Cost of Spay and Neuter`

[RacetrackReject]

I was quoted $85 for a under year old large dog spay, and it cost me $300. There were no complications or anything, they just didn’t quote things like anesthesia and pain meds and other necessities with the cost of a spay. Yes, I grumbled loudly about it as I could have had it done at the low cost place for $80, but since my vet quoted only $5 more, I decided to just use them.

The other vet in town just did a $50 cat spay, around 7-8 months old. She was a feral. Their neuters are $40 on cats and they have a program to alter Pit Bulls for free through a Pit Bull organization.

[twotrudoc]

Dulce just got spayed last week. It was $160.00, that includes a two night stay and suture removal 9 days later.

This vet (who does small animal only and is the dogs vet because Buck liked him) is very meticulous. He is a “city” vet.

I have another vet who is a country large and small animal vet who would most likely be a little less.

[RHdobes563]

Had my new female Doberman done for $163 last April. That doesn’t include the $26 office fee and other charges (microchip, dog shots, etc.).

I had an abandoned mama cat with 5 kittens done under a “special” by a local spay/neuter clinic a few years ago. They did Mama for $40 and $10 for each kitten. They still run “specials” periodically (for dogs and cats), and the price hasn’t changed much.

[StGermain]

Local low-cost spay/neuter place:

CATS

Female - $45.00
If in Heat or pregnant - $15 addition, payable after surgery
Male - $40.00

[B] Feline Leukemia - $18.00

DOGS[/B] - Male

Up to 35lbs = $50
36-55 lbs    = $60 
56-75 lbs    = $70 
76-100 lbs  = $90

Dogs - Female

Up to 35lbs = $65
36-55lbs     = $75
56-75          = $85
76-100lbs   = $100

  **If in Heat or Pregnant Additional Fees may be charged

- Up to 40lbs = $20
- Over 40lbs  = $25

Plus they have a Sr citizen’s deal:

Senior Citizen’s Pet Special

The Jesse C. Beesley Animal Foundation is running a special for our communities’ Senior citizens age 60 and older. The cost will be $15 for each animal which includes the surgery plus vaccinations if needed.

StG

[Mosey_2003]

It varies widely just in my own area. We had our Boxer spayed after her first heat and I think it was $100. I have no doubt the clinic I currently use would charge at least $300, they cater to “my pet is my child” clientele.

We have a couple of programs for feral cats around that I think does them for under $50.

Otherwise, I really wouldn’t know as we got our new boy from a rescue and he was long-ago neutered.

[Calamber]

This probably includes pre surgery screening and a laser spay. If so, and considering the area, I am not surprised. The highest I was quoted around here was for $250 for a male (included the pre-surgery bloodwork), and for a female, I think it was $300, did not include either laser or bloodwork.

[Blume_Farm]

As a small animal vet some of these prices and comments just have me scratching my head.

1. withholding pain meds to keep your animal quiet is just inhumane. Period. Yes, a male neuter may only need 2-3 days of pain meds, a female spay only 3-5 days, but they need pain meds. Just because they are happy and wagging their tail, even active, doesn’t mean they are not in some level of discomfort. To think a mouse in research is better regulated for pain management than a house pet shocks me.

2. Even though a spay surgery is routine does not make it easy. Spaying an older/in heat/pregnant/larger dog may be one of the most complicated surgeries we do. Sometimes more complicated than a foreign body, bladder stone removal, growth removal, etc. Let alone that anesthesia alone is a complicated process.

3. A dog getting spayed for under $300 (blood work, IV cath, most novel anesthetics, fluids, pain injection at time of surgery) your vet is losing money if they actually account for how much it cost them: their surgical time, tech surgical time, materials (drugs, suture, etc.) , time to clean surgical tools/ repack/ sterilize, cost to run electricity for surgical lights/ monitoring equipment/ etc, and all other overhead (property loans, health insurance, phone, water, etc.). Yes, when you run a business all that is part of cost. How else does all that get paid?

When you go to a low cost place (and I completely support them and am active within my own practice with low cost/ voucher options) there is no blood work, no IV catheter, no fluids, different anesthetics used, etc. Many things as mentioned above are via volunteers, donations, etc. Also, when a team is spaying/ neutering 25-30 pets in a day the level of monitoring pre-op and post-op is low…it is an assembly line of surgeries. I know as I have participated in spay/ neuter days as I feel they offer a huge service. Just wouldn’t do it with a pet I really care about if I could avoid it.

Regarding pre-anesthetic blood work on a young animal…do it. We have found apparently healthy dogs with congenital kidney disease, liver shunts, platelet disorders (common around here from tick disease, and not a good time to do surgery if your first line of defense for bleeding is not operating well).

Regarding when to spay…there are too many variables to say do it young, do it old. For some breeds there are benefits to waiting a little longer…but that is if the animal is behaviorally OK, not marking in the house, not showing dominance, has owners that will manage an intact sexually mature animal from breeding, etc. I am not going to tell a family with an 8 month old dog showing some dominance to wait to neuter him. The benefit of early neutering outweighs waiting. I am not going to tell the guy with a pit bull that lives outdoors to not spay her early. I am not going to tell the teenagers who rescued a dog to wait to spay their dog. A very responsible, knowledgeable pet owner with good control of their pet, yes I will recommend they wait.

[glfprncs]

We have a local spay/neuter clinic and here are their prices: http://www.csralifesaver.com/feesaftercare.html

The vets at CSRA Life Saver are in practice in the area, but they volunteer their time (or receive minimal compensation) at the clinic once/week.

