LUMBERTON — Three hundred and fifty pet owners took advantage of the opportunity to have their pets spayed and neutered at the discounted fees offered during the most recent Spay/Neuter Improve Pets program.
“That’s a pretty good turnout, and that’s because of getting the word out,” said Dr. David Brooks, a veterinarian at Pembroke Veterinary Hospital.
March’s final total is up from the 334 animals treated when the semi-annual event was held in September, Brooks said. The program originally was to run March 6 to March 18, but Pembroke Veterinary Hospital and Southeastern Veterinary Hospital in Lumberton extended the program for a week in order to accommodate their customers while trying to handle the demand for the discounted service.
“They had so many other obligations they needed to meet to keep their offices going so they extended it a week,” Brooks said.
The other participating veterinary hospitals were Baird’s Animal Hospital in Lumberton, South Robeson Veterinary Hospital in Fairmont and North Star Veterinary Hospital in Parkton.
The area clinics treated 397 pets in March 2014 and 423 in March 2013.
The program aims to reduce the population of stray and unwanted pets in Robeson County by offering discounts for procedures, which include anesthesia and surgery, that normally costs as much as $150, depending on the size and breed of the animal. The program also allows pet owners to use treatment vouchers issued by the Robeson County Humane Society and the Robeson County pound.
The next SNIP program is scheduled for September.
