Spay and Neuter on a budget
Dr Jeffrey young graduated from Colorado State University School of Veterinary Medicine in
1989. He established Planned Pethood Plus, Inc (PPP) in 1990. PPP is best know for its low-
cost mobile neutering services, Native American Reservation work, and training of
veterinarians from around the world in more efficient surgical techniques. Dr. Young has
served on numerous Humane Society boards and has been an advisor from mobile surgical
units all across America. He has also founded his own non-profit group called Planned
Pethood International. Planned Pethood International was established to help fund spay/neuter
work and veterinary training from it’s new state of the art veterinary hospitals in Bratislava,
Slovakia and Merida, Mexico. Dr. Young believes his humane ethics come from being an
Animal Control Officer during his veterinary college training. He is most proud of having
personally sterilized over 165,000 animals in the last 20 years, and he is an outspoken
proponent of early age neutering for companion animal population control. Dr. Young is
driven by a simple underlying mission “to significantly reduce companion animal
overpopulation throughout the world.”
“Think Globally Act Locally “

The Only Real Solution to
Companion Animal
Overpopulation.
Paradigm shift in social attitudes.
No euthanasia of Dogs and Cats will be
healthy, adoptable valued as true
animals. companion animals.

Economics 101: Supply vs. Demand
Dogs VS Cats
Reproduce only to enhance Spay/neuter all surplus and
the breed, allow only the best non-breed standard animals.
of breed to reproduce, homes All adoptable animals must
secured in advance. be neutered prior to
adoption.

Human Education and Animal
Legislation
Government Agencies
Animal Control
Environmental
Behavioral sociology
Modification and
counseling
Addressing
Educational
Humanitarians Animal Abuse
Institutions
Friend
Supply vs Demand
Veterinary Profession Humane Organizations
Foe
Lower the Standard

The Cold Harsh Facts
 Between 30 – 60 % of adopting owners Do Not abide by
spay/neuter contracts.
 Humane Societies provide 25-30 % of companion animals
to households each year.
 Dogs are 15 X and Cats 45 X more prolific than Humans.
 There is around 80 million dogs and 86 million cats and
countless millions feral/stray cats in America.
 85 + % of cats and 70 + % of dogs in households today
have been neutered, but about 20 % produce at least one
litter prior to being sterilized.

Humane Organizations
Must be the Leaders
 Warehousing companion animals will never solve overpopulation.
 Must have active educational campaigns.
 Must not except euthanasia as the cornerstone of population control.
 Must confront and educate the veterinary profession.
 Must invest in behavioral modification and counseling.
 Must promote and advocate for prepubertal neutering.
 Must have a successful spay/neuter program.
 Must spay/neuter all companion animals prior to adoption.
 Must have an active feral/stray cat program.
Our feline friends average 2.1 litters/year and 4.5 kittens per litter 70% rule

Creating a Neutering Brigade, While
Meeting Humane Obligations
 Can organize events.
“Regional Captains” every  Can approach local contacts.
area has “animal people”
find them, use them,  Can pinpoint problem areas.
empower them.  Can provide an educational network.
 Can help with fundraising.
 Can be a political force.
 Can work with local veterinarians.

Minimizing Overhead While
Maximizing Long Term Goals
How many animals can you warehouse per year?
How many animals can you spay/neuter per year?
What impact are you having in your community?
Money is
limited so
spend your $
$ Wisely.

Limited Funds Require Each Humane
Organization to Reflect on How to Best
Spend Their Money, to Achieve Their
Desired Goals
• Behavioral modification and counseling provided.
• Adoption Facility- foster homes.
• Peter Kiraly The Rex
Educational programs.
Foundation
• Legislative Initiatives. (Dog Shelter Hungary)
• Stationary neuter clinic.
• Traditional Mobile unit.
• Task Force Mobile set-up.
• Combinations.

Be Aware !!
• Money spent on warehousing animals is money
not going into a spay/neuter program.
• You must decide on your priorities and the less
money available to you the more this is true.
• Warehousing of companion animals doesn’t
reduce over population and is not usually in the
long term interest of the individual animal.
THERE ARE THINGS WORSE THAN
DEATH!!

You Have A Facility: Mobile Or
Stationary
Were Are Your Every Day Costs.
• The Veterinarian
• Anesthetics
• Surgical Equipment
• Suture Material
• Surgical Tables
• Sterilization Equipment
• The Extras
• The Support Staff

The Veterinarian
• Must develop good
surgical technique
• Not be afraid of
criticism
• Be involved in
educational campaigns
• Should believe in the
cause

Good Surgical Technique Allows
For Early Age Neutering.

Surgical Conditions Vary Worldwide

Anesthetics
• Injectables vs Gas anesthetics
• Injectable are newer ones safer ?
• Telezol, Pentothal, Xylazine,
Ketamine, Dexdomitor, Propofol,
Valium, Acepromazine,
Buprenorphine, Butorphanol

Anesthetics

Anesthesia
• Is only as good as the person using it
• Anesthesia is always to effect
• Golden Rule of Injectable anesthetics :
Once you give it, you can’t take it
back, but you can always give more
• When in Rome do as the Romans do

Surgical Equipment
• High quality vs Economy grade
• Monitoring equipment:
- does it effect the outcome ?

Basic Surgical Pack

Prices of Monitoring Equipment
Vary From 5 to 5,000 USD

Suture Material
• Absorbable vs Non-absorbable
• Braided vs Monofilament vs Steel
• CatGut, Vicryl, – cheap, but more post-
op complications
• Maxon, Monocryl, Biosyn – good,
but more expensive
• Steel

Suture Materials

Surgical Tables
• Stainless steel vs Homemade
• Extra tables are good
- one of the limiting factors for large
amounts of surgeries

Surgical Tables : 60 To 1800
USD

Surgical Tables

Sterilization of Equipment
• Cold vs Hot
• Sanitation vs Sterilization
• Keeping things Clean
• Preparation of Animals
• Cold tray sterilization (Nolvasan
diacetate in distilled water)

Sterilization Is Always Important

Better Sanitation – Better Results

Little Things Can Help Make You
More Efficient
• Increase safety to
animals
• Endotracheal tubes,
Belly boards, E-collars,
Bungee leg ties, Mayo
stands

Life Made Simple

The Support Staff
• One good technician is worth a
veterinarian
- Another limiting factor for large
amounts of surgeries
• 2 support staff per veterinarians is
usually minimum

You Must Customize To Your
Needs
• But the basic
principles
remains the
same
• Learn from other
peoples mistakes

Know Your Cost Per
Animal
• A basic principal to remember:
- if you are loosing 1 cent per surgery,
doing more surgeries does not make
you more money

Key Points
• Good Surgical Technique
• Better Sterilization And Sanitation
• Less Reactive Suture Material Is Best
• Good Support Staff Mandatory
• Know your cost so you can Maximize your
outcome and have the greatest effect
• When in Rome do as the Romans do , If you
are traveling, you can almost always do a good
job with what is locally available
• You are smarter than you think you are, You
can do more than you think you can

Jeff Young D.V.M.
Planned Pethood Plus Inc.
4170 Tennyson St.
Denver, CO 80212
720-937-5082
drneuter@hotmail.com
Plannedpethoodplus.com
Montanaspayneutertaskforce.org