All dogs and cats, eight weeks of age or older, adopted from the City will be surgically sterilized prior to their release to their new owner/guardian. A private, California-licensed veterinarian will perform the surgery. The sterilization deposit included in the adoption fee will be applied towards the cost of the surgery. The veterinarian will give your dog or cat a physical examination prior to surgery to determine if the animal is fit for surgery and will contact you with instructions if it is determined that your dog or cat should not have surgery at this time.

Please be aware that no surgical procedure is without risks. The veterinarian or a member of his/her staff will discuss any additional fees to be paid by the adopter for estrus (heat), pregnancy, obesity, retained testicles, geriatric patients or other medical concerns with you prior to surgery.

If your adopted animal becomes unsuited for sterilization surgery due to illness or injury prior to its removal from the shelter, you will be notified. You have the option of taking your dog or cat to a private veterinarian for treatment or selecting another animal or requesting a refund of the adoption fees, excluding pound, microchip, and optional medical fees. If you choose to continue with the adoption of your selected “at risk” dog or cat, you must immediately transport your dog or cat to a private veterinary facility and assume all financial responsibility for the animal’s treatment, diagnostics, and/or hospitalization.
Rabbits are automatically spayed/neutered prior to adoption.
 

More information on spaying and neutering

All cats, dogs and rabbits adopted from a LA Animal Services Shelter that do not already have a microchip, will be implanted with one. The cost of microchipping is a non-refundable $15.00 that is included in the adoption fee.

Microchipping is the safe and professional way to identify an animal. While collars may fall off and identification tags may get lost, a microchip stays with your pet for life. The microchip is less than the size of a grain of rice and is completely harmless. Just like a vaccination, the microchip is injected under the skin of an animal (typically in the scruff of the neck) where it remains safely for life.

All animals admitted to a LA Animal Services Shelter are scanned for a microchip upon arrival. If a microchip is detected, an identification number will appear and we will contact the microchip’s provider for the pet owner’s contact information. After we receive the information, we will reach out to the animal’s guardian so they can be reunited with their lost pet.
 

More information on microchipping

Generally, puppies and kittens require booster vaccination in three-week intervals. Please follow your veterinarian’s recommended vaccination schedule.
 

• Puppies/dogs receive DHLP-Parvo and Bordetella vaccines.
• Kittens/cats receive the first FVRCP vaccination.
• Dogs four months +/Cats three months + receive a rabies vaccine. Proof of a current rabies vaccination is required to license your dog. California State law requires that all dogs be inoculated against rabies. Rabies vaccinations for cats are recommended by the Department of Public Health. A rabies license for your cat is voluntary.
• Rabbits do not receive vaccinations prior to adoption.

More information on vaccinations

• Puppies and kittens are automatically de-wormed at the shelter for roundworms and hookworms. Older animals are de-wormed on an as needed basis. Once you have adopted your dog or cat, we advise that you take a sample of your animal’s stool to your veterinarian for a fecal examination and internal parasite control program. Many dogs and cats that come into our shelters bring fleas and ticks into the kennels. Animals that are infested with external parasites are treated with topical medications. We recommend that you consult your veterinarian regarding an external parasite control program.
• Please note: certain animal diseases (parasites, fungal infections, bacteria, viruses, etc.) are transmissible to humans. It is imperative that your dog or cat follow a health program prescribed by your veterinarian.
   

If the dog or cat you adopted is currently ill or injured and under treatment, you will receive an Animal Health Awareness Report (Form D-300). This information will provide you with a summary of the treatment your dog or cat has received during its kenneled stay in our animal shelter.

Southern California Veterinary Medical Association (SCVMA) Offers a free medical exam within three (3) working days from the date of adoption.

Our dogs and cats usually have no available medical history prior to their admittance to our shelters. Your adoption packet includes a certificate for a free health examination at any participating SCVMA veterinary office. This service is not available for rabbits at this time. The Adoption Receipt must be presented to the veterinarian at the time of examination.

For the name and address of participating veterinarians, please refer to the yellow pages of your telephone directory. Following the selection of a veterinarian, please call that veterinarian for an appointment and confirmation of his/her participation in this program. If your adopted dog or cat is found physically unfit or otherwise unsuitable, you may return the animal for a reselection within 10 days from the date of purchase. You are then provided an opportunity to select another dog or cat within 31 days from the adoption of the first animal. The $28.00 sterilization fee and $25.00 microchip fee must be again paid at the time of reselection.

The sterilization, microchip, and optional parvovirus testing fees are not refundable.

If the adoption fees of your reselected dog or cat are greater than the amount paid for the original, the adopter shall pay the difference. No refund shall be made if the price of the newly adopted animal is less than the amount paid for the original dog or cat.

* PLEASE BE AWARE THAT ONLY THE EXAMINATION IS FREE OF CHARGE.

If you choose any further treatment for your newly adopted animal, please remember that any diagnostics, hospitalizations, injections or additional vaccinations must be at your expense.

Your adopted dog or cat may have behavioral problems that may or may not have been evident during its stay with us. These problems may make it unsuitable for human companionship. If you elect to keep the animal, any treatment or training to correct the animal’s behavioral problems is the responsibility of its new owner/guardian.

Additionally, due to the incubation period of certain diseases, it is strongly advised that you keep any newly adopted dog or cat away from and all other animals for a period up to two weeks. Do not take your new dog or cat to any public place for at least a two-week period.

With your agreement to an adoption and signed adoption receipt, you thereby release the City of Los Angeles, its employees and agents from any liability and claim that you have, whether known or unknown, now or in the future, in connection with your adoption, ownership and disposal of any animal adopted from the City of Los Angeles Department of Animal Services.