CT agency to take applications for low cost pet vaccines and spay/neuter. What to know.

The Connecticut Department of Agriculture’s Animal Population Control Program will begin accepting applications Nov. 1 for the Low-Income Program to assist eligible Connecticut residents with vaccination and sterilization of their owned pets, according to the agency.

Application forms are available for download in English and Spanish at https://portal.ct.gov/DOAG/Regulatory/Regulatory/Animal-Population-Control-Program.

The must be completed and returned by mail, according to the agency.

The agency said that to be eligible for the Low-Income Program, the pet owner must be a Connecticut resident and on one of six public assistance programs outlined in C.G.S. Sec. 22-380e and approved by the Department of Social Services.

The programs are:

(A) The supplemental nutrition assistance program

(B) The federal Temporary Assistance for Needy Families Act

(C) HUSKY A, C or D

(D) The state-administered general assistance program

(E) The state supplement program

(F) Any other public assistance program that the commissioner determines to qualify a person as a low-income person.

If approved, vouchers will be issued by APCP “to low-income residents for up to two pets on a first-come, first-serve basis of the available funds,” according to the agency.

The voucher:

• Is valid for 60 days and provides two vaccinations
• A one-time sterilization benefit of $80 for a male cat, $120 for a female cat
• $180 for a male dog, and $200 for a female dog.

Sterilizations and vaccinations must be performed by a Connecticut licensed veterinarian participating in the Animal Population Control Program, the agency noted. A list of practices and facilities with participating licensed veterinarians can be found here.

The agency noted that if the veterinarians spay/neuter fee exceeds the voucher amount, “the eligible pet owner is responsible for the difference.” Payment for additional procedures and/or medications also is the responsibility of the pet owner, according to the agency.

The agency also noted that the Connecticut Animal Population Control Program was created in 1995 “to reduce pet overpopulation, reduce the spread of rabies and other diseases through immunizations, and subsequently increase the effectiveness of local Animal Control Departments through education and law enforcement.” The program has provided benefits to more than 250,000 animals since 1995, the agency said.

For more information email the Animal Population Control Program at agr.apcp@ct.gov or call 860-713-2507.