Gatekeeping Care

In May 2025, MCVMA and shelter medicine professionals came together for an open panel discussion on the recently released WSAVA guidelines on pet sterilization and the broader, ongoing debate around spay/neuter practices. This session, titled “Gatekeeping Care: The Intersection of Spay/Neuter and the Myth of “Responsible Pet Ownership” explored the implications of these guidelines for access to care, equity in veterinary medicine, and how structural bias shapes the way we define and approach “responsible pet ownership” with the aim of bringing diverse perspectives to a complex issue impacting communities, veterinarians, and the animals we serve. You can view the recording of this session on our YouTube Channel and read our position statement on the WSAVA guidelines here.