From January through August 2026, Spay Mexico supported approximately 20 community spay/neuter campaign activities in Hermosillo, Sonora, in collaboration with the Universidad de Sonora and the Instituto Municipal de Protección y Bienestar Animal (IMPBA).
The project focused on providing free, government-subsidized sterilisation services while strengthening veterinary training, clinical practices, and community education.
Most campaign activities were carried out at IMPBA facilities, with additional mobile and itinerant work. Each campaign typically served approximately 30–50 dogs and cats.
The project was built through a formal collaboration between Spay Mexico, the Universidad de Sonora, and the Instituto Municipal de Protección y Bienestar Animal (IMPBA).
This collaboration created a framework for sustained student participation, veterinary training, and material support, while strengthening free community spay and neuter services in Hermosillo.
Spay Mexico served as a connector between the municipality, the university, veterinary professionals, students, and the community, helping bring together service, education, clinical quality, and responsible resources.
The campaigns provided free, government-subsidized spay and neuter services for dogs and cats in Hermosillo while creating valuable field experience for Veterinary Medicine students, interns, and graduates.
Through these community sterilisation campaigns, participants gained exposure to real-world veterinary workflows, responsible pet ownership education, patient intake, surgical support, anesthesia, and patient monitoring.
The collaboration connected veterinary training with community animal welfare, helping future and practicing veterinary professionals strengthen their clinical skills while contributing to accessible sterilisation services.
The project also created a practical learning environment for Veterinary Medicine and Zootechnics students and interns who had already completed coursework in surgery and clinical medicine.
Before participating in the campaigns, students received training in campaign workflow, patient intake, responsible pet ownership education, operating-room responsibilities, first-assistant duties, instrumentation, anesthesia support, and patient monitoring.
This hands-on experience allowed veterinary students and future professionals to connect their academic training with real community spay and neuter services while developing practical skills in animal welfare and veterinary public health.
Campaign workflow
Patient intake
Responsible pet ownership education
Operating-room responsibilities
First-assistant duties
Instrumentation
Anesthesia support
Patient monitoring
The project also strengthened the clinical workflow used during community spay and neuter campaigns.
Physical examination at intake helped identify clinical findings before anesthesia.
Trained students helped identify clinical findings and report them to the attending veterinarian.
The attending veterinarian reviewed the findings and remained responsible for the final clinical decision.
Clinical findings were considered before anesthesia to support safer patient selection for surgery.
Trained students helped identify clinical findings and report them to the attending veterinarian before anesthesia. The veterinarian remained responsible for the final clinical decision for each patient.
In July and August 2026, the project included hands-on surgical training for IMPBA personnel.
Dr. Ariel Félix, Medical Director of Veterinaria del Sol in Nogales, travelled to Hermosillo to support training in a lateral spay technique.
This practical training was designed to strengthen the quality and consistency of the local surgical service while providing veterinary professionals with opportunities to improve their technical skills.
Community access is at the heart of the project. The campaigns provide free, government-subsidized spay and neuter services for dogs and cats in Hermosillo.
For Veterinary Medicine and Zootechnics students, interns, and graduates, each campaign also provides an opportunity to understand the connection between clinical practice, animal welfare, responsible pet ownership, and veterinary public health.
Through direct interaction with the community, participants learn about the challenges associated with limited access to veterinary care, misinformation, abandonment, and canine and feline overpopulation.
Spay Mexico helps connect institutions and professionals who share the goal of improving community animal health.
This collaboration brings together veterinary service, education, clinical quality improvement, and responsible use of resources. It also reinforces the importance of mass sterilisation, responsible pet ownership education, and effective public policies.
For Veterinary Medicine and Zootechnics students, interns, and graduates, this model creates opportunities to connect professional training with real community needs while strengthening local veterinary teams and making community animal-health services more sustainable.
Connecting veterinary professionals with community animal-health needs.
Linking academic training with real community veterinary practice.
Strengthening clinical practices through training, teamwork, and professional decision-making.
Supporting sustainable community services through responsible use of materials and resources.
The 2026 project connected community sterilisation services with veterinary education, professional training, and public-health collaboration in Hermosillo.
For Veterinary Medicine and Zootechnics students, interns, and graduates, the project provided meaningful field experience while supporting the development of stronger clinical and professional skills.
For the community, the collaboration helped strengthen access to free sterilisation services, responsible pet ownership education, and sustainable animal-health initiatives.
The project provided Veterinary Medicine and Zootechnics students, interns, and graduates with meaningful field experience while strengthening clinical and professional skills.
The collaboration helped strengthen access to free sterilisation services, responsible pet ownership education, and sustainable animal-health initiatives for the community.
Spay Mexico recognizes the Instituto Municipal de Protección y Bienestar Animal and the Municipality of Hermosillo for maintaining accessible community sterilisation services.
We also recognize the Universidad de Sonora and its social-linkage project for student participation and material support, the Facultad Interdisciplinaria de Ciencias Biológicas y de la Salud for financing the 2026 linkage project, and Dr. Ariel Félix of Veterinaria del Sol in Nogales for his technical training support.
Our appreciation also goes to the veterinarians, technicians, and veterinary students who sustain this work campaign after campaign, as well as those who coordinate material and medication support.
