THUNDER BAY - With construction set to begin on a new low-cost spay/neuter clinic in the city, people are already eager to take advantage of Humane Society staff call a much needed service in the region.
“Ever since we announced the spay and neuter clinic was coming to Thunder Bay, we have been inundated with calls,” said Thunder Bay District Humane Society board chair, Brenda Everts. “We likely get 10 to 15 calls a day from people already wanting to schedule their animals for this service. If that is any indication, there is a great need.”
The low-cost spay and neuter clinic at the Thunder Bay District Humane Society has been in the works for the last three years. In early 2018, the facility on Rosslyn Road was already preparing to repurpose two rooms into a prep room and a surgery room.
All equipment needed for the clinic has arrived in Thunder Bay and the next steps will be setting up lighting, gas evacuation, and an oxygen generator.
“Everything else is ready to be assembled,” Everts said. “The outdoor work will be starting likely in the next two weeks. We will be getting a brand new parking lot in the front and new dog kennels in the back from our isolation room. It’s all coming together very quickly.”
The spay and neuter clinic comes with a price tag of approximately $600,000 for all the equipment and construction. A grant of $300,000 from Pet Smart Charities covered the cost of purchasing equipment and part of the cost of construction.
A veterinarian has also been hired, Everts said, who will be working out of the new clinic and she is expected to arrive in Thunder Bay in June to assist in setting up operations.
“She is coming to us from Wisconsin from an already high volume humane alliance supported spay/neuter clinic, so she knows and has experienced with a lot of what we are going to be doing over the next couple of years,” Everts said. “Her passion is shelter medicine, always has been since she was a teenager.”
The new vet will provide veterinarian services, as well as spay and neuter procedures, but Everts said the Humane Society does see some very difficult cases, such as animal cruelty and neglect, which will still require the assistance of veterinarians in the city.
While budgets for the clinic have not yet been finalized, the cost of spaying or neutering your pet could be as low as $150. The average cost of spaying and neutering pets in Thunder Bay is between $400 and $600.
Everts said she hopes the clinic will be fully operational by early September. And while it will provide a low-cost option for spaying and neutering services, Everts added that there is a definite need for this service in the city, and throughout the entire region.
“We are looking at helping with the feral colonies and helping the rescues, giving them spay and neuter services,” Everts said. “I believe we will not run out of animals. If we run out of animals, we will be on the road looking to help out other communities to spay and neuter.”
