Sterilization Ballpark Charges
I'm not understanding the pricing of sterilization.
I asked 5 different vets in my area their ballbark charge for a neutering. All around it was approximately 300$, with no price break if it was a spay or a neuter. The break down of fees said this included pre-surgery bloodwork, the sedation, and the take home medications. One vet was even very short with me when I asked how much it was without pre-surgery bloodwork. He said no responsible vet would do it. When I asked why shelters didn't do it, he hung up on me.
The shelter costs were about 25-35$ depending on if it was a spay or neuter, and with the caveat that there would be a additional charge if there was an undescended testicle. Alright, makes sense.
That's a huge difference but I figured that the shelters are probably subsidized or working on a volunteer basis with some vets.
When I couldn't get a hold of the shelters I came across some sterilization foundations that ranged from 65-75$ for spay/neuters, flat fee. That's a little better. Availability is not great. Talking to one of these people she refered me to a few clinics that had discount surgeries which she admitted were "a little more". I assumed that it would be in the 300$ range like the other vets.
Contacting one of those vets he said he regularly did spay and neuters for 95-100$, barring in unforeseen issues, and didn't suggest pre-surgery bloodwork for healthy young dogs. I ultimately picked this mid-range clinic.
So my question is, where the hell are they getting these numbers? Are they just competeing in different markets, or is there an actual cost difference of staff and resources?
Does anyone know?
I asked 5 different vets in my area their ballbark charge for a neutering. All around it was approximately 300$, with no price break if it was a spay or a neuter. The break down of fees said this included pre-surgery bloodwork, the sedation, and the take home medications. One vet was even very short with me when I asked how much it was without pre-surgery bloodwork. He said no responsible vet would do it. When I asked why shelters didn't do it, he hung up on me.
The shelter costs were about 25-35$ depending on if it was a spay or neuter, and with the caveat that there would be a additional charge if there was an undescended testicle. Alright, makes sense.
That's a huge difference but I figured that the shelters are probably subsidized or working on a volunteer basis with some vets.
When I couldn't get a hold of the shelters I came across some sterilization foundations that ranged from 65-75$ for spay/neuters, flat fee. That's a little better. Availability is not great. Talking to one of these people she refered me to a few clinics that had discount surgeries which she admitted were "a little more". I assumed that it would be in the 300$ range like the other vets.
Contacting one of those vets he said he regularly did spay and neuters for 95-100$, barring in unforeseen issues, and didn't suggest pre-surgery bloodwork for healthy young dogs. I ultimately picked this mid-range clinic.
So my question is, where the hell are they getting these numbers? Are they just competeing in different markets, or is there an actual cost difference of staff and resources?
Does anyone know?
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Jane Christensen on
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There's a big difference here in Minn. too. I get my animals done for about$90 (neuter) if no lab and they come home the same day(my vet knows me well). I go to a big animal vet that doesn't cater only to dogs and cats etc. The price goes up 30 miles from here in a larger town and even more the closer you get to the Metro area. My niece and I just had this conversation today as she lives in the metro and she did find a vet that doesn't charge a huge amount. I think sometimes they just want to do all these tests for more $$$$.I am not saying some aren't needed but I think check things out and if someone hangs up on you I surely would think that would not be a place that I would want my dog to go...jerk.... good luck! I do know that my vet gives me a 15% discount for my rescues and even corgi aid commented on how reasonable they were!
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Permalink Reply by Sky and Lyla on
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I'm sure it depends on where in the country you are, but $300 sounds ridiculously expensive to me! I did not have the pre-surgery blood work on either of my animals, although the vets I talked to that did charged as much as $100 more for it. I never got different prices for a spay or neuter either. My Aussie was neutered by our regular vet for a little over $100 which included his anesthesia (totally under, not a local), skin spray, to go home, E-collar, and a pain shot. My Corgi was spayed by a local spay/neuter organization for $30 which included her anesthesia (I have a feeling it was just a local at that price, but I didn't have the heart to ask), and a 36 hr pain shot. I also bought a $10 packet of pain medicine from my regular vet for after her shot wore off. Honestly, the cheap spay went completely without problem and my Aussie's expensive neuter (which is a simpler surgery) by our regular vet had several complications afterward. All in all, I think the important part is that you are comfortable with the vet that is doing it.
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Permalink Reply by Geri & Sidney on
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That sounds way too expensive to me too. Ask at the shelter if Pet Assistance is involved in your area. They have a list of vets that are willing to spay/neuter at a significant savings.
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Here's a previous thread with some helpful info:
http://www.mycorgi.com/forum/topic/show?id=1150197%3ATopic%3A112587...
