Photo: Oregon Humane
On Wednesday, Oregon Humane hosted a “super-sized” spay/neuter event for pet owners—completing 213 surgeries at our Community Veterinary Hospital and 66 at our Veterinary Clinic in Salem. In total, 247 cats and 32 dogs received care.
“Pet overpopulation remains a big challenge in our communities, and pet owners are struggling to find accessible and affordable spay/neuter surgery for their beloved family members” says Dr. Steve Kochis, Oregon Humane Chief Medical Officer & Co-Interim CEO.
While Oregon Humane provides low-cost spay/neuter for pet owners each week through the Spay & Save program, the demand exceeds our current capacity.
This is why a few times a year Oregon Humane takes an “all hands-on deck” approach to tackle this huge need. During these “super-sized” spay/neuter days, Oregon Humane pauses most other veterinary services and focuses on providing high-quality spay/neuter surgery for as many owned pets in Portland and Salem as possible.
“Without these services, an unplanned litter of puppies and kittens can easily overwhelm a pet owner and increase the number of animals coming into an already crowded shelter system,” adds Dr. Kochis.
In fact, in 2025 Oregon Humane received 5,284 animals from community members who were no longer able to care for their pets. The top reason the animals came to us: unintended offspring. In fact, more than one-third (2,033) of the animals surrendered to Oregon Humane last year were due to a dog or cat having an unwanted litter.
More information about Oregon Humane’s veterinary services and low-cost spay/neuter program can be found at www.oregonhumane.org.
Source: Oregon Humane