Spay Oklahoma Celebrates Low-Cost Fixes For Dogs & Cats

A male and female dog, over a six-year period, could be responsible for thousands of dogs if you count their puppies and those puppies' puppies.  But an organization in Tulsa is focused on spaying and neutering dogs and cats.

Spay Oklahoma is celebrating a big milestone: 100,000 animals spayed or neutered in their low-cost clinic.

"It's taken us 11 years to get to 100,000," said Nancy Atwater, Spay Oklahoma. "We started out slow. We'll do 14,000 this year."

They opened a Tulsa clinic in 2004, then five years ago added a second in Bixby. On Tuesday, they had nine dogs and 26 cats. The animals are dropped off at the clinic in the morning and picked up later in the day.

Dr. Wendy Howard does the surgeries.

"When I was in private practice we never scheduled more than four spay and neuters in a day," Dr. Howard said.  Now she does an average 35 to 40 a day - and she loves it.

"It's where I think I can do the most good, reach the most animals," she said.

It's quite the system. While Dr. Howard is doing surgery on one table, Erica and Charity are getting the next one ready.  While there are few reasons not to spay and neuter there are lots of good reason to do it.

"Reducing mammary tumors in females and testicular tumors and prostate problems in males dogs," Dr. Howard said. 

Cost, they tell me, is the biggest barrier for many people - so this high volume operation helps reduce the cost. 

"When it doesn't cost any more than a bag of pet food, there's really no reason not to," the veterinarian said.

This week Spay Oklahoma is celebrating 100,000 fixes for a problem  that seems to have no end.