To our Friends in the Veterinary Community
A spay/neuter assistance bill will be prepared for introduction in the 2011 Washington State legislature. This bill will provide funds to help pay for spay/neuter surgeries on cats and dogs belonging to low-income people; and for spay/neuter surgery on feral and free-roaming cats. The bill 
would not mandate spay/neuter surgery for pets--decisions to alter cats and dogs under the program would be voluntary.
Under the proposed bill, surgeries would be performed by a network of private, public, and nonprofit veterinary clinics throughout Washington. This effort is needed to help end the tragic consequences of pet overpopulation in our state: Tens of thousands of healthy, adoptable animals are euthanized each year due to space limitations in shelters and lack of available homes.
Eight other states have established similar statewide spay/neuter programs. New Hampshire’s program has resulted in a significant decrease in the euthanasia of shelter dogs and cats as well as reduced animal control costs. In Washington, State Senate Bill 5329 and House Bill 1406 were introduced in the 2009 legislative session to provide a statewide spay/neuter assistance program. However, the bill did not pass during the 2009 or 2010 legislative sessions. For that reason, a new bill will be prepared for the 2011 legislative session.
To help you understand this legislation and its impact on you and others in the veterinary community, please read this page and explore other sections of this website. If you have additional questions, contact Rick Hall or Andrea Logan, coordinators for Save Washington Pets. Their email addresses are rick@savewashingtonpets.org and andrea@pawsitivealliance.org.
Like you, the many people who support spay/neuter assistance legislation care deeply about the welfare of companion animals. After learning more about this bill, we would welcome your support. Please let us know that you're behind this bill. We will need your help to get this bill passed in 2011!
Background on the legislation and its impact on the veterinary community:
1. Participation by any veterinarian in the spay/neuter program would be entirely voluntary. Because it is voluntary, the program will be designed to be attractive to veterinarians. As is the practice in other states, it would minimize administrative burdens. And it would ensure that veterinary spay/neuter surgery providers receive fair and reasonable compensation.
2. Surgeries would be performed on dogs and cats belonging to low-income individuals. Funds would also be used to spay/neuter feral and free-roaming cats. To the extent funds are available, funds would also help pay for spay/neuter surgeries for dogs and cats in the possession of animal shelters and animal rescue organizations. That’s important to help ensure those pets are altered before adoption.
3. The program would be funded by a small fee on pet food imposed at the distributor level. (the amount is to be determined, but it would be less than three cents per pound). It is not a retail sales tax and would not be collected by any veterinary clinic that sells pet food. The fee supplements an existing pet-food inspection fee already being paid to the Washington State Department of Agriculture (WSDA) by companies that register pet food for sale in Washington. Many of these companies are familiar names: Hills, Nestle Purina, IAMS, Royal Canin, Menu Foods, Del Monte Pet Products, and others.
4. The program will save tens of thousands of cats’ and dogs’ lives. We know spay/neuter programs are effective and the most humane solution to the companion animal overpopulation crisis.
5. An effective, statewide spay/neuter program will pay off financially over the long run. It costs more in animal control and sheltering costs to handle unwanted animals than it does to perform spay/neuter surgeries.
6. Dogs that are intact are much more likely to cause serious bite injuries to people which can result in liability and insurance claims. Providing affordable, accessible spay/neuter surgery for dogs belonging to low-income individuals will help reduce the risk of serious dog bite injuries and accompanying claims.
If you run a private veterinary clinic and wish to participate to help low-income pet owners obtain spay/neuter surgeries for their pets, here’s how it would work:
a. The lead state agency (to be determined) would encourage private veterinary clinics to enroll as spay/neuter surgery providers, and ask them to provide their list of fees for performing spay/neuter surgeries.
b. The lead agency would review fees and establish agreements with veterinary clinics for performing spay/neuter surgeries. Fees that are usual, customary and reasonable would be allowed as defined by the spay/neuter bill. It is expected that rates of reimbursement would be established for categories of spay/neuter surgeries, such a feline neuter, feline spay, canine neuter (various weight ranges), canine spay (various weight ranges), and for special circumstances (to be determined, but likely to include factors such as cryptorchid males, pregnant or in-heat females, etc.).
c. Pet owners interested in having their pets spayed or neutered under this program would go through a simple application process.
d. Applicants that are approved receive a voucher for spay/neuter surgery for his or her pets. That person may take his or her pets to any participating spay/neuter surgery provider. The pet owner would pay no more than $10 for each cat spay/neuter surgery and no more than $20 for each dog spay/neuter surgery--the copayment amounts.
e. The veterinary clinic would send invoices to the lead agency for reimbursement for spay/neuter surgeries performed under the program. Copies of approved spay/neuter surgery vouchers from clients would accompany the invoices.
f. The lead agency would pay the veterinary clinic for its services.
If enacted, implementation of the companion animal spay/neuter assistance bill would require the lead agency to establish guidelines and policies to administer it fairly, effectively, and efficiently.