Celebrate Spay Day: Feb. 22

Encouraging people to save animal lives by spaying or neutering pets and feral cats, the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) continues its annual campaign for Spay Day on Feb. 22. Last year local animal shelters, spay and neuter clinics, and veterinarians all over the nation organized more than 600 Spay Day events. The HSUS reported that nearly 45,000 cats and dogs were spayed or neutered in the United States during Spay Day 2010—an 18 percent increase over 2009. Here’s a look at how two practices plan on participating.

Canton Veterinary Clinic in Canton, Ill., will offer low-cost spays and neuters. People interested in participating can sign up for the lottery drawings at the clinic. Staff members will draw to fill all the slots on Thursday, Feb. 17. All in-clinic protocols will be followed. Participating animals must have up-to-date vaccinations, heartworm testing, and no animal should be in heat or pregnant.

At the Madison Area Technical College in Madison, Wis., veterinary technician students and instructors will team up with the Dane County Friends of Ferals veterinary students from the University of Wisconsin and local veterinary volunteers to spay and neuter about 75 free-roaming cats. The veterinary students, instructors, and volunteers will vaccinate the animals, administer anti-parasite medication, and tip the animals’ ears for easy physical identification of sterilization.

Will you be celebrating Spay Day this year? See the Related Links below for ideas on how to help.