Animal Services Restores Vital Spay & Neuter Surgeries for Adoptable Pets
Thanks to a budget investment in additional Animal Health staff and the support of community partners, Multnomah County Animal Services reports spaying or neutering 99% of all adopted dogs, cats and rabbits beginning in the fourth quarter of Fiscal Year 2026.
See photos of the team at work on Flickr
Background
Since mid-2022, Multnomah County Animal Services had experienced a gap in meeting the rising demand for spay & neuter services for a growing shelter population –which included more cats and kittens, large dogs and a growing percentage of animals not previously altered before coming to the shelter. Combined with a shortage of Animal Health staff, Animal Services was unable to provide spay & neuter surgeries for all animals prior to adoption.
Efforts to address the spay & neuter gap included a voucher system for adopters to complete surgeries at participating veterinary clinics. However, scheduling challenges for adopters and the high cost of the program resulted in limited success and sustainability.
New Animal Health Staff Positions in FY 2026
In the Fiscal Year 2026 budget, the Multnomah County Board of Commissioners added 5.5 full-time staff positions to the Animal Health team at MCAS. This investment was vital to serve the complex medical needs of an increased population of shelter animals, including expanding the shelter’s capacity to perform pre-adoption spay & neuter surgeries.
However, these additional staff positions took some time to fill. Funding for the voucher program ended in fiscal year 2025, creating a significant surgery backlog for the revitalized Animal Health team.
After the voucher program ended, community partners including The Feral Cat Coalition of Oregon, Oregon Humane, and Portland Community College pitched in whenever possible by providing off-site surgeries for shelter animals.
Staff members followed up with a backlog of adopters with unaltered animals to schedule surgeries or confirm whether the procedure had been performed elsewhere.
As new staff were onboarded, the Animal Health team gradually closed the gap throughout Fiscal Year 2026. By the end of the fourth quarter (April through June 2026), 99% of all adopted animals were spayed or neutered, and the momentum continues.
Percentage of adopted animals that are spayed or neutered in FY 2026
| Quarter | Cats | Dogs | Kittens | Puppies | Rabbits |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY26-Q1 | 88% | 60% | 55% | 58% | 50% |
| FY26-Q2 | 93% | 68% | 72% | 75% | 50% |
| FY26-Q3 | 98% | 86% | 87% | 83% | 100% |
| FY26-Q4 | 99% | 99% | 99% | 96% | 86% |
Animal Health Perspectives
Asked about her perspective on closing the surgery gap, Dr. Jessica Nelson, medical director and veterinarian at Multnomah County Animal Services, who is known around the shelter as ‘Dr. J,’ praised long-term staff for showing new personnel the ropes of shelter surgery logistics. She also highlighted new staff members who energized the process and the dedicated teamwork and spirit of the entire Animal Health team for prioritizing spay & neuter surgeries.
“The team that has been here for a longer period of time have done a phenomenal job of showing new team members the ropes and getting the new team members excited about what we’re doing,” Dr. J said. “ I think everybody’s very, very proud of what we are doing now.”
“We also want to thank the community for supporting adoption. Adopting allows another animal to take up that space, and then we can take care of their spay & neuter needs, too!”
While the current focus of MCAS is maintaining momentum of spay & neuter compliance for adopted animals, when asked about the possibility of low cost surgeries for the public, Dr. J was optimistic and willing to manifest the hopes and dreams of the team. “I’m hoping that we get to the point where public spay & neuter services are available again through our facility.”
We’re grateful to our county commissioners, the auditor’s office, and to our community for advocating for spay & neuter to be a top priority at our shelter. We’re excited to offer that service again to all adoptable dogs, cats, and rabbits, and thrilled to announce this milestone. We sincerely hope in the future that we will be able to work with our community partners to expand those services to others as well.
Thank you for supporting adoption and spay & neuter at Multnomah County Animal Services!
