Average cost to neuter a 20lb. dog??? $318???

StellaLucyDesi

I think that is very expensive for a neuter! I just got Hazel spayed and she had a dental, also stool was checked, she had to have an IV due to heart murmur, pain meds and worming meds were included and it came to 318.00. This is for a spay and a dental! I would definitely check around your area and compare what other vets are charging.

ValtheAussie

That's about right for a private vet. Nothing is cheap anymore. I paid less for my dog, but that's because she was a rescue and had to be spayed before I could make the deal final. She was a year and a half though and 10 pounds. The charity spay came to $75.00, because she was a rescue doggie.

Michiyo-Fir

Yup vets charge from 300-450 for a 20 lb dog. I suggest you find a SPCA clinic or low cost spay/neuter place because they charge about $120ish. That's where I got Nia spayed.

I didn't like how the other vets I looked into were trying to give me all these options like extra pain killers, laser incisions, removable stitches or self absorbing ones, pre-surgery blood panels, extraction of baby teeth, etc were all add on prices and they were trying to make me go for all of them through guilt! One place said we have a laser system for your dog and it's much less painful and they won't need to be cooped up in the house for 15 days. Instead they can be out playing again in 7 days also your dog won't suffer as much...

MoosMom

Oh the other option that we have here is a Vet college! Maybe you can see if you have one in there area, they are almost always discounted!

Aran

Have you tried hopping the border to WV? Morgantown is just down the road and there could be a more reasonable vet down that way.

BooLette

Hey, I live in Co and have an appt for my girl to get spayed here! Our vet is the military vet which doesn't do speuters so they referred us here. When I asked if they were good the vet told me that she took her very own dog there and she did great! She also said that all you are paying for is anesthesia essentially. That at a civilian vet you are paying for the frivolties like parking right next to the door and blah blah blah.
I would never pay that much for a neuter. Period. I think that if you find a low cost clinic go there, check it out. Talk to people, get reviews. If you still don't feel comfortable then look for a vet farther away that is cheaper. We just moved to Co from Ne Pa and for us to get a dog neutered that was over 45lbs was less than $100. You can find someone you just have to look HARD... have you checked to see if any of the shelters near you do low cost speuters?

Aran

Animal Friends does low-cost spays/neuters to those who make under $3500/month.

http://www.thinkingoutsidethecage.or...CostSpayNeuter

FaithFurMom09

Im taking Faith (26lb) to a low cost spay clinic for $75 if that helps.

ThoseWordsAtBest

Good lord. Every time one of these threads comes up I'm appalled. Jonas is 11 lbs and I paid 50 dollars at a very lovely vet to have him altered. That included the laser surgery, blood work, and pain killers. Smalls is 55 lbs and I paid 70 dollars for her spay.

Willowy

It's gotta have something to do with the area. Because I'm always appalled at the prices, too. No wonder people don't alter their pets.

ThoseWordsAtBest

I wish I could pick a few different major cities and call vets in the area, and then pick out smaller towns in the same state and do the same. We live in a good sized city in Michigan and the prices were still dirt cheap, but when we lived in Ann Arbor I got a quote for Jonas and it was $230 WITH my work discount.

Darkmoon

Actually my ex-foster was quoted in your city for $300 according to his new owners. I told him to come back to my city and have him neutered here. 20lbs $300 in your city, $85 in my city 25mins away....

croll326

I looked in to Animal Friends but if your household income is more than $42,000 per year they wont do it there. They give you a certificate for $25 off at participating places. Some of the vets I called are on that list but still $275 is a lot. I called the Pittsburgh Spay and Neuter Clinic and they are MUCH less expensive. Neuter is $59, meds $15, e-collar $12, and microchip is $32.....they also will take the $25 off certificate. I think we might go there.

How important is blood work and an exam? We have had our pup to the vet a few times in the last couple months and he is healthy.

ThoseWordsAtBest

Holy crap, where did you go? Or rather, where did they go? There is a place called St. Josephs animal hospital and they can have him neutered for $65.

Darkmoon

Not a clue. I don't talk to them much (not the most social people) so I have no clue which Vet they looked into. I told them to keep checking around because that was WAY too much.

So to the OP, yeah check around. Even a town over can be a whole different price.

ThoseWordsAtBest

Yeah, jeez, if they get into contact with you, let me know. I know a few good vets in the area that neuter for $50-$65.

Ayanla

I just payed $188 yesterday for Kira's spay. I opted out of the collar for her since we ended up not needing Odo's. So hers included bloodwork (kidney and liver panel), microchipping, anal gland expression, nail clipping, and pain meds.

Looking back at my paperwork for Odo, his neuter was actually $200 even, the collar was $12, so it cost the same for his neuter (7lbs) as it did for her spay (15lbs).

croll326

Rocky was neutered on 11/25 and is doing great. He has MORE energy now than he did before lol.

Grand total...$116

Neuter $59
Meds $15
AVID Microchip $32
Collar $10

He is doing great and seems to have no bad reactions at all. Im very happy with the results.

sw_df27

We are having one done and it's only 100.00 and he's 70lbs................... 300.00 to me sounds like alot.

DenaBear07

Hi, I'm a vet tech in Florida. The price sounds fine to me--although other posters are right in saying that the prices vary from city to city, and of course, place to place. I also need to know if your dog is cryptorchid (did one or both of the testicles not descend?) A cryptorchidectomy is more expensive than a standard neuter.

For those of you who said your pet received good care from spay/neuter clinics and shelters, what I'm about to say is not meant to attack or demean you or the facility you had your pet neutered/spayed at.

Shelters and low-cost spay/neuter clinics often skimp on things that other hospitals will not--this is not because they don't care, but because they need to keep the costs down. Things that they MAY skimp on, but are important.
1. Bloodwork: There are different levels of bloodwork that can be done before surgery, with more extensive bloodwork needed for animals with known exisiting conditions.

2. IV Catheter: IV catheters are necessary during any surgical procedure so you pet is on continuous fluid therapy, and so that if your dog needs an immediate injection in an emergency, the technician and vet don't have to go searching for a vein.

3. Post-Operative Care: Is a technician constantly at the side of your dog until he or she wakes up after surgery? Fellow co-workers who have volunteered at shelters have told me that because there are so many animals to be spayed/neutered, the dog is extubated as soon as it's in the cage after srugery, and the tech must leave to go assist in the next surgery (NOT because they don't care). Also, how many times is the animals post-operative temperature taken? It's important that it's taken several times after surgery to assure the patient's temperature is adequate and increasing (because anesthesia causes the temp to decrease).



Phew! All that being said, I am glad to hear you're having your dog neutered. So many people feel that neutering their males is mean to the dog, or that it is unnecessary. I saw a dog today that wasn't neutered and he now has a stage III mast cell tumor. If a shelter or clinic is all you can afford, then it is better than nothing.

Let us know what you decide to do!

Dena

lol i guess i should have checked page 2 for an update before i wrote a novel...glad to hear he's doing well!