Three Things to Know
COVID-19 lockdowns forced veterinary clinics to suspend non-essential services, including spay/neuter surgeries. To quantify the pandemic’s impact, researchers analyzed surgical data from 2019 to 2021 across the United States
Researchers estimated a deficit of 2.7 million spay/neuter procedures in 2020 and 2021, with similar reductions observed in both owned and unowned animals. Regionally, the South experienced the smallest proportional decline, while the Midwest, Northeast, and West saw more significant decreases.
By 2021, spay/neuter surgeries remained 3% below pre-pandemic levels, with particularly steep declines observed in older animals (-16%) and dogs (-14%).
For Dog Welfare Practitioners
Spay/neuter programs are fundamental to controlling pet overpopulation and reducing euthanasia in most English-speaking countries. While this study highlights the pandemic’s devastating impact on these services in the U.S., similar trends likely exist across the anglosphere.
The pandemic’s disruption necessitates a concerted effort to rebuild spay/neuter capacity, a challenge compounded by veterinary workforce shortages. To address this, dog welfare organizations should explore establishing dedicated spay/neuter clinics. To enhance funding opportunities and expand impact, local SPCAs could consider partnerships with veterinary schools. This could be expanded to include vocational high schools, offering valuable training opportunities.
The Full Picture
The overpopulation of cats and dogs is a global issue, with surgical sterilization playing a key role in population control and reducing shelter euthanasia rates. High-volume spay-neuter (HQHVSN) clinics emerged in the 1970s, leading to the adoption of pediatric sterilization, neuter-before-adoption policies, and trap-neuter-return (TNR) programs. These efforts, along with increased access to subsidized sterilization, significantly reduced shelter euthanasia rates in the US.
However, the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted veterinary services. Lockdowns and emergency declarations in early 2020 led to restrictions on non-essential procedures, including routine spay-neuter surgeries. While life-threatening conditions continued to be treated, the suspension of sterilization procedures created a service gap that telehealth could not bridge.
This study, titled “COVID-19 associated reduction in elective spay-neuter surgeries for dogs and cats”, aims to assess the impact of the pandemic on HQHVSN clinics in the US.
Study Methods
Spay-neuter data for dogs and cats were obtained from Clinic HQ, a cloud-based management software used by spay-neuter clinics in the US. The dataset covered January 1, 2019, to December 31, 2021, and included comprehensive records from 212 clinics that had continuously used the software since 2019. These clinics represented approximately 7% of all spay-neuter practices in the country. The dataset spanned a pre-pandemic baseline year (2019), the pandemic lockdown (spring 2020), and the subsequent recovery period.
Collected data were categorized by species (dogs vs. cats), sex, age (pediatric <5 months, adult 5 months to 7 years, geriatric >7 years), and ownership status (privately owned vs. unowned, including community cats and shelter animals). Geographic analysis followed US Census Bureau regions: Northeast, Midwest, South, and West.
Study Results
The 212 clinics performed 1,217,240 surgeries in 2019, which dropped 13% to 1,059,388 in 2020, before rebounding to 1,184,274 in 2021 — still 3% below pre-pandemic levels. By December 2021, 8 clinics (4%) had temporarily closed, 4 clinics (2%) had permanently closed, and 2 clinics (1%) had shifted to wellness-only services. In total, the clinics performed 190,818 fewer surgeries over the two-year period.
The steepest decline occurred in March-April 2020, with an 80% drop in April compared to 2019. Although numbers rebounded by mid-2020, they remained slightly below baseline for most of the study period. The largest reductions were observed in geriatric animals (-18% in 2020).
If similar trends occurred across the estimated 3,000 spay-neuter clinics in the U.S., a national deficit of over 2.7 million surgeries may have accumulated by the end of 2021. The recovery of spay-neuter capacity is crucial to prevent increases in unwanted litters and shelter intake.
Breakdown of Decline
The decrease varied by species, with dog surgeries declining more sharply (-19% in 2020, -14% in 2021) than cat surgeries (-10% in 2020, +3% in 2021). Cats (66%) had nearly twice as many surgeries as dogs (34%). This may be linked to the urgency of feline population control in shelters and the prevalence of trap-neuter-return (TNR) programs. The prolonged delay in spay-neuter services is particularly concerning for female cats, as they can become pregnant as early as five months.
Unowned animals (-14% in 2020) experienced similar reductions in surgeries as owned pets (-12% in 2020), potentially due to shelter policy changes that prioritized rapid adoptions over pre-adoption sterilization.
Regional variations in restrictions and pet overpopulation levels also influenced the extent of surgery declines. The South had the highest number of surgeries before and during the pandemic, with the smallest proportional decline, while the Midwest, Northeast, and West saw larger decreases. Staffing shortages exacerbated by COVID-19 remain a barrier to full recovery.
Conclusion
The COVID-19 pandemic abruptly halted progress in spay/neuter efforts, causing a dramatic drop in surgeries from which the sector is still struggling to rebound. For decades, the high volume of spay-neuter surgeries has been the primary force in reducing pet overpopulation and euthanasia in shelters. Now, it is imperative that veterinarians and animal welfare organizations join forces to prioritize rebuilding this capacity, with a specific focus on serving animals at the highest risk of unintended breeding, poor welfare, and shelter entry.
Miscellaneous
Data From Study:
Owned Dogs > Offering Better Care > Vet Care
Year of Publication:
2022
External Link:
Guerios SD, Porcher TR, Clemmer G, Denagamage T and Levy JK (2022) COVID-19 associated reduction in elective spay-neuter surgeries for dogs and cats. Front. Vet. Sci. 9:912893. https://doi.org/10.3389/fvets.2022.912893