Can intake data inform on impacts of repeated subsidized onsite spay-neuter clinics for dogs?

Subsidized dog care and population management programs (DPM) are often implemented for dog population control where for-profit veterinary care is inaccessible. However, impacts of such programs are rarely assessed. The goal of this project was to determine if and how previously collected intake data from ongoing high-volume spay-neuter clinics could be used to measure impacts of such DPM programs. We used intake data collected from 2008 to 2019 from spay-neuter clinics that had been delivered repeatedly over a 10-year period in 6 First Nations communities in Alberta, to assess changes in intake dog characteristics. Numbers of dogs brought in for spay-neuter surgery or surrendered, and their ages, sexes, breeds, weights, and body condition scores were compared. Reasons for surrender were investigated and socioeconomic factors were investigated as possible drivers for community differences in clinic participation rates and clinic sex ratios. Socioeconomic indicators did not differ between the 6 participating communities; however, the total number of clinics requested by communities varied. In early years, female dogs were more likely to be brought to the clinics to be spayed whereas, in later years, more males were seen. The age at which animals were brought in for spay or neuter decreased over time ( < 0.05) but the surrender age did not. Breed proportions of x-large, small, and x-small breeds varied over time for both spay-neuter and surrender dogs ( < 0.05), with large-breed dogs always being the most common. However, there was an increase in small and x-small breeds in the final years of the study. Finally, weight status, a calculated estimate of body condition of spay-neuter dogs, increased over time within large and medium breeds, whereas the body condition score of surrendered dogs shifted from "thin" to "ideal" over time. This work highlights the potential and challenges of using intake data to assess impacts of spay-neuter clinics that occur repeatedly over many years in the same communities. Overall increased weight status, high participation rates, and reduction of age at intake suggest positive effects of the assessed spay-neuter programs.