For Referring Veterinarians

At Cahaba Spay & Neuter, we understand that referring a patient to another facility is an extension of your own medical care. We also recognize that high-quality, high-volume spay/neuter (HQHVSN) medicine is sometimes misunderstood. Our goal is to provide exceptional surgical care while maintaining a strong commitment to patient safety, anesthesia, pain management, and sound medical decision-making.

Our clinic is veterinarian-owned and operated. Every medical decision is made by a licensed veterinarian—not by a nonprofit organization, administrator, or corporate protocol. We believe efficiency should never come at the expense of patient care, and our protocols are designed to maximize both safety and surgical quality.

Our Standards of Care

• Every patient receives a complete pre-operative physical examination performed by a licensed veterinarian.

• All surgical procedures are performed by veterinarians licensed in the State of Alabama.

• Pre-anesthetic bloodwork is required for every patient 7 years of age and older and is available as an optional service for younger patients.

• We maintain in-house laboratory and digital radiography capabilities to assist with medical decision-making when needed.

• All patients receive an NSAID on the day of surgery. Dogs are discharged with an additional three-day course of carprofen, and feline patients have the option of oral Onsior for additional take-home pain management.

• Every patient receives continuous anesthetic monitoring using pulse oximetry and capnography.

• Dogs are routinely intubated for anesthesia. Cats undergoing longer anesthetic procedures, such as pregnant spays, are also intubated.

• Patients receive active heat support using heated surgical tables and forced-air warming systems.

• Our open treatment and recovery areas allow patients to remain under direct observation by our medical team throughout their hospitalization.

• Patient care is provided by licensed veterinarians, a Licensed Veterinary Technician (LVT), and experienced veterinary assistants trained in anesthesia, surgical nursing, and patient recovery.

• A majority of our clinical staff have completed advanced veterinary CPR training through the RECOVER initiative, providing our team with additional training in the recognition and management of cardiopulmonary emergencies.

• Every surgical pack is individually sterilized between patients. Instruments are never shared between patients without undergoing a complete sterilization cycle.

• Our autoclaves undergo biological spore testing every month to verify sterilization effectiveness.

Efficiency Comes From Experience

High-quality, high-volume surgery is not simply about doing more surgeries in less time. It is a specialized field of veterinary medicine built around repetition, standardized protocols, experienced surgical teams, efficient patient flow, and continual refinement of surgical and anesthetic technique.

Our focus on spay and neuter surgery allows our team to become exceptionally familiar with these procedures and the challenges that can accompany them. Efficiency comes from experience, preparation, teamwork, and refined technique while maintaining rigorous standards for anesthesia, monitoring, sterility, pain management, and patient recovery.

Working Together

We believe spay/neuter clinics and full-service veterinary practices serve complementary roles within our community. Our goal is not to replace the relationship between a patient and their primary care veterinarian, but to serve as an additional surgical resource for our veterinary colleagues.

In addition to spay and neuter surgery, Cahaba Spay & Neuter accepts referrals from local veterinarians for select soft-tissue surgical procedures. When a client is unable to pursue a recommended procedure because of financial limitations, we may be able to provide a more affordable surgical option while allowing the patient's primary veterinarian to continue providing their ongoing medical care.

We are particularly passionate about working with our veterinary colleagues to prevent economic euthanasia. When an otherwise treatable patient is at risk of euthanasia or surrender because the cost of surgery is beyond a family's means, we encourage veterinarians to contact us. When the procedure is appropriate for our facility and capabilities, we are happy to explore whether we can provide another path forward.

Affordable surgical care and comprehensive primary veterinary care do not have to compete with one another. By working together, we can expand access to treatment, preserve the veterinarian-client-patient relationship, and help more pets remain healthy and with the families who love them.

We welcome communication from our veterinary colleagues. If you have questions about a potential referral or our surgical, anesthetic, sterilization, pain-management, or patient-care protocols, please reach out. We are always happy to discuss the care of a shared patient.