Neuter

Health & Wellness

Desert Paws Rescue assumes all financial responsibility for medical and veterinary expenses in order to keep your foster animal happy and healthy.  This includes spay/neuter, vaccinations, microchipping, prescriptions, and any other necessary medical services.  Desert Paws relies on a few veterinarians/clinics for these services:

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MASHVet (“MASH”) is a mobile animal surgical hospital created to provide access to low-cost spay/neuter services in a variety of locations across the valley.  MASH is commonly present at the home of the Veterinarian who owns and operates the mobile unit. Mash has low prices for spays, neuters, FIV/FeLV testing, and vaccinations, and directly bills Desert Paws for any services provided.

Fosters will be notified when MASHVet is holding their clinic days and given the opportunity to attend based on their availability.

Appointments for spay/neuter must be made through a Desert Paws Rescue Administrator.

Before you visit MASHVet:

  • Ensure you have scheduled an appointment through a DPR Administrator.

  • Ensure the carrier you intend to transport your foster in is labeled with your name & phone number along with your foster cat/kitten’s name.

  • Upon arrival at MASHVet’s 7am designated drop-off time, complete the Surgical Intake form by providing your name and phone number, and be sure to note that your animal is a Desert Paws Rescue foster.

  • A MASHVet Technician will call you at your contact number when your cat/kitten is ready to be picked up. If you have other commitments that will prevent you from dropping off/picking up your animal, please make arrangements with a DPR Administrator.


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Altered Tails provides spay/neuter, vaccination, and testing services.  Altered Tails has two locations, one in Phoenix and one in Mesa.  This resource directly bills Desert Paws Rescue for any services provided.

Appointments for spay/neuter must be made through a Desert Paws Rescue Administrator.

Before you visit Altered Tails:

  • Ensure you have scheduled an appointment through a DPR Administrator.

  • Ensure the hard-sided carrier you intend to transport your foster in is labeled with your name & phone number along with your foster cat/kitten’s name. A.T. requires that each pet departs in their own carrier/crate so please let a DPR Administrator know if you will need to borrow additional crates.

  • Upon arrival at Altered Tails’ 7:30a designated drop-off time, complete the Rescue Surgical Consent form by providing your name and phone number, and be sure to note that your animal is a Desert Paws Rescue foster.
    **PLEASE NOTE, Altered Tails Mesa is asking that anyone dropping of animals for medical services proceed to the back of their building and remain lined up in their car until a technician can assist.
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  • An Altered Tails Technician will call you when your cat/kitten is ready to be picked up. If you have other commitments that will prevent you from dropping off/picking up your animal, please make arrangements with a DPR Administrator.

  • Before you bring your foster home from Altered Tails, ensure that you receive a copy of your foster’s Spay/Neuter Certificate (if spay/neuter was done) or FIV/FeLV test results (if your foster was tested). You will need to bring this paperwork with you when you bring your animal to adoptions at PetSmart.


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Spay Neuter Clinic is a high-volume clinic that provides low-cost spay/neuter and vaccinations.  This clinic has several locations around the valley, including Mesa, Chandler, and Phoenix.  This resource has very low prices for spays, neuters, and vaccinations; however, they are unable to bill Desert Paws for servicesThis means that the foster will have to pay for any provided services, acquire a receipt for said services, then follow up for reimbursement, or contact a DPR Administrator by phone when payment is due.

Appointments for spay/neuter must be made through a Desert Paws Rescue Administrator.

Before you visit Spay Neuter Clinic:

  • Ensure you have scheduled an appointment through a DPR Administrator.

  • Ensure the hard-sided carrier you intend to transport your foster in is labeled with your name & phone number along with your foster cat/kitten’s name.

  • Upon arrival at Spay Neuter Clinic, complete and intake form by providing your name and phone number, and be sure to note that your animal is a Desert Paws Rescue foster.

  • Before you bring your foster home from Spay Neuter Clinic, ensure that you receive a copy of your foster’s Spay/Neuter Certificate (if spay/neuter was done) or FIV/FeLV test results (if your foster was tested). You will need to bring this paperwork with you when you bring your animal to adoptions at PetSmart.


Dr. Carr’s Dog & Cat Repair is a full-service animal hospital which provides a number of veterinary medical services.  Dr. John Carr can provide care for any animals who require medical services like X-rays, exams, testing, special prescriptions, dental cleanings, etc.

Appointments for medical services must be made through a Desert Paws Rescue Administrator.

  • All prescriptions or additional medical services must first be approved by a DPR Administrator. Unapproved expenses will not be reimbursed.


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Follow Your Heart Animal Hospital is a full-service animal hospital which provides a number of veterinary medical services.  They provide care for any animals who require additional medical services like X-rays, exams, testing, special prescriptions, dental cleanings, etc.

Appointments for medical services must be made through a Desert Paws Rescue Administrator.

