Coco’s Bienestar Animal to Hold Free Spay and Neuter Campaign in Playa del Carmen

Playa del Carmen, Quintana Roo — The animal welfare group Coco’s Bienestar Animal will hold its annual free spay and neuter campaign in Playa del Carmen, aiming to sterilize 1,000 dogs and cats at no cost over three days.

The clinic will operate at the ICAT job-training institute (Instituto de Capacitación para el Trabajo) on Calle 12 between Avenidas 90 and 95 in the Ejido neighborhood, on Saturday, Nov. 7, Sunday, Nov. 8 and Monday, Nov. 9, 2026.

No appointments are taken. Registration opens at 7 a.m. and space is limited. Organizers will only hand out numbered tickets to people who arrive with the animal, and owners must remain on site until the patient is discharged and given a postoperative care sheet.

Veterinarians will operate on healthy animals between two months and 10 years old, of any breed and in any reproductive state. Organizers stressed that animals younger than two months, or those that are sick or have diarrhea or a cough, should not be brought. Detailed information is available on the event’s Facebook page.

Organizers Ask for Leashes, Carriers and Donations

“It is very important to remember that dogs must come on a leash — or with a muzzle, ideally a basket muzzle, if they are reactive — and cats must be secured, not loose, in a carrier or a pillowcase,” said Laura Raikes, president and founder of Coco’s Bienestar Animal. “We remind the public that no donation is too small, every peso counts, and people can also donate supplies such as stationery, cleaning products, water, soft drinks, sports drinks, energy bars, chocolates and chips.”

More than 100 unpaid volunteers will staff the campaign, including professional veterinarians traveling from Mexico City, Mexicali, León, Guadalajara, Manzanillo, Querétaro, Puebla, Cozumel, Cancún and Mérida, as well as volunteers from the United States and Canada who come specifically for the event.

“Coco’s operates not only with love but with respect and the highest quality, because that is what all our patients deserve: certified, experienced professionals, sterile equipment, proper pain management and follow-up care for each patient,” Raikes said. She noted that the group goes beyond what the law requires under Quintana Roo’s Technical Guide for the Sterilization of Dogs and Cats, published Aug. 1, 2024, in the state’s official gazette.