Spay and Neuter Clinic - San Antonio Humane Society

Dates when S/N appointments will be made available (last Monday of every month at 9am unless otherwise stated): Monday: January 30, February 27, March 27, April 24, May 29, June 26, July 24, August 28, September 25, October 30, November 27, December 22
Low-Cost Spay/Neuter Information
Thank you for your interest in having your dog or cat spayed/neutered by the SAHS! This surgery helps decrease the overwhelming number of unwanted pets in our city and improves your pet’s chances for a longer, healthier life. Spay/neuter services are available to the public by appointment only.
Spay & Neuter Fees
Is My Pet Eligible?
All dogs and cats must be at least 8 weeks old and weigh at least 2 pounds at the time of surgery to be eligible.
Feral Cat ear tip (required for all feral cats brought in for spay/neuter): No Cost
Microchip (includes registration)
Rabies vaccine
DAPP
FVRCP
Heartworm 4DX test (also tests for tick borne diseases)
Capstar (required for any animal with multiple fleas on intake)
E-collar (after surgery cone)
Pain Medication
E-collar AND Pain Medication combo
Schedule Your Pet’s Appointment
Please follow the links below to schedule your pet’s appointment and enter all information as accurately as possible. Availability is based on staff levels as well as weight, species, and sex of the animal. If you can’t find an available time or if we are currently fully booked, please check back at a later time for future scheduling opportunities. We will open future months for appointment scheduling once availability is determined. Payment is required to schedule an appointment.
IMPORTANT: The following code must be used ZIPFY2023 at checkout or you will be charged the full price This opportunity requires documentation for proof of zip code (eg, driver’s license or utility bill), please bring it with you when you drop off the animal on surgery day.
The City of San Antonio Animal Care Services has generously provided funds for FREE spay/neuter surgeries at the San Antonio Humane Society (4804 Fredericksburg Rd.) for those residing in the zip codes posted on the review link above. Rabies vaccines are free at the time of the spay/neuter to those who qualify for the zip code grant.
Any additional products/services (such as, but not limited to: additional vaccines, comfort packages, microchips, crypt neuter, gravid spay…etc) are our regular price. Reparative surgeries are also to be paid at regular price by the customer.
Appointments are limited. Limit 5 per household.
Scheduling: Use code: ZIPFY2023
This opportunity requires documentation for proof of zip code (eg, driver’s license or utility bill), please bring it with you when you drop off the animal on surgery day.
Please print and fill out the check in form and bring to your appointment. Surgery check in form (English) Surgery check in form (Spanish) (currently not available)
Cancellation/Rescheduling Policy
If you cancel your appointment 48 hours in advance, a full refund will be returned to the original card used for payment. Appointments can be rescheduled up to 48 hours in advance w/ no additional fees.
What to Expect Appointment Day
Check in begins at 7:30 am. If payment was not made online, payment is due at check in.
Please note: a 1-hour to 1.5-hour wait during check-in is possible during our busiest days. A rabies certificate (which must include the dog or cat’s name, descriptions, administer date, and veterinarian signature) must be presented at check in. If proof of current rabies vaccine is not available, our staff will administer the rabies vaccine to your pet at the time of surgery for an additional cost. Additional services can be performed at the time of surgery for additional fees.
Pre-Surgery Instructions
For puppies & kittens under 5 months of age and under 5 pounds: Do not withhold food or water. You may feed them a small breakfast (about ~1 tablespoon) the morning of their surgery.
For dogs and cats over 6 months and over 6 pounds, pick up food at 10pm the night before his or her surgery. Water is ok to give. If your pet is not fasted, they may be denied surgery or be required to receive an antiemetic to prevent vomiting and aspiration.
All pets must be at least two months of age.
All pets must weigh at least two pounds.
All dogs must be on a leash.
All cats must be in a carrier (or trap if feral).
Your pet will be ready to be picked up starting at 4:30 pm the same day. We will give you a brief overview of post-surgery instructions, and send a written version home with you.
Your pet will be given pain medication before and after surgery that will last up to 24 hours after surgery. If you feel your pet is painful after 24 hours, please call us for a courtesy recheck-we can dispense additional pain medications if needed.
DO NOT GIVE YOUR PET TYLENOL OR IBUPROFEN-THEY ARE DEADLY TO PETS
Your pet’s health and safety is our biggest concern. If our veterinarians and staff refuse to perform surgery on your pet, it is because your pet has a health or safety issue that is too high risk for surgery. We may also refuse to perform surgery on highly aggressive animals if we feel they are a danger to our staff. This does not include feral cats in approved traps. Please try to understand that our main concern is always your pet’s health and safety.
Effective immediately all feral traps doors must be secured with either a carabiner or pipe cleaner. Zip ties will not be accepted.
Unless it says different in a temporary update above – There is a 10 feral cat limit, and no more than 3 feral cats per person, Monday – Friday at SAHS 4804 Fredericksburg Rd (at our new Leeu Naylor Medical Building next to the shelter.).
