Dog owners in Spring face sharply higher prices for spay and neuter surgeries at the Harris County Pet Wellness Clinic after commissioners approved fee increases Tuesday, Aug. 25.
Spaying a dog starts at $125 under the new fee schedule. That is more than triple the old rate. Neutering a dog starts at $100, up 150%. Cat spaying rose 87% to $75, and cat neutering climbed 50% to $60. The increases also cover vaccinations, heartworm and flea prevention, and nail trimming, Community Impact first reported.
Harris County Public Health attributed the higher prices to rising costs for medical supplies, medicines and staff. The department said it benchmarked fees against other regional low-cost providers and aligned pricing with the City of Houston's Animal Shelter, known as BARC, so residents pay the same at both locations.
County agenda documents stated that previous prices fell significantly below market averages.
As recently as February, Harris County Pets was charging $40 per surgery at its Canino Road location in Houston.
A cheaper option in Precinct 3
Spring-area residents have an alternative. Precinct 3 Commissioner Tom Ramsey's office invested $300,000 in April to fund a mobile clinic offering spay and neuter surgeries, microchipping and vaccinations for $20 per pet, according to Community Impact.
The mobile clinic's last scheduled stop runs Sept. 27 through Sept. 30. Whether the program continues beyond that date is unclear. Residents can check the schedule at pct3.com/petservices.
By the numbers
The Pet Wellness Clinic spayed and neutered 4,371 dogs and cats from January through July, according to county data. The clinic handled 6,617 animals in all of 2025.
Corey Steele, director of Harris County Pets and the Veterinary Public Health Division at Harris County Public Health, said in a February statement that affordable spay and neuter services help reduce the number of unwanted litters ending up in shelters.
The fee increases took effect after the Aug. 25 vote. No future Commissioners Court action on the matter is scheduled.
