Pets fixed for affordable student prices

The easiest way to help reduce the overwhelming numbers of unwanted cats and dogs, according to the Humane Society of the United States, is to spay or neuter your pets and encourage others to do the same.

The Spay-Neuter Clinic in Sharonville offers inexpensive spay and neuter services to

students.

"Everything we do is for the people," Dora Isenberg, a veterinary technician who works at the Spay Neuter Clinic in Sharonville, said.

For a discounted price, the clinic spays and neuters cats and dogs. Whereas other veterinary clinics in the area may be more expensive, charging $200-$300, prices for a spaying or neutering here range from $26-$98, depending on species and gender.

This clinic also offers low-cost vaccinations and de-clawing. According to Isenberg, within a few weeks the clinic expects to be doing dental services as well.

"It's also affordable for the people who don't have a lot of money, which I think is a great program," Isenberg said. "Especially for a lot of people with a lot of animals."

Since spay/neuter is major surgery, Isenberg explained that many pet owners are afraid when they bring in their pets to be altered. However, the procedure itself is fast and simple, sometimes requiring only a single incision. Due to the anesthesia, animals don't remember the surgery itself.

Sometimes humans are less aware of things than their pets. Isenberg explained, "We have people who come in and swear up-and-down that their cat is a girl and it's a boy. And after the surgery we tell them, 'There's not much difference now.'"

Dr. Pauline Lant conducts the surgeries, while Isenberg and Donna Funk, a veterinary assistant, help. After the surgery is over, the doctors leave while the assistants are left to oversee their patient's recovery.

"The love and care that we give these animals is very special," Isenberg said.

Some of the clinic's patients are feral cats, brought in by local shelters or individuals who have taken the cats under their care. The surgery prepares many of these cats for adoption, but some are let back into the wild.

Spaying and neutering are an attempt to control the feral population, which overcrowds animal shelters everywhere.

According to the United Coalition for Animals in the southwest Ohio area, 30,000 cats and dogs are euthanized annually in Cincinnati alone, due to a lack of space.

"We do need to start controlling the population, and it's really not that hard to do," Isenberg said.

This message has reached pet owners from many walks of life, all of whom relate to their pets differently.

"You have younger people that come in here, and it's their buddy," Isenberg explained.

"And you have the older people who come in here, and it's mainly their companion, so they want to take care of them."

The clinic is part of a chain, with 10 locations in the south and Midwest. It was started by Dr. Michael Thompson who wanted to make low-cost veterinary services more accessible to the public. Usually, the price charged for a service is just enough to cover its cost at Thompson's clinics.

"He's got the technology, the know-how, and he's not greedy," Isenberg said.

Further discounting prices, the Scratching Post, a no-kill cat shelter in Silverton, gives vouchers for the Spay Neuter Clinic's services. Also, the clinic has coupons for $3 or 15 percent off, which can be found in Valpack mailings or online at www.valpack.com.

The Spay-Neuter Clinic is on 2300 E. Kemper Rd. in a strip mall whose street sign is dominated by Harry's Corner. The sign for the clinic itself is small enough to miss.

Surgeries, vaccinations, and other services are by appointment only. To make an appointment, pet owners may call (513)772-1091. The clinic is open from 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Monday and Tuesday, and from 7 a.m-6 p.m. Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.