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FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. -- A veterinarian at one local shelter is no longer allowed to offer to spay and neuter pets for the general public because the program has been cut by the state veterinary medical examining board. The shelter is now seeing an increase in strays.Cages are crammed at the Fayetteville animal shelter.

"We're already overloaded as it is," saidNumbers started increasing when the shelter had to drop its low-cost spay and neuter program.The program was offered to the general public. Anyone with a pet could get it spayed or neutered for only $10.Sally Rose took advantage of the program when someone dumped two pregnant cats at her door."I had 14 spayed and neutered down here, and when the program stopped,l I had to take them to another vet to have them done," Rose said.That cost Rose more than $100 per cat."I think it's a wonderful program. Then I came down here there were all kinds of people getting it done."But that stopped in March, when Dr. Robb Jones had to stop offering the service, which the shelter has been doing for the last 10 years."Since I cannot offer services to the general public, I can't do the program for low income individuals," Jones said.The Arkansas Veterinary Medical Examining Board said vets can't be employed by a non-licensed entity. The city of Fayetteville runs the shelter, and municipalities aren't licensed.The rule was created to protect vets from having someone dictate how they practice, but in this case it's doing more harm than good, Jones said."Our intakes over the last few months have increased compared to last year, so we're seeing more animals coming to the shelter," and more animals being euthanized, Jones said.The shelter is waiting on an opinion from the attorney general on the law. Vets -- and those who use the program -- said they hope the shelter will be an exception to the rule.