Frequently Asked Questions:

Q. Is this the Humane Society? I’ve heard you all are the same thing.

A. The HELP Spay/Neuter Clinic is an outreach program of the Newnan Coweta Humane Society. In fact, it was because of the vision and hard work of the NCHS Board of Directors and volunteers that we came to be! However, HELP is a completely SEPARATE corporate entity and though we cooperate with NCHS to promote spay and neuter in our community we operate as separate businesses.

Scheduling & Payment

1. When are you open? Monday through Thursday (7:30AM-5PM)

2. How soon can I get an appointment? Call our office at 770-304-7911 to make an appointment. Many times, we can work you in before the end of the week.

3. How can I make an appointment for a feral cat? You can bring in a feral cat before 9:30am, Monday through Thursday. You need to make sure the cat has not eaten since 7am that morning. Feral cats go home the day of surgery after 4pm.

4. How long do they stay? They are dropped off in the morning and go home with you same day at 4PM

5. What if I can’t afford the surgery price? We have priced our surgeries as low as possible to ensure affordability for most pet owners. If you have multiple pets needing to be spayed and neutered, focus on the smallest most affordable pets first and do them one at a time. See our Services/Prices page for our current fee schedule. Depending on availability of grant funding, free services MAY be available to Coweta County residents meeting certain low income criteria, or also for personally owned Pit Bulls owned by Coweta County residents.

7. What forms of payment do you accept? We currently accept cash, Visa, MasterCard, Discover and American Express. Checks are accepted at our clinic location only with proper identification. Checks are NOT accepted on transport.

Medical Questions

8. Can they have food or water the night before surgery?  No food or water after 9pm the night before

90. How long does the surgery take? It depends on the animal; anywhere from 30 seconds for a male cat to 20 minutes for a large female dog.

10. Is it safe? There is a risk with any surgery. All patients receive in-surgery monitoring by our well-trained staff to ensure the safest surgery possible

11. Do you send them home with pain medication? They receive pain medication before and after surgery. This pre and post op pain injection is included in the surgery price. Additional pain medication is available to purchase if you believe your pet will need it.

12. Do you give vaccinations? Yes, but only at the time of surgery. We are required to administer a rabies vaccination if you can not supply proof of a current (within the last year) rabies vaccine. We will administer additional vaccinations at the time of surgery at your request. We do have a monthly vaccine clinic(usually last Saturday of the month)

13. Can I come in for just a rabies shot? No, we can only give vaccinations at the time of surgery. However, we hold monthly Low Cost Vaccine clinics for non-surgical patients. We do NOT see sick or injured animals at any time. 

14. Do you microchip? Yes, we will provide micro-chipping at a very nominal fee.

15. What vaccinations can I get?

a. Vaccinations for cats – rabies, feline distemper, and feline leukemia (must be tested negative for feline leukemia in order to receive the feline leukemia vaccine)

b. Vaccinations for dogs – rabies, distemper/parvo, and kennel cough (kennel cough is a non-fatal virus that usually results in nasty coughing for a few weeks and then goes away, often recommended for folks who board their dogs)

16. How old do animals have to be? Three months and two pounds.

17. When do they start coming in heat? They can reach sexual maturity as young as five months old.

18. How long are they in heat? It really depends on the animal. Typically, 3 weeks for dogs. Cats may come into heat every 2-3 weeks until they are spayed or become pregnant.

19. How long are they pregnant? 63 days

20. Can you fix them while they’re pregnant? Yes

21. Is it dangerous if they’re in heat/pregnant? There is a higher risk if they are in heat or pregnant. If you can wait until they are no longer in heat to bring them in, that’s the best. If they are pregnant, the sooner you can bring them in, the better.

22. How soon after they have a litter can they be fixed? You need to wait about two weeks after the babies are completely done nursing – the mother has to stop lactating (producing milk) before we can do surgery.

23. What is the recovery period like? The recovery period is 7-10 days. You need to restrict their activity and keep them indoors. You also need to watch their incision closely. We will give you a complete list of post-op instructions when you pick your pet up. For feral colony caregivers, we can give your ferals an antibiotic injection prior to their pickup from the clinic. (must request the antibiotic injection for an additional fee).

24. What is that extra green incision? There is only one surgical incision. The green mark beside the incision (which is very tiny) is a tattoo, to identify that your pet has been spayed/neutered.

25. Should I be worried that my dog/cat is licking his/her incision? Yes. Can you bring them in for us to take a look at them? We are available for rechecks Monday through Friday from 9am– 2pm. Please call if you need to come at another time.

26. What should I do to keep my dog/cat from licking his/her incision? You can purchase Bitter Apple or Bitter Orange (from Walmart or PetSmart) – rub the ointment around the incision, not directly on it (it stings!). If that doesn’t work, you need to get them an E-collar (lampshade).

Your question wasn’t addressed here? Call us at 770-304-7911 and we’ll be happy to help!