Animal Action League suspends spay & neuter appointments due to medical emergency with main veterinarian

The Animal Action League (AAL) has released news about their recent cancellation of animal spay and neuter appointments.

Last week on Tuesday, April 14th the Animal Action League announced the cancellation of their spay and neuter appointments for the foreseeable future. According to an email sent by Director Melody Farnik, that was due to their head veterinarian Dr. Jeff Hermann being rushed to the emergency room with a brain bleed or “perimesencephalic subarachnoid hemorrhage.” After close monitoring and testing he was discharged home on Friday, April 17th.

Animal Action League says they don’t have a firm reopening date yet as Dr. Hermann is still experiencing severe headaches and dizziness, but they expect a complete recovery.

Dr. Hermann has been an integral part of Animal Action League for over 18 years and has performed more than 90,000 spay and neuter surgeries throughout his career. In 2024, The Animal Action League launched a training program for newly graduated veterinarians in High Volume, High Quality Spay/Neuter (HVHQSN) surgery, with Dr. Hermann serving as mentor and instructor. AAL says that this work is critical in reducing pet overpopulation by expanding the number of skilled HVHQSN veterinarians to help address the number of unwanted litters.

At this time, the Animal Action League does not have another HVHQSN veterinarian available to step in immediately. They say they are actively exploring options as we continue to monitor Dr. Hermann’s recovery.

The Animal Action League says they appreciate the compassion, patience, and understanding shown by the community during this difficult time.

If you’d like to send any well-wishes, you can send them to:

Animal Action League
c/o Dr. Jeff Hermann
P.O. Box 1413
Joshua Tree, CA 92252