Several months ago I got this idea to look into Low Cost Spay & Neuter. We do not have anything like this at any vets in town and there is a definite need here. I'd like to share what I did in case anyone on this forum would like to try to get one set up in their community.
I looked up Spay USA's website which has contact phone numbers for several states. I found the number and called Illinois Spay and talked with Cathy there. She was excited about trying to set something up for my area! She explained to me that in order to set up a one day clinic in my area, she needed some contacts and especially a vet who would be willing to work with Illinois Spay. They need a place to set up the clinic and for obvious reasons, this needed to be at a veterinary clinic. I gave Cathy the number for my vet-Dr. Blakeley and also gave her information for our Animal Shelter and our local Humane Society. Then, just to make sure everyone was on board, I called our ACO at the shelter and told her all about what I was trying to do. I also called Dr. Blakeley and explained it all to her. I wanted her to know that Cathy would be giving her a call and that I was the one who had given Cathy her info. (The vets who help with a clinic like this do get compensated for their participation and the use of their facility). Even though I'd given Dr. Blakeley's contact info to Cathy, I realize that Dr. Blakeley could have said no if she felt she just couldn't do it. That would have been okay with me because this is a big obligation. Fortunately for Macomb, Illinois, Dr. Blakeley was totally on board! Anyway, Cathy made the calls and Dr. Blakeley agreed and now the low cost spay/neuter clinic is set for this Sunday, June 6. They will speuter at least 100 feral/stray cats, pit bulls, and pit bull mixes. It is exclusive to these animals because Dr. Blakeley thought this would be acceptable to the other vets in the area since she doesn't want them to think she's trying to take money out of their pockets. The price for dogs is $50 and cats is $25. I, along with several others from our community, will be volunteering on Sunday. This should be very interesting!
If you live in Illinois and would like to set up a clinic (they also do a mass transport if a clinic can't be set up in your area), you can call 877-475-SPAY.
Spay USA information can be found at: http://www.spayusa.org .