter surgeries during pandemic isn't over yet

This message was posted by a user wishing to remain anonymous

In Sacramento California the spay neuter clinics are way behind. They cannot keep up with the need for this spay and neuters. The waiting lists are full and they aren't even taking anymore people onto the waiting list in most cases. Some dogs have to wait months.

Hello Maurna-I am also in AZ (Pinal County). What vet school are you working with? I run an intake prevention organization which recently lost BOTH of our mobile service providers and currently have few to no resources for our spay-neuter needs. Does the vet college utilize a mobile? Any info will be much appreciated. Thanks!

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LYNDA NESBITT
Pets In Need Action League
5205820299
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Original Message:
Sent: 10-11-2022 10:01 AM
From: Maurna Winterer
Subject: Decrease in spay-neuter surgeries during pandemic isn't over yet

I live in AZ and volunteer for an organization that promotes TNR.  We have been working with a university where 4th year students are doing TNR surgery with, of course, the guidance of an experience vet.  This is a WIN-WIN for the vet students and the cats getting sterilized.  Has anyone else been doing this in other states - reaching out to colleges/universities with veterinary programs to see how they can help with SN efforts?

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Maurna
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Original Message:
Sent: 10-09-2022 02:53 PM
From: Anonymous Member
Subject: Decrease in spay-neuter surgeries during pandemic isn't over yet

This message was posted by a user wishing to remain anonymous

In Sacramento California the spay neuter clinics are way behind. They cannot keep up with the need for this spay and neuters. The waiting lists are full and they aren't even taking anymore people onto the waiting list in most cases. Some dogs have to wait months.

The university does not have a mobile clinic.  They are in Glendale.  I would say to reach out to Stephanie Nichols-Young, the President at Animal Defense League of AZ, to get more information.  Board of Directors - Animal Defense League of Arizona

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Maurna
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Original Message:
Sent: 10-11-2022 10:12 AM
From: LYNDA NESBITT
Subject: Decrease in spay-neuter surgeries during pandemic isn't over yet

Hello Maurna-I am also in AZ (Pinal County). What vet school are you working with? I run an intake prevention organization which recently lost BOTH of our mobile service providers and currently have few to no resources for our spay-neuter needs. Does the vet college utilize a mobile? Any info will be much appreciated. Thanks!

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LYNDA NESBITT
Pets In Need Action League
5205820299
------------------------------


Original Message:
Sent: 10-11-2022 10:01 AM
From: Maurna Winterer
Subject: Decrease in spay-neuter surgeries during pandemic isn't over yet

I live in AZ and volunteer for an organization that promotes TNR.  We have been working with a university where 4th year students are doing TNR surgery with, of course, the guidance of an experience vet.  This is a WIN-WIN for the vet students and the cats getting sterilized.  Has anyone else been doing this in other states - reaching out to colleges/universities with veterinary programs to see how they can help with SN efforts?

------------------------------
Maurna


Original Message:
Sent: 10-09-2022 02:53 PM
From: Anonymous Member
Subject: Decrease in spay-neuter surgeries during pandemic isn't over yet

This message was posted by a user wishing to remain anonymous

In Sacramento California the spay neuter clinics are way behind. They cannot keep up with the need for this spay and neuters. The waiting lists are full and they aren't even taking anymore people onto the waiting list in most cases. Some dogs have to wait months.

The only issue with utilizing vet sturdents is they typically cannot work on "owned" animals-but that is a good resource for TNR purposes.

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LYNDA NESBITT
Pets In Need Action League
5205820299
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 10-11-2022 10:01 AM
From: Maurna Winterer
Subject: Decrease in spay-neuter surgeries during pandemic isn't over yet

I live in AZ and volunteer for an organization that promotes TNR.  We have been working with a university where 4th year students are doing TNR surgery with, of course, the guidance of an experience vet.  This is a WIN-WIN for the vet students and the cats getting sterilized.  Has anyone else been doing this in other states - reaching out to colleges/universities with veterinary programs to see how they can help with SN efforts?

------------------------------
Maurna
------------------------------


Original Message:
Sent: 10-09-2022 02:53 PM
From: Anonymous Member
Subject: Decrease in spay-neuter surgeries during pandemic isn't over yet

This message was posted by a user wishing to remain anonymous

In Sacramento California the spay neuter clinics are way behind. They cannot keep up with the need for this spay and neuters. The waiting lists are full and they aren't even taking anymore people onto the waiting list in most cases. Some dogs have to wait months.

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Julie Levy, DVM
Shelter Medicine Program at the University of Florida
Maddie's Million Pet Challenge
https://sheltermedicine.vetmed.ufl.edu
------------------------------

😢

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Michelle Robinson
Cause 4Paws Gary,INC
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Original Message:
Sent: 12-23-2022 12:12 AM
From: Julie Levy
Subject: Decrease in spay-neuter surgeries during pandemic isn't over yet

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Julie Levy, DVM
Shelter Medicine Program at the University of Florida
Maddie's Million Pet Challenge
https://sheltermedicine.vetmed.ufl.edu
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One additional point I have heard from a number of veterinarians with whom we work is a remind that there are only some 32 vet schools in the US.   Another point I've heard is that some states and state associations have outdated rules that unreasonably limit the number of new veterinarians from joining their ranks (I'm in NY and have heard this often).  This only compounds burn out, retirements, and early exiting from the profession of exhausted and overworked veterinarian professionals and staff.  As an all-volunteer rescue organization that relies on our professionals every day for not just spay neuter services but all our basic and extraordinary vet care,  we try to remember to do little things to try to not make their work days worse and maybe occasionally make them a bit better.  We will do our best to plan ahead, so we can get on schedules early.  We will buy the office and professional staff of the practices we frequent lunch periodically.  We brought around holiday cookies to all our veterinary partners.  We hammer into our foster caretakers to be NICE to everyone at every office! Complaints come to me and I'll figure out issues, they are never handled by the foster caretaker.  And we try to keep communication with one of representative of our organization only, so there is one less thing for them to have to think about.  This might not belong in this thread, but I love to hear what other organizations that rely on private practices do to help shoulder some of the burden and streamline their demands on their veterinary partners.

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Diane Metz
Volunteer
Orange Street Cats, Inc.
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Hello.  I am ED for a program that has a spay/neuter clinic.   We lost one vet this year and we were doing s/n 4 days a week and now we had to go down to three which  makes a huge difference.  I have been actively searching for a vet but after one candidate which unfortunately we did not feel was the right fit, I have not had one other inquiry and my position is posted several places.   As you all know being nonprofit, we cannot compete with the corp owned vet clinics with salary and benefits and even what I am hearing other clinics in my area are paying it is going to be hard.  Wish I had their funding to make that an easy ask from the Board.  I am afraid of what the future holds.  

And I noticed someone else commented about also being unable to find vet tech/vet assistants. I too have had trouble there and have had to go with someone with no experience which has been a very tough learning curve.  I wish everyone luck in being able to maintain their staff and continue to do the good work you all do and I pray those of us who need staff will find them in the new year.   But the limited amount of vets that graduate every year that is tough.  

Happy New Year to all you wonderful animal warriors -

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Dawn Roberts
Executive Director
Beesley Animal Foundation
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