Check-In Days & Time by Location & Other Feral Cat Info
San Antonio Humane Society (4804 Fredericksburg Rd, at our new Leeu Naylor Medical Building next to the shelter.): Monday – Friday at 7:15 am
Feral cats must be brought in at check-in (7:15 am) in an approved trap (All feral traps doors must be secured with either a carabiner or pipe cleaner. Zip ties will not be accepted.). All feral cats will receive a permanent green tattoo on their abdomen as well as an ear tip to designate sterilized status. We cannot accept feral cats for surgery if they are not in an approved feral cat trap as they are a danger to themselves and our staff. If you have not attended a feral cat trapping training class, please do not attempt to trap feral cats on your own or bring them in an inappropriate carrier. This only creates added stress to the cat, and we will not be able to perform surgery. Learn more info about local feral cat groups/training classes.
Spay and Neuter Frequently Asked Questions
Spaying is the common name for a procedure called an “ovariohysterectomy”. This is an abdominal surgery in which the uterus and ovaries are removed from the female’s body. This procedure will make her incapable of reproduction and is the common practice to sterilize females.
Neutering is the common name for a procedure called “an orchiectomy”. This is an externeral surgery and does not commonly enter the abdominal cavity although is the case of some cryptorchids with an abdominally retained testicle it might. In this procedure both testicles are removed from the male’s body making him sterile and removing him from the gene pool.
It is a surgical procedure so some pain and inflammation is common. The surgery itself is done with the pet asleep under general anesthesia where they cannot feel a thing. Pain medicines are given prior to and after surgery that can give the pet pain relief for up to 36hrs after surgery.
It is common for a pet’s metabolism to slow down a bit after surgery. It is possible, however, to maintain your pet at a healthy body weight by adjusting the pet’s food intake. It is possible to keep your pet healthy regardless of their reproductive status.
Surgery should not alter your pet’s friendly or exuberant behavior. At most you should see a decrease in undesirable behaviors like house marking, aggression, escape/roaming and courting behaviors especially in male dogs.
Animals are remarkable in their ability to recover from major surgery. This same set of surgeries, when done in humans, can put someone out of work for 6wks or more. For our pets, recovery sees them back to eating and acting almost normally within 48-72hrs and totally back to their normal self in 5 days. Full healing for the incision and surgical sites can take one week for the superficial layers to several months for the deeper tissue. Complications can postpone healing, of course.
If you scheduled your appointment online, you can cancel/reschedule through your confirmation/reminder emails. There’s a link to reschedule in the email. Calls or emails to reschedule will take longer.
This is an old wives tale. It was once believed that allowing a female animal to have a litter before being spayed was good for her body. Studies have since been done that indicate that the greater the number of litters and heat cycles that a female dog goes through before she is spayed substantially increases her risk of severe health problems like mammary cancer and pyometra. Having a female dog spayed prior to her first birthday can substantially increase her lifespan.
Different vets recommend different ages for spay and neuter. Here at the San Antonio Humane Society we have successfully practiced “pediatric alters” meaning that we routinely neuter and spay animals at 8wks. Our guidelines are that your pet must be 8wks and 2lbs or more to be fixed here. We believe that the surgery is easier on the pet at this time when they are still small and resilient both mentally and physically. We also believe that it helps to create a pet who is never distracted by reproduction hormones and can have a stronger lasting bond with their owners. Lastly, it prevents accidental unwanted litters by dogs/cats who reach maturity before the norm and before their owners realize it they have a puppy having puppies!
A pregnant animal can be spayed at the discretion of the veterinarian performing the surgery. There are greater anesthetic risks as well as risk of incision complications, however, this surgery has been performed regularly here at the San Antonio Humane Society with great success and is often better for the female in the long run. Rarely, a dog may have a “pseudocyesis” experience after surgery meaning that, due to the hormones involved, they actually feel they have had a litter and might experience lactation, nesting, and mothering (which can include children, other family pets, or inanimate objects.)
A female can be “in heat” or estrus during the surgical procedure. This is done routinely, especially in cats, and while the procedure can be more tedious for the veterinarian there is often no additional risk to the patient. Extra blood loss or possible vaginal/uterine infection can be a complication.
This is a commonly debated question in veterinary medicine. While some veterinarians do believe that a single heat cycle releases hormones into the blood stream that are important for maturation of the body, there has been little scientific evidence to suggest that animals neutered before a heat cycle are negatively impacted. We feel that the risks of waiting for sexual maturity far outweigh the benefits.
Veterinarians all have different scientific logic behind their protocols. Some veterinarians have selected 6 months for the above listed rationale. Others believe that an older puppy is stronger and has had a chance to develop immunity to the viruses. These bits of logic are reasonable for most pets but we feel strongly that since pediatric surgeries are not harmful to the pet at all, they should be recommended in most cases.
There is ALWAYS a licensed veterinarian performing the surgery. On rare occasion a fourth year veterinary student who is months from becoming a veterinarian will be supervised directly by a licensed vet in accordance with state law. Only exemplary veterinary students are allowed to perform surgery under the watchful eye of an experienced veterinarian.