“Spay procedures for dogs could cost up to $600 at other veterinary hospitals”, says Dr. Wheaton, “but, Affordable Spay and Neuter of Orange County is charging a reasonable seventy-five dollars for a cat spay and only fifty dollars to neuter a cat. Depending on the weight and breed of the dog rates it will cost an average of seventy-five to one-hundred dollars to alter.

Because Dr. Wheaton’s clinic offers low-cost and affordable prices, he hopes that his veterinary peers won’t see him as competition. “I hope that they’ll see my effort as doing a good thing for the community and not as competition. They should know that my clinic is a one time thing. The animals could get spayed and neutered at our clinic and then return to see their regular veterinarians,” he said.      

“Affordable Spay and Neuter of Orange County’s motto is “it’s time to do the right thing.” It all started with Dr. Wheaton’s desire to offer charitable work to the animals of his community which lead to him to found the “Pet Rescue Center”. 

Although Dr. Wheaton’s new clinic is already booming with clients, he still hopes to attract Central Orange County residents to his South Orange County location. This will be a challenge for Wheaton because of the already existing low-cost spay and neuter facilities there but he is confident that his service will do well on the basis of his quality of care. The funds from Affordable Spay and Neuter will help to maintain costs for the Pet Rescue Center, so although the Center is not a true non-profit organization, it is run as one.

“I’m not trying to slight other “low cost” spay and neuter facilities at all, but I will say that we offer a very high quality service where patients will receive an IV catheter and IV fluids to safely monitor blood pressure and hydration. We also ensure safety with anesthetics and allow the patients to take home free pain medication,” Dr. Wheaton explained. He also takes out the time to educate his clients on the procedures that the animals go through, as opposed to leaving them in the dark on the importance of spaying and neutering.

      Most pet owners know that spaying and neutering a pet helps stop the overwhelming population problem and prevents unwanted pregnancies. But Dr. Wheaton also brought to light that performing the procedure is also healthier for the animal. It can help prevent mammary, ovarian and uterine tumors as well as decrease the risk of behavior problems in males such as aggression, mounting and urine spraying.

  Matthew Wheaton, DVM

• A free exam at Alicia Pet Care Center (APCC) and a coupon for 10% off of any visit to be used within 1 year of the date of their service at ASN.

• A referral program called "Send a Friend" that allows the new client to  receive a free first exam at Alicia Pet Care Center a 10% off coupon and the   referring person (current client) also gets a 10% off coupon. * The referring person can use as many discount coupons as they have on the same day of a visit.  

• Free first exams are given at Alicia Pet Care Center for new clients if mentioning the offer before checking out.

 RESCUE GROUPS BENEFIT:

 • Animal rescue groups can offer their adopting pet families a free first visit and 10% off for an entire year from the date of adoption at the Alicia Pet Care Center. We have post cards for this purpose to give in the adoption packets.

 • Alicia Pet Care Center offers 50-75% off to rescue groups.

Contributing Writer, Ashley Soo