SPCA Tampa Bay opens a massive new clinic

The SPCA Tampa Bay's enormous new veterinary center at 3250 5th Ave. N. in St. Petersburg is finally open. Woof woof hooray!

The 12,500 square foot facility currently has two general practice veterinarians and one spay/neuter surgeon. The plan is to hire three more general practitioners, and another spay/neuter surgeon.

"The general practice veterinarians can see about 16 patients per day and the spay/neuter surgeon can perform 25-35 surgeries per day. That totals to about 60 patients a day now and potentially 100-120 patients a day when we are fully staffed," hospital manager Lane Simpson told CL in an email.

Anyone can make an appointment to bring their cats and dogs to the clinic. (One staffer's pet pig comes by sometimes, but the vets are sticking to servicing our canine and feline friends just now.) Prices for most procedures are in line with private clinics in the area, though "creative payment options like payment plans and subsidized care options for those who need it" will be available, said Simpson.

Spay and neuter surgeries are affordably priced, at $40 to neuter a cat, $70 to neuter a dog; $45 to spay a cat, $80 to spay a dog. Hopefully, this'll encourage people to bring their cats and dogs in for the procedure, which — if you'll indulge a spot of proselytizing — helps keep your own pet healthy, and also makes sure your sweetie isn't running around town making unwanted furry babies whose fates could be pretty grim. We know you're a good person who doesn't want that to happen. 

Folks caring for "community cats" — cats who live outside and aren't owned, but are fed and looked after — can get their charges spayed and neutered, and vaccinated. (Insiders know this as TNVR.) In some cases the TNVR-ing will be done for free, thanks to a grant awarded by Pinellas County. Reach out to Simpson for details, or to make an appointment.

Here's the part of this that'll make you extra-excited (we hope; it's truly good): All this is aimed at helping people take good care of their animals, and also at keeping animals out of the shelter.

More than 7,500 animals per year come into the SPCA Tampa Bay, after being given up by their families, according to Simpson. In a lot of cases, the "surrendering" owners say it's because they can't get their pets the medical care they need.

And so the goal of this new veterinary center is both reducing pet overpopulation, said Simpson. "and to help keep more pets with their families so they don’t end up in local animal shelters in the first place."

Added bonus: show up on the right day, and you might get lucky enough to meet the pet pig. 

This article appears in Oct 20-27, 2016.