Take 5: Cat and Dog Sterilization Program

Originally published in the March 5, 2014, issue

 

Cobb

1. What is the cat and dog sterilization program?

 

In 2003, legislature was passed starting the dog and cat spay/neuter program. Georgia veterinarians would be able to spay or neuter Georgia pets belonging to Georgia owners at a reduced fee. Veterinarians submit a request to the Department to do a certain procedure for a specific owner and animal. We then check to see if the veterinarians have already met their quota for the month and everything is as it should be and then they get approval to do the procedure. We pay a certain amount of money per spay and per neuter. The Department establishes how many such procedures veterinarians can do each month, which is based on income. Income comes in the form of direct donations to the program, purchase of specialty license plates and a check-off from taxes. 

 

2. What are the benefits in participating in the program?

 

It allows people who don’t have the money for the procedures to have them done. It is helping animals because we have an overabundance of animals that are uncared for and that are reproducing at a great rate when their offspring are not wanted. By neutering and spaying these animals at an early age, or any age at all, it reduces the amount of stray animals.  

 

3. How can I participate?

 

The best way to participate is by buying a specialty license plate, by contributing directly to the program or by checking off on your tax form. When you do your taxes, you can check off that you want to contribute X-amount of dollars to the dog/cat spay and neuter program, or by the sale of three specialty tags. Once those tags are purchased, a certain amount of money goes to the program.

 

4. Why is it important for Georgia to have this program?

 

When an animal is not neutered or spayed and it is reproductively intact, not only are they producing offspring, but they are generally more aggressive animals that will tend to get in fights, invade dumpsters or become a nuisance. Some of those animals can be a source of disease because they are comingling with themselves. When you put a lot of animals together that are from different environments, you introduce disease. The disease is uncontrolled therefore spreading throughout these animals. They can carry zoonotic diseases such as hookworms, ringworms and rabies. These are diseases that can be transmitted from animals to humans.

 

5. Tell us a little about the new legislation regarding the program.

 

In 2010 the legislature changed the disposition of the funds. Originally when a person purchased the specialty license plate, $24 and some change was given to the program. There was no money provided if someone renewed a tag. In 2010, it was changed so that only $10 comes into the program when a tag is purchased and $10 is given to the program when someone renews. Initially, this provided for a large amount of money, but people began to realize that only $10 was coming into the program, so they quit buying tags. The tag income is now very low; therefore we have gone from a total of five procedures per vet per month down to one.

 

Dr. Robert Cobb is the Georgia state veterinarian. For additional questions on this program, please visit www.agr.georgia.gov or call the Animal Industry Division at 404-656-3671.