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Permalink Reply by Sam Tsang on
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When you are running a brick and mortar business, there is a huge overhead cost. Some places are very clean / luxury. Some places are very basic. We take our fosters to the local shelter for neutering and spaying, low cost and with a little medical background, it saves us quite a bit of money.
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Permalink Reply by Beth on
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Hmm. I would definitely get the bloodwork, personally. I have a friend with a Yorkie whose pre-surgery bloodwork showed high liver enzymes so they elected to wait until they got that under control; otherwise the anesthesia could have caused a huge problem. And this was a healthy 6-month-old dog. They held off on the neuter til he was a year old, based on the blood work.
I just pulled Jack's records, which are two years old now of course. The entire cost was $172.10 but that included $35 for the Home Again microchip implant. While he was under they did his nails at no charge. If you want the breakdown:
Chemistries: $30
Draw Blood: $4
Neuter: $90
Rimadyl injection: $5.50
8 Rimadyl chewables: $7.60
Home Again implant: $35
So to me the $34 for the blood draw and labs was well worth the peace of mind. This is what my disclosure form said:
"Because this medication has the potential to damage the liver and/or kidneys in some dogs it is strongly recommended to have blood work checked now, and again in 2-4 weeks if the dog is going to receive continued therapy."
You were allowed to decline.
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Permalink Reply by Hank Johnson on
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I did a lot of research on this when I had Emlyn spayed. Prices here in Shreveport/Bossier, La were from about $100 TO $750. I ended up getting a discount when the young lady that is a co-owner/god-mother got a job with a vet before it was time to have it done, and it ended up costing me $175 with blood work.
After all the research it is my understanding that the discount clinics do the job just as well or even better than many vet clinics. The discount places do many spay/neuters a day and practice makes perfect. They also aren't operating as a for-profit business.
Do a Google search and you will find many reviews for different vets and discount providers in your area. I found one vet here in Shreveport that would do the spay for $90 with no bloodwork that got rave reviews and I would have used him except for Sara getting the job at the other vets office.
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Permalink Reply by Avyon on
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Roxi was done in a little town in VT. I dropped her off the evening before and the vet was nice enough to open the office an hour early so I could pick her up b4 work :). He also let me put her in the place where she was staying so she would feel comfortable hehe. We got a call the night b4 saying the operation was a success and that the girls were swarming over her and could we just leave her there? :)
The procedure was 112.50 - 10 for the anesthetic 85 for the surgery and 17 for something called metacam inj
then the after medication was 12.30 the eliz collar was 12.45 with a total of 24.75
grand total 137.25
I can't even imagine what the price is around here. We live in the DC metro/NVA area now and just vet visits have been more then we were used to.
I agree that due to competition (making 'pretty' facilities) and more pets coming in (bigger staff pay) plus.. uh.. how do I put it.. people in this area seem to be willing to pay more if they think something is a better for their pet... We stopped going to a vet because he was more upselling then trying to help our pups.. then tried to make us feel guilty when we said we'll get a second opinion.
vets are so tricky sometimes. I miss my at home vet that took calls 24hrs at his house. Helped me through the 'first time mommy' phase.
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Permalink Reply by Amanda on
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Here in Baton Rouge, LA I called a few clinics, I got anything from 110-200ish. The last place I called told me $60 to neuter, and I had to leave him overnight to make sure there were no complications. This wasn't a shelter, it was an actual clinic. I used to take my GSD there a long time ago before she died, so I knew they were a decent clinic, but I was looking for something closer to my house. I ended up going there because it was the cheapest by far, and they were the only ones who said they'd have to keep him overnight, which made me feel like they were being a little safer about it. $300 sounds outrageous to me, but it's always different in different states.
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Just a thought, but I would also talk to them about the procedure itself and how they do it.
When Jack was neutered, it was all internal stitches. The incision was so tiny you could hardly see it. He did not need an E-collar, and because they start pain medication immediately he was not sore at all. We were instructed to keep the incision dry for a week, and that was it. No restrictions on activity.
Other vets make a larger incision, use external stitches which itch and scab, slap a collar on the dog to stop them licking the itchy external stitches that they put on, and tell you to keep your six-month-old puppy quiet for 10 days, as if that is at all possible.
So there can be huge differences in the surgery itself from practice to practice.
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Permalink Reply by Sarah C. on
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I ended up going with the discount vet and he did a very small incision with internal stitches with a grand total of 95$.
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Permalink Reply by Heather and Ella on
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Ella got spayed at a local small/large animal vet. There prices tend to be more reasonable because we live in rural area. Ella had the pre-blood work, pain meds to take home, the spaying (with over night stay), two booster shots, and nails done. It ended up being around $150 for everything. They also called me after the surgery to let me know how she was doing. But I also think they are realistic, and know that people in my area can't afford expensive animal care.
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