The last dog I paid to have neutered (all of my boys came from the shelter already neutered) was an English Setter that showed up on my doorstep a few years ago on Christmas morning. I spoke with a local vet who was willing to board him until a local Setter rescue could arrange his transport. I’m sure she cut me a heck of a deal for being a good Samaritan, but his neuter, vaccinations and HW test were $120.

[AKB]

We were quoted $600-$800 by the local vet clinics to spay a young retriever. For most of us, that is a lot of money. It made it worthwhile for me to drive the 1 1/2hrs to the clinic where my daughter works.

[enjoytheride]

http://facespayneuter.org/

http://facespayneuter.org/spay-neuter/fees/

Under $100

[dressagetraks]

Regular vet: $90 for spay, $60 for neuter. Includes pain meds. Does not include blood work; I’m sure if you asked, that would be extra. Pretty sure it includes IV, etc., as the paw is always shaved. This is for cats; I haven’t done a dog, as my dog arrived already spayed. I’m planning on getting a puppy hopefully in 2015, looking at Great Danes, and I absolutely expect the price when that puppy goes in to be more than for the cats.

Local spay/neuter clinic: $25 for ferals in a trap. $50 for spay. $40 for neuter. They DO include pain meds. I took in a dumpee a few months ago who turned out to be pregnant. That poor cat had the biggest incision I’ve ever seen for a spay, about 3 inches long. She did just fine. I did notice that she had her paw shaved, so apparently had IV. They charged me an extra $15 for her, very reasonable as she obviously cost them a lot of extra time. They do advertise that $15 extra-difficulty fee, but this is the first cat I’ve ever taken them where it was charged, and a few of the previous had been in heat. They do a very good, albeit high-volume, business there, and all dumpees/hobos/wander-ups out here, once catchable, are taken to that clinic. They offer E collar, antibiotics, etc., for extra fee. Rabies shot is included in the standard prices on anything that comes through the door.

[LauraKY]

[QUOTE=make x it x so;7877722]
This is a pretty outdated way of thinking, keeping them in pain so that they “know not to move/destroy the incision.”

Here are AAHA’s current pain management guidelines (if you search the PDF, you can find a section devoted to surgical pain).

http://www.aahanet.org/publicdocuments/painmanagementguidelines.pdf[/QUOTE]

I’ll sedate them if I can’t keep them quiet. I would never withhold pain medication.

[TrotTrotPumpkn]

I paid $250 for a female…8 years ago! Laser surgery, blood work, etc.

I assume it has gone up. But $650! That’s an ouch.

What I’m wondering if it is more expensive for an older male (say 2 years) vs. a younger one?

[Calamber]

[QUOTE=Blume Farm;7878920]
As a small animal vet some of these prices and comments just have me scratching my head.

1. withholding pain meds to keep your animal quiet is just inhumane. Period. Yes, a male neuter may only need 2-3 days of pain meds, a female spay only 3-5 days, but they need pain meds. Just because they are happy and wagging their tail, even active, doesn’t mean they are not in some level of discomfort. To think a mouse in research is better regulated for pain management than a house pet shocks me.

2. Even though a spay surgery is routine does not make it easy. Spaying an older/in heat/pregnant/larger dog may be one of the most complicated surgeries we do. Sometimes more complicated than a foreign body, bladder stone removal, growth removal, etc. Let alone that anesthesia alone is a complicated process.

3. A dog getting spayed for under $300 (blood work, IV cath, most novel anesthetics, fluids, pain injection at time of surgery) your vet is losing money if they actually account for how much it cost them: their surgical time, tech surgical time, materials (drugs, suture, etc.) , time to clean surgical tools/ repack/ sterilize, cost to run electricity for surgical lights/ monitoring equipment/ etc, and all other overhead (property loans, health insurance, phone, water, etc.). Yes, when you run a business all that is part of cost. How else does all that get paid?

When you go to a low cost place (and I completely support them and am active within my own practice with low cost/ voucher options) there is no blood work, no IV catheter, no fluids, different anesthetics used, etc. Many things as mentioned above are via volunteers, donations, etc. Also, when a team is spaying/ neutering 25-30 pets in a day the level of monitoring pre-op and post-op is low…it is an assembly line of surgeries. I know as I have participated in spay/ neuter days as I feel they offer a huge service. Just wouldn’t do it with a pet I really care about if I could avoid it.

Regarding pre-anesthetic blood work on a young animal…do it. We have found apparently healthy dogs with congenital kidney disease, liver shunts, platelet disorders (common around here from tick disease, and not a good time to do surgery if your first line of defense for bleeding is not operating well).

Regarding when to spay…there are too many variables to say do it young, do it old. For some breeds there are benefits to waiting a little longer…but that is if the animal is behaviorally OK, not marking in the house, not showing dominance, has owners that will manage an intact sexually mature animal from breeding, etc. I am not going to tell a family with an 8 month old dog showing some dominance to wait to neuter him. The benefit of early neutering outweighs waiting. I am not going to tell the guy with a pit bull that lives outdoors to not spay her early. I am not going to tell the teenagers who rescued a dog to wait to spay their dog. A very responsible, knowledgeable pet owner with good control of their pet, yes I will recommend they wait.[/QUOTE]

I agree with you on all counts and I will always opt to do bloodwork before surgery, at any age.