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
| 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 N, interim 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.”
A huge thank you to our incredible team for their dedication! Dalynn T. (Program Supervisor) helped set the team up for success, while Clarissa P. (CVT) kept operations moving smoothly by calling to schedule adopters for surgery. Dr. Amber F.—trained in High-Quality, High-Volume Spay/Neuter (HQHVSN) through the ASPCA Spay/Neuter Alliance—and Estefania R. (Lead CVT) mentored new team members while tackling the surgery backlog. Special thanks to Victoria D. for her continued support during her transition to the Foster Program.
“During a severe staffing shortage, Alicia H., Clarissa P., and Estef R. stepped up by working 6-7 days per week for an entire summer. Prior to that Victoria D. also worked extremely hard to keep the Animal Health department afloat for several years before she started helping us through her vital work on the foster team. These staff members also consistently took our most vulnerable patients home to foster, despite the heavy work load and long hours while Dalynn T. was working hard to build a solid team and set us up for success.” - Dr. Amber F.
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 Animal Health Team, Multnomah County Commissioners, the Multnomah County 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!
View the Fiscal Year 2026 Annual Report
Thank You to the Animal Health Team
- Brooke B, Animal Technician 2
- Meghan C, Veterinarian
- Olivia C, Animal Technician 2
- Victoria D, Vet Assistant
- Amber F, Veterinarian
- Alicia H, Animal Technician 2
- Eleni M, Animal Technician 2
- Ashley M, Veterinary Technician
- Jessica N, Veterinarian, Interim Medical Director
- Clarissa P, Veterinary Technician
- Grace R, Animal Technician 2
- Meghan R, Veterinarian
- Estefania R, Veterinary Technician, Lead
- Dalynn T, Veterinary Technician, Program Supervisor
