A lifeline for animal shelters in the Tampa Bay area has stopped taking in cats and dogs amid a surge in demand and the rising cost of vet care. Suncoast Animal League in Pinellas County tells 10 Tampa Bay it's part of a nationwide trend that has them saying “no” for the first time in the shelter’s nearly 20-year history to clear out a backlog of more than a hundred pets waiting to visit the vet. “It's gotten longer and longer and longer,” said foster volunteer Elaine Popp of Largo. “When I first did it, it was maybe two or three weeks.” A volunteer for more than five years, with over a hundred pups fostered in her care, Popp says she’s had her current foster puppy, Maya, since mid-July. She says Suncoast couldn’t get an appointment for Maya to be spayed until the end of August. Inflation has hit pet owners hard, with more surrendering animals to shelters. Vet practices are consolidating and selling to larger, national chains, making it tougher for Suncoast to find independent vets that offer discounts. The monthly medical bill is up over 50 percent. “It used to be about $20,000 a month, and that had gone on for years and years and years,” said Suncoast co-founder Rick Chaboudy. “It's now up to $33,000, over $33,000. The spay/neuter fees at this point in time are, in many cases, they cost more than our actual adoption fee does.” Chaboudy says he gets around ten calls and emails a day asking for help. This week he's had to say “no.” “It just brought tears to [my] eyes because, you know, we've never done this before,” he said. “You feel like you're failing the cats and the dogs.” MORE: https://www.wtsp.com/article/life/animals/suncoast-animal-league-stops-taking-in-animals/67-99f64c33-ff44-4472-9c46-bbcf5808439b