Free Pet Spay/Neuter Clinic in Travis County This Week

Kelsey Kane, left, and Trudy Bennett play with a cat during a mega pet adoption event at George R. Brown Convention Center Saturday, Sept. 3, 2022 in Houston. More than 1,000 rescue cats, kittens, puppies and dogs from at least 14 shelters and rescue organizations brought animals to the event, seeking new homes for the animals. Adoption fees are $35 and include vaccinations, microchipping, and spay or neuter services. The event will run through Sunday.
Brett Coomer/Houston Chronicle

For the next five days, Austin pet owners can get their dogs and cats spayed or neutered for free at a pop-up clinic in northwest Austin.

The free clinic runs today, Thursday, Nov. 13, through Monday, Nov. 17, at 11580 Stonehollow Dr. in Austin. Surgeries are open to both dogs and cats.

The event is a partnership between Travis County, Austin Animal Services and national nonprofit Greater Good Charities, which is bringing in its high-volume “Good Fix” team to perform the procedures.

Registration and drop-off are first come, first served. Check-in begins at 7:30 a.m. and continues until 10 a.m. or until capacity is full each day.

Organizers urge people to arrive early; waits, especially on the weekend, could stretch for several hours. Pets go home the same day.

Who qualifies and what to bring

The clinic is limited to City of Austin and Travis County residents.

Pet owners should bring:

• A proof of residency, such as a photo ID, lease agreement or utility bill
• Any recent vaccination records for their pet

Other rules from the organizers:

• Pets must be at least 2 pounds and 2 months old
• Cats must be in secure carriers or humane traps with a working door
• Only one cat per carrier
• Cats brought in traps will be ear tipped to show they have been sterilized

Along with the surgery, pets will also receive free vaccinations, flea and tick treatment and a microchip and there is no limit on how many pets a person or car can bring.

How much spay and neuter usually costs

At low-cost clinics, a standard spay or neuter can still run close to a hundred dollars or more. Nonprofit clinics in Central Texas list prices in this range:

• Around $80 to $90 for cats
• $125 and up for dogs, depending on size

At full-service veterinary hospitals, the bill can be significantly higher. National cost estimates put routine dog spay or neuter surgery anywhere from about $250 to more than $500, depending on the dog’s size, age and whether blood work or additional care is involved. A free clinic like this one can save a household anywhere from roughly $90 at a low-cost nonprofit to several hundred dollars compared to a standard vet practice.

Why vets say spay and neuter matters

Spay and neuter does more than prevent surprise litters. The American Veterinary Medical Association says sterilizing pets can lower the risk of certain cancers and infections, curb roaming and urine marking, and help dogs and cats live longer, benefits that also help ease pressure on shelters by reducing the number of puppies and kittens coming through their doors.

What happens after this week: other free and low-cost options

If you cannot get to Stonehollow Drive this week, there are still options to get help spaying or neutering your pet.

Austin Animal Services funds “Free Day” mobile clinics through Emancipet, which rotate through sites like St. John’s Community Center and Turner-Roberts Rec Center. On those days, Travis County residents can get free spay/neuter, rabies vaccines, core shots and microchips for dogs and cats on a first-come, first-served basis.

Emancipet runs multiple brick-and-mortar clinics in Austin plus a mobile clinic, offering fixed-price spay/neuter that’s cheaper than a full-service vet, along with vaccines, microchips and flea and tick prevention.

The Austin Humane Society’s Community Cat Program provides free spay/neuter and rabies vaccinations for unowned community cats in Travis County, typically through weekly surgery days at its shelter on West Anderson Lane.

Austin Animal Services and Greater Good Charities also bring back these Good Fix pop-up clinics several times a year at different sites, offering free, high-volume spay/neuter for local dogs and cats.

Most of these programs are limited to Austin or Travis County residents, and appointments or surgery slots can fill quickly, so organizers encourage pet owners to check each group’s website or social media for the latest schedules before showing up.

Who is behind Austin Animal Services and Greater Good Charities?

Austin Animal Services is the city department that oversees animal protection officers and runs Austin Animal Center, which has long billed itself as one of the largest no-kill municipal shelters in the country. The shelter cares for thousands of animals each year and works with a network of rescues and fosters.

Greater Good Charities is a global nonprofit that focuses on helping people, pets and the planet. Its Good Fix program sends out high-volume spay/neuter teams that can perform large numbers of surgeries in a short period of time, often in areas that lack access to affordable vet care.

This week’s clinic at Stonehollow Drive is the latest round in that effort to bring free spay and neuter to Austin-area pet owners.