Spay/Neuter Library

Your one-stop shop for everything you need to get your spay/neuter clinic on track, from surgical techniques and clinic flow to keeping your patients low stress and happy with the highest level of care possible.

Veterinarian holds a spay/neuter patient.

Protocols & SOPs

Spay/Neuter Guidelines

Find spay/neuter guidelines and research articles to maintain effective and humane practices at your high-quality, high-volume spay/neuter clinic.

Protocols & SOPs

Ideal Age of Spay/Neuter

The risk of surgical complications is less with pediatric spay/neuter. Read these articles to find out more.

woman wearing maroon scrubs holds kitten bundled in clean towel smiling

Videos

Gentle Cat Handling at Spay/Neuter Clinics

These videos show how to minimize stress while gently handling cats in a spay/neuter clinic.

Videos

Gentle Dog Handling at Spay/Neuter Clinics

Get tips for gently handling dogs in a spay/neuter clinic setting.

Videos

Disease Prevention at Spay/Neuter Clinics

These videos show techniques to keep animals healthy in a spay/neuter facility, including pre-admission screening, animal handling, and equipment and kennel cleaning.

Surgeon obtaining suture ready for spay/neuter surgery

Videos

Sterile Processing at Spay/Neuter Clinics

These step-by-step videos show an efficient method to process surgical packs at your spay/neuter clinic.

Videos

Spay/Neuter Ergonomics for Staff Safety

Resources to improve veterinary staff ergonomics and safety while working at a spay/neuter clinic.

vet staff holds syringe with baggie in clinic setting

Protocols & SOPs

Drug Protocols for Spay/Neuter Clinics

These drug protocols and guidelines will aid licensed technicians and veterinarians at HQHVSN clinics in determining proper delivery, ordering, storage, and handling of controlled substances.

A veterinarian waits for her patient to be prepped before starting surgery

Videos

Efficient Flow at Spay/Neuter Clinics

This how-to video illustrates proper medical flow at a spay/neuter clinic.

Videos

Guiding Cats Through Spay/Neuter Intake & Examination

Watch these how-to videos for detailed instructions on properly assessing cats during spay/neuter clinic intake, including checking for alteration status, exams, and determining gender.

Videos

Guiding Dogs Through Spay/Neuter Intake & Examination

This video series will show you how to safely and comfortably handle, approach, and guide dogs through spay/neuter procedures including approach, determining alteration status, and intake.

Job Aid Downloads

Resources to Assist With Intake

These educational learning tools will provide visual reminders, practical tips, and printable checklists to develop critical standards and confidence.

Videos

Spay/Neuter Patient Identification

This video shows how to customize your spay/neuter clinic’s kennel cards to ensure they contain all necessary information and how to best tag each animal.

Videos

Cat Induction & Perioperative Care at Spay/Neuter Clinics

These videos show ways to administer and monitor anesthesia for cats in a spay/neuter clinic setting.

Videos

Dog Induction & Perioperative Care at Spay/Neuter Clinics

These videos show ways to administer and monitor anesthesia for dogs in a spay/neuter clinic setting.

Job Aid Downloads

Hypothermia Prevention for Spay/Neuter Patients

Download resources to assist with gentle animal handling of cats at your spay/neuter clinic.

Videos

Preparing Cats for Spay/Neuter Surgery

These videos demonstrate proper post-anesthesia protocol for preparing feline patients prior to spay/neuter surgery.

Videos

Preparing Dogs for Spay/Neuter Surgery

These videos demonstrate proper post-anesthesia protocol for preparing canine patients prior to spay/neuter surgery.

Videos

Spay/Neuter Patient Recovery

This video shows how to assist patient recovery after spay/neuter surgery, as well as tips for cleaning and sterilizing.

woman in scrubs performs CPR on mannequin dog while second woman tends to machin

Job Aid Downloads

Preparedness for Spay/Neuter Emergencies

This material covers implementing a CPR protocol for your spay/neuter clinic, as well as a free step-by-step guide to use in case of emergency hemoabdomen.

Job Aid Downloads

Resources to Assist with Induction & Perioperative Care

These educational learning tools will provide your staff and volunteers with visual reminders and checklists to develop critical standards and confidence during perioperative care.

two gloved hands applying blue post-op spay neuter tattoo

Videos

HQHVSN Surgery Basics

These resources provide detailed instructions on some surgery basics involved with high-quality, high-volume spay/neuter.

Videos

Spay/Neuter Surgery Simplified

The suite of "simplified" videos talks through these procedures, without getting too deep into the intricacies that only a surgeon needs to understand.

hands holding pincers and tubing for spay/neuter surgery

Videos

Surgical Models & Knot Tying Practice

This “dry lab” manual has been created to practically demonstrate efficient high-quality, high-volume spay/neuter techniques in a safe, straightforward format.

Videos

Spay/Neuter Surgery for Female Dogs

These demonstrative videos show you the many techniques used to perform a spay surgery on female dogs.

Videos

Spay/Neuter Surgery for Female Cats

These demonstrative videos show you the many techniques used to perform spay surgeries on female cats.

Videos

Spay/Neuter Surgery for Male Dogs

These demonstrative videos show you the many techniques used to perform a neuter surgery on male dogs.

Videos

Sterile Surgical Techniques

Asepsis in spay/neuter clinic procedures is vital, and there are many ways to maintain a sterile surgery environment. Learn techniques for maintaining sterility during gloving, pulling suture, and draping.

Spay/Neuter Surgical Complications

This online course covers surgical complications that may arise while performing high-quality, high-volume spay/neuter.

Silhouette of a dog with "Help your Pet Heal"

Job Aid Downloads

Postoperative Healing Guide for Spay/Neuter Clinics

This video explains what to share with owners whose pets have undergone spay/neuter surgery, including feeding and activity level guidelines.

Videos

Guiding Trapped Cats Through Spay/Neuter Intake & Examination

This video series will walk you through the safest, least stressful methods of handling trapped, community, or feral-behaving cats in a spay/neuter clinic.

Videos

Trapped Cat Induction & Perioperative Care at Spay/Neuter Clinics

These resources demonstrate the way anesthesia is administered to trapped cats, where it differs from the regular cat population, at the ASPCA Spay/Neuter Alliance.