Why Spay & Neuter?

What is Spaying and Neutering?
It’s a simple surgical procedure that stops your dog or cat or from breeding. Female animals get spayed, males get neutered. The operation is performed while the pet is under anesthesia.

Why should I get my pet fixed?
Pet overpopulation is the number one problem for animals in America.

Some homeless dogs and cats just roam the streets. Others are killed in city pounds and shelters. Over 30,000 homeless, unwanted animals are put to death in this way in Utah each year.

The best way to avoid the problem of unwanted pets, and the kindest thing you can do for animals generally, is to make sure that your cat or dog is spayed or neutered.

But surely my one cat or dog can’t make that much of a difference.
You may find homes for all of your pet's litter. But each home you find means one less home for homeless animals in shelters who may die for lack of an available home. Also, in less than one year's time, each of your pet's offspring may have his or her own litter, adding even more animals to the population. Then their offspring have offspring, and so on and so on. By fixing your one pet you can help save hundreds if not thousands of lives!

Besides, fixing your pet will make your life much easier!

Spaying or neutering your pet can help some of your pet's behavior problems. Some of these problems include:

• house soiling
• marking, spraying
• persistent barking or meowing
• roaming, escaping
• fighting with other pets
• biting humans or other pets
• bleeding and other problems associated with female pets being in heat

Won’t female dogs and cats miss having puppies or kittens?
I would feel very lonely without my family.
No... mother dogs and cats care for their young for a few months until they’re weaned, but then usually have nothing further to do with them.

I feel uncomfortable getting my male pet neutered.
I wouldn’t want that done to me!
Your pet is not you. His psychology and biology are quite different. His hormones developed in the wild to produce as many offspring as possible so his species could survive. In our modern world, this many offspring only add to the sum total of unwanted pets who live a miserable life of suffering in an alleyway or field somewhere.

Won’t a female dog or cat be a better pet if she has had one litter?
No. Having puppies or kittens makes no difference at all to a pet’s temperament.

My dog/cat is purebred and I want to breed her at least once to recoup the price I paid for her.
Large numbers of purebred animals are destroyed every year in pounds and shelters. It is cruel to bring one more litter, even a purebred litter, into the world.

Will spaying or neutering affect my pet’s health in any way?
Yes, it will improve the health of your pet. Studies show that spaying a female before her first heat reduces the risk of mammary (breast) tumors or cancers. In males, neutering reduces the risk of prostate cancer in older animals.

So, get your pet spayed or neutered.

It's the enlightened, responsible, and right thing to do.

The Big Fix on Tour

The Big Fix on Tour, Mobile Spay/Neuter Clinic- Coming to a town near you! For Big Fix schedule, click here	Spay/Neuter for:	Price:
	Female dog	$60
	Male dog	$50
	Female cat	$35
	Male cat	$25
	Feline Family Plan - (Mother cat and her kittens - all kittens must be from the same litter and less than 5 months old)	$100
	Feline Cryptorchids (male cats with retained testicles)	$60
	Canine Cryptorchids (male dogs with retained testicles)	$90
	Pregnant animals and dogs over 40 pounds will be $10 extra.
	Dogs over 80 pounds will be $20 extra.
	Vaccination (Walk-up vaccinations and microchips are available between 11am-3pm. $5 processing fee applies for vaccination-only clients.)	Price
	Rabies (dog or cat)	$12
	Feline Leukemia	$12
	Cat Distemper Combination	$12
	Dog Distemper Combination	$12
	Microchips (available to everyone, not just surgery clients)	Price
	AVID Microchip with national registration	$20 for Dogs $15 for Cats

The Big Fix unveiling Sept. 2000

Big Fix Policies

Payment: Cash and checks are accepted happily.

Dr. Sweeney on the job

Itinerary: See the schedule below to find out when the Big Fix will be in your area.

We are unable to perform surgery on the following types of animals:

• Animals showing signs of illness such as fever, nasal discharge, cough, etc.
• Animals over 6 years of age
• Animals under 8 weeks of age*
• Animals under 2 lbs.

