Question:

I need to get my dog neutered and...?
My veterinarian is charging me 82.00 for preliminary blood work and then they gave me an estimate for 309.00 for the actual procedure. My local SPCA office will do it for 95.00 total. Does anyone have any thoughts or concerns about the safety and the car of the animals at either place? Is it worth it to pay more, or should I pinch the pennies? Thanks!

Answers:

A-Best: I always opt for bloodwork, just to be on the safe side, but it would be rare for a young dog to have a problem that made surgery dangerous. I would personally have my vet do the bloodwork, then have the SPCA do the neuter procedure. A neuter is a very simple procedure and the dog is under for a limited amount of time. Complications would be unusual.  

A: it should be okay with the spca  

A: ive have always had my dogs done at the local humane socitey and nothings every gone wrong, so i would say go ahead and go for it  

A: $95.00 sounds good to me. ADD: A veterinarian does the neuter at the SPCA also.  

A: $95 sounds good to me too. There might even be an organization in your area that will offer a coupon or voucher to help you save even more. It's worth a couple minutes of googling to find out.  

A: 400 bucks seems outrageous, would you pay that for a procedure for yourself if you could get it for 1/4 of the price else where? I thought what my vet charged was the top of what i would want to pay, I got it easy!  

A: My dog was neutered at a low cost spay/neuter clinic for $25. I had no problems. The people doing the procedures at the cheaper places are still vets. I'd give your money to the SPCA! =)  

A: $309.00 seems kinda high. I paid $274.00 about 6 months ago. But no blood work was required. Not sure why they are wanting the blood work. I have been going to this same vet for many years. I say check around to the clinics and other vets. The dog goes in in the morning and you pick him up that night, they are a little drowsy and wants to rest. You have to make sure they don't over lick or scratch the area. And they have to not rough house or anything for about a week. Even with me being with this vet for years, I still shopped around for the prices. I would say the SPCA is just as safe as the vet. GOOD LUCK!!  

A: The SPCA is a great place to get a dog neutered if you are trying to save money. They use qualified vets and have a lot of experience, but due to the low cost, they just can't dedicate the same amount of servicesand time to your pet. For instance, in a vet's office, the dog would likely get IV fluids and pain injections that they would not get at the SPCA. It's just a matter of preference.....do you want to save a bit of money or do you want all the extras. If your dog is healthy then the extras aren't all that necessary but it is nice if you can afford it. Neither way is a bad way to go though.  

A: Lets just say this - you get what you pay for. What drugs are used, what equipment is used, what monitoring is used (EKG, SPO2, blood pressure, IV fluids, etc). What sterile field is used (some doc don't where gowns and some don't drape in patients which increases risk of infection). What staff are assisting or monitoring your pet? Some one who has a license like an RVT or CVT, or someone who was just promoted from being a receptionist and has no idea what a linea alba is. Ask your vet what is involved and ask to see the facility and see what you feel comfortable with. Some shelters and humane societies are able to run really nice spay/neuter clinics due to county and state funding if you live where having your pet altered is required. Some places where this is not required, have to skimp to get by. I wouldn't choose by money alone. Get recommendations or ask around. And go with your intuition. If you think you can't trust them, then don't go there. It you think everything will be okay, then go with it.  

A: a vets office will always charge you more. do it at the spca. they have the same credentials to do the procedure as your vet. they make it low cost so that more dogs are able to get spayed and neutered. sometimes they ask for a small donation fee- like an extra five bucks. i got my dogs neutered at a local low cost spay and neuter clinic like the spca and they did low cost 1 year rabies shots for $5 bucks