Board asks advisory committee to study mobile high‑volume spay/neuter clinics and possible exemptions to premises rules

The California Veterinary Medical Board directed its Multidisciplinary Advisory Committee on Wednesday to examine whether existing veterinary premises regulations can be adjusted to permit mobile high‑quality, high‑volume spay/neuter (MASH) clinics while continuing to protect animal welfare and consumers.

Board members heard a detailed presentation on the MASH model, described as a transportable, repeatable clinic format used in the U.S. and internationally to deliver concentrated sterilization services in underserved areas.

Why it matters: California veterinarians, shelters and humane organizations said the state’s pet overpopulation crisis and shelter capacity problems require scalable sterilization options. MASH operators said regulatory limits — particularly rules that require a separate surgery room with closed doors — make the full MASH model difficult to deploy in California.

What the MDC heard Presenters from advocacy and humane groups described clinic layout and infection‑control procedures, and provided outcome numbers based…