 

Outside the Big Fix on a "Feral Cat Roundup" day

Pre-Surgery Feeding Instructions:

• If your pet is older than 4 months, please do not feed him or her after 9pm the night before you bring them to the clinic. Water is okay at all times.
• If your pet is younger than 4 months, please feed him or her at 6am the morning that you plan to bring them to the clinic. Water is okay at all times.

Please Note: Cats must be in secure plastic pet carriers with identification labels. Dogs must be on leash.

*while pediatric spay/neuter on animals between 8 and 16 weeks of age is widely accepted as safe, your pet is best protected from communicable disease transmission when it is at least 18 weeks old and has received its full vaccine series from a veterinarian a week or more prior to surgery.

The Jazz Bear helped us "officially" change the Big Fix license plates to spay/neuter plates reading "FIXEM"

Big Fix Schedule:

April 2009
May 2009
June 2009

Intake: Appointments are not available unless indicated on the schedule. Intake is on a first come first served basis. Intake is from 8:00am to full. Arrive early, space is limited. We will return to online reservations at a later date.

Vaccinations: Walk-up vaccinations and microchips are available between 11am-3pm. $5 processing fee applies for vaccination-only clients.

The Big Fix on Tour F.A.Q.

Q. Is it safe to get my pet fixed on a mobile clinic?
A. Yes, the mobile clinic is just a spay/neuter unit on wheels, so there is no greater risk to the animals. The clinic uses the safest anesthesia possible, in addition to utilizing state of the art pain management. By performing thousands of surgeries yearly the mobile clinic surgeons have attained impressive skills performing spays and neuters.

Q. Who is the veterinarian on the Big Fix?
A. The veterinarians are Dr. David Sweeney, who has been practicing veterinary medicine for over fifteen years, and Dr. Tanya Kjeldsberg, who has worked on the Big Fix for  over two years, fixing thousands of cats and dogs.

Q. How many animals can you fix in one day on the clinic?
A. The team is able to perform between 25 and 50 animals each day, depending on the staff present and types of surgeries done.

Q. How much of a discount am I getting by using the Big Fix?
A. Prices for vaccinations and sterilization surgeries from private veterinarians vary, but the discounted prices on the mobile unit represent an average savings of at least 50% or more.

Q. How long will it take my pet to recover?
A. Animals will be released from the van when they are fully recovered from anesthesia, which generally takes 1-2 hours after surgery. The owners will be sent home with a complete post-operative care packet, including the number to call if there are any further questions.

Q. What do I do if I have questions about my pet's recovery?
A. If your pet was fixed on The Big Fix, and you are concerned about his or her recovery, please call one of our veterinary technicians at 801.652.1011.

Q. Who can I contact with other questions?
A. Please call 1-866-PETS-FIX (1-866-738-7349) for more info on the Big Fix. Or email info@utahpets.org.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Utah County Spay & Neuter Clinic

Hours of operation:
Our clinic is usually open Monday through Friday 7:30am-4:30pm. Please call in advance. Surgeries are by appointment. Walk-in vaccinations, microchips, and heartworm tests are available Wednesday and Thursday 10am-1pm.

Address: 845 N. 100 W., Suite 107, Orem

Phone: 801-404-5999

Free Fix

The Free Fix Voucher program is for pet cats and dogs. The program provides a voucher for you to spay and/or neuter up to three pets in your household for FREE. Since the program's funds are limited, we ask that the voucher be used by pet owners who can not afford this surgery for their pet(s).

People may apply for a Free Fix voucher if they are on a financial assistance program like Medicaid, CHIP, Food Stamps, WIC, SSD, Major VA Disability, Section 8 (HUD) or if they have a copy of last year's tax return indicating household income not exceeding 200% of federal poverty level guidelines.

When a person applies for a Free Fix voucher, they must include proof of their income status and/or of the assistance program they are affiliated with. After our office approves and processes the application, the person is sent a voucher which can be used at a participating veterinarian, on our Big Fix mobile clinic or at our Utah County Spay & Neuter Clinic. The voucher typically allows for up to three pets to be fixed at no charge. There are some exceptions to the three pet limit and individual arrangements will be made through our office -i.e. for a mother and litter.

Free Fix Voucher Application

Contact:

Andrea (801) 364-0370 Ext. 18
Email: andrea@utahpets.org

 

 

 

 

 

Other Discount Programs