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Spay & Neuter: The Compassionate Choice for a Healthier Pet Community

About

Spay Neuter Save Network began its mission to provide high-quality, high-volume spay/neuter services to the community in 2022. The plan was to open in Bradford County, but a broken water main at our building on Route 220 in Ulster PA changed our direction.

Thanks to Laura Clarson of the Tioga County Cat Project, we were encouraged to just pack up our equipment and travel to towns such as Wellsboro, Mansfield, and Elkland for cat Trap Neuter Return clinics. We set up surgery in community centers and fire halls and altered cats all day. We still do this twice a month.

Our temporary home in Waverly NY brought us a new following of pet lovers. There, we added dog alterations and non-routine surgeries such as enucleations, mass removals, and many more. We also were able to purchase a dental machine.

October 2023 brought what we had been waiting for - a building in our home-county of Bradford. We are now located in Rome PA. We have more room to work here, allowing us to help even more animals. Two veterinarians and a dedicated medical staff work hard to ensure the safety and health of all animals in our care.

The question we are most often asked is, “How can you offer surgeries at such low prices?” Our fees are reduced compared to private practice vet prices, but that would be comparing apples to oranges. It isn’t that veterinary pricing is outrageously high - Veterinarians must pay their rent and staff like us, but because we are a nonprofit we have access to donation revenue streams, helping us to fund the clinic. We rely on these sources to continue working toward our mission.

Our Mission

The Mission of the Spay Neuter Save Network is to help ensure the best quality of life possible for animals in shelters/rescues, community cats, and pets owned by those with financial hardship in the Twin Tiers region by providing veterinary care tailored for these populations, because no animal should suffer from lack of access to care, and nobody should have to choose to give up their beloved family member because of lack of access to care.

Our clinic is located at:
1355 Main Street
Rome, PA 18837

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Posts

Linear Foreign Bodies in Cats

4 months ago

Everyone knows that dogs eat things they are not supposed to like toys, clothing and the stuffings of comforters, but cats also can get into trouble when left alone with the wrong objects.

Swallowed string, yarn, and elastic can become linear foreign bodies that are life-threatening and require surgery to remove. This type of foreign body happens when one end of the object is anchored in the upper GI while the other end travels down the lower GI along with food and feces.

Sometimes the offending string or yarn gets tied around the tongue or frenulum, which is under the tongue, while the rest of the object is swallowed. The force of the digestive process pulls the string or yarn further down the tract creating an “accordion effect,” bunching up the small intestines. This can be seen on x-rays as a gas pattern, but the foreign object will not be seen by this method.

Surgery for a linear foreign body is complicated and delicate, requiring advanced supportive care. If you notice your cat has string or yarn sticking out of its mouth or rectum, or has some tied under the tongue DO NOT cut or pull on the object. This will only tighten the foreign body and increase the risk of intestinal perforation. Seek immediate emergency help from your veterinarian or an emergency veterinary practice.

Signs that a cat has swallowed a linear foreign body and needs help include vomiting, loss of appetite, lethargy, abdominal pain or unwillingness to lay down, hiding, straining to defecate, and other changes in behavior. Any of these paired with a history of playing with string or yarn is a medical emergency.

Prevention is the best medicine when it comes to any foreign body. If you have cats, keep all string, yarn and elastic locked away in a drawer or locking box. Even the elastic on face masks can cause a problem. Check all toys for any such components before allowing cats to play with them, even supervised.

For more reading on foreign bodies in cats go to https://imaging.vetmed.ufl.edu/2015/11/30/10-month-old-fs-domestic-medium-haired-cat/

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