12/08/2025
Prayers for the team and family it is hard when it happens 😪
This week, we experienced one of the hardest moments any veterinary team can face. We lost a male cat during surgery. It was devastating for everyone involved, for his owner, and for our entire staff who work every day to keep pets safe.
We want to take a moment to talk openly about surgical risk and the work we do here.
Any surgery, no matter how routine, carries risks. Even with the safest protocols, pets can have underlying or undetectable medical conditions that make anesthesia dangerous. These can include things like:
• Hidden heart defects
• Undiagnosed respiratory issues
• Genetic abnormalities
• Internal infections or organ complications that show no outward signs
In a low-cost sterilization clinic like ours, we take every precaution available. Your pet receives a physical exam, monitoring, pain control, and a trained veterinary team focused solely on their safety. But even with everything done correctly, there are rare cases where something happens that could not have been predicted or prevented.
Since opening on June 6, 2025, we have completed over 1,500 surgeries. This was the first patient we have ever lost. Our staff is heartbroken, because the goal every single surgery day is the same: Get every pet home safely.
When a loss occurs, we are able to offer the public a cremation services at cost. As a nonprofit low-cost clinic, we simply aren’t able to cover these fees in full. We operate at a very narrow margin and rely on donations and grants to continue providing affordable care to our community.
Snip City exists because our community needs affordable spay/neuter options for the health and safety of local pets. We’re proud of the work we do, and we’re committed to transparency, compassion, and the highest standard of care we can provide.
While tragic situations are rare, they are a possibility in any surgical setting — which is why the consent paperwork acknowledges these risks. We want every owner to understand that our team treats each patient as if they were our own.
Thank you to those who continue to support us, trust us, and recognize the importance of the service we provide. Our hearts are with the family who lost their pet, and we will continue doing everything in our power to keep pets safe.