  • All prescriptions or additional medical services must first be approved by a DPR Administrator. Unapproved expenses will not be reimbursed.


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Warner Vista Animal Hospital is a full-service animal hospital which provides a number of veterinary medical services like X-rays, exams, testing, special prescriptions, dental cleanings, etc..

Appointments for medical services must be made through a Desert Paws Rescue Administrator.

  • All prescriptions or additional medical services must first be approved by a DPR Administrator. Unapproved expenses will not be reimbursed.


Emergency Health Issues

What constitutes a medical emergency?  A good rule of thumb is any situation in which you would call 911 for a person.  Below are some specific symptoms that could indicate an emergency:

  • Not breathing or labored breathing.

  • Signs of extreme dehydration (dry gums, weakness, vomiting, not urinating, skin tenting).

  • Abnormal lethargy or unable to stand.

  • Unconsciousness or unable to wake up.

  • Cold to the touch.

  • Broken bones.

  • Any trauma (hit by a car, dropped, stepped on).

  • A large wound or profuse bleeding that doesn’t stop when pressure is applied.

  • Loss of appetite for more than 24 hours.

If your foster cat or kitten begins to experience any of the above-listed symptoms, please immediately contact a Desert Paws Administrator before you visit any emergency animal hospital.

Desert Paws Rescue will not reimburse for unapproved emergency services.

Preferred after-hours emergency animal hospitals include:

  • Gilbert Queen Creek Emergency Veterinarian & Pet Urgent Care
    18610 E Rittenhouse Rd, Building B, Queen Creek 85142

  • VCA Emergency Center of Arizona
    1648 N. Country Club Drive, Mesa 85201 / (480) 898-0001

  • Arizona Vet Emergency & Critical Care Center
    86 W. Juniper Avenue, Gilbert 85233 / (480) 497-0222

Spays & Neuters

Sterilization is an important part of our efforts to reduce the homeless pet population in our community.  Spaying and neutering also decrease the chances of breast and testicular cancers and additional reproductive illnesses and diseases.  All DPR animals must be spayed or neutered before they are eligible for adoption.

Kittens and cats qualify for spay/neuter surgery if they weight two lbs or more, are at least eight-weeks-old and are healthy.

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Preparation

Most Spay/Neuter Veterinarians ask that your cat/kitten fast after 12a the day of their surgery, although water is permitted.

This is to prevent nausea/vomiting and to prevent food from aspirating into the lungs. It is also a good way to prevent your foster cat/kitten from having an accident inside of their carrier.

After-Care

Your foster may still be experiencing the effects of anesthesia when it comes home from surgery.  It is important that you keep your foster separate from other animals in the event that their intoxication is seen as weakness and provides an opportunity for it to be bullied or dominated.  Once its senses have returned and its lethargy has worn off, it is OK to let it join other animals with supervision.

Your foster’s appetite will also return as the anesthesia wears off, but it is recommended that it is only provided with a light snack and water.  Too much food may result in an upset stomach and a big mess for you to clean up!

If your cat/kitten was spayed/neutered at MASH, you may notice after you’ve pick them up that they still appear woozy from the anesthesia. Due to the nature of a mobile-vet, recovery space for serviced animals is limited, so after the MASH team’s initial observation of your cat/kitten coming out of anesthesia is complete, the cat/kitten will be ready for pickup. This means that they may still be showing signs of their sedation on the ride home, or for several hours after pick up (for example: unsteadiness, loud meowing or growling, or difficulty keeping their eyes open).

We recommend that once you arrive back home, you place your cat/kitten in a quiet and dark place where they can continue to sleep off the anesthesia without stress.

Continue to keep an eye on your foster cat’s surgical site for the next few days.  Slight redness and swelling are normal; however, any signs of deep redness or infection should be reported immediately to a DPR Administrator.

Occasionally, following a feline spay, a cat may develop a “bubble” (aka, Seroma) on or near their suture site. A seroma occurs as part of the postoperative healing process. Your cat/kitten’s immune system has detected that her body has been invaded and trauma has been inflicted. This results in an inflammatory state, as the immune system goes to war at the site to combat infection and achieve healing. This leads to the accumulation of fluid, which typically gets reabsorbed and redistributed by the body over time, so you may be instructed to simply monitor the seroma at home and to apply warm or cold compresses. Veterinarian’s also suggest that you attempt to reduce your cat/kitten’s activity to prevent further swelling. If the swelling begins to show signs of an infection, please immediately notify a DPR Administrator.

You might also notice that your cat/kitten has a new green or blue mark on their belly. The Veterinarian who has performed your cat/kittens spay or neuter uses a tattoo gun to make this mark. The mark will indicate to other animal health professionals that your cat has been spayed/neutered, and prevent them from having to do any kind of “exploratory” surgery to come to this conclusion.