Optional spay/neuter fees - recommended?

sohni

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I just scheduled my kitten for a spay surgery next Tuesday. The receptionist was giving me the run-down on pre-op procedures and then she mentioned the optional fees. The regular cost will be $200, but they offer IV fluids during the operation for an additional $60.

My sister is bringing in her kitten on the same day, and her kitten needs an additional operation to correct a hernia. So hers will be $260 plus the additional $60 for fluids if she chooses this route.

I have looked up info online and all the sites I have found were from vet offices. They all say that the IV fluids are important for the safety of the cat under anaesthetic as well as for quicker recovery. Do they help a lot?

EDIT - I am paying the extra fee. They told me it increases the safety of the procedure and I am happy to provide that service for my pet. I am just curious to see if anyone has any further information on the process.
 

carolina

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The only thing for me is that it sounds WAY too much for a spay... Have you asked any other vet about the cost?
 
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sohni

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It is something that does bother me, but yep, I have looked into it. There are 4 vets in my area; one I avoid like the plague even though it is cheap. Another is decent, but I have had some issues with their front desk staff and their ethics. The third is actually my aunt's clinic but they are a boutique clinic and I can't afford their prices (they are raising their prices because they have too many clients and want to downsize). The fourth is the second-best in quality and is my best compromise. I think in Canada that we are a held hostage a bit when it comes to vet costs, we don't have a lot of option.
 

sharky

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I would say yes but that IMHO is too much .. fluids here are either included or 30$
 

denice

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The last time I had a cat spayed was about 5 years ago and it was $140.00 but fees vary widely by area. That seemed to be the going rate among all the vets here at that time. They didn't have an optional fee for fluids though. The only optional fee was for blood work before the spay and it was $55 which I paid. I would think that fluids would be something that you would want to have because there will be blood loss and kittens are small animals that really don't have that much blood to lose before there would be problems.
 

missymotus

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Originally Posted by Sohni

It is something that does bother me, but yep, I have looked into it.
Pretty similar prices for when I get my future kittens desexed, we don't have prices like the US. Good luck with both surgeries, hope they recover fast.
 

ebrillblaiddes

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I would definitely think that any time you're planning a major surgery, which automatically includes a drop in blood volume, replacing it would be a good thing. Although I could also see wanting something stronger than saline solution, since my cats are my babies, but I don't think they have feline blood donation.
 

bbdoll22

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I opted for the pre spay/ nueter bloodwork up and also for the fluids. I'm in the hudson valley of NY and for a male and female to get neutered and spayed just last november it was 400.00 for both. I'm glad to hear your going for the fluids.
 

catnurse22

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If it's just a routine spay (not pregnant) I don't think fluids are really necessary. Although having an IV catheter in place as well as pre op BW I is wise IMO. And yikes on the price!
 

catnurse22

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Originally Posted by ebrillblaiddes

I would definitely think that any time you're planning a major surgery, which automatically includes a drop in blood volume, replacing it would be a good thing. Although I could also see wanting something stronger than saline solution, since my cats are my babies, but I don't think they have feline blood donation.
Just a note, they do have feline blood donation. There are actually a few animal blood banks around. It's just used for transfusions though.
 

littleraven7726

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Lola's spay would have been about $260 if the laser had been working that day (laser assisted surgery). Fluids weren't optional for Lola's spay. I know they gave them. Her spay came to about $200 last fall.
 

ebrillblaiddes

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Originally Posted by CatNurse22

Just a note, they do have feline blood donation. There are actually a few animal blood banks around. It's just used for transfusions though.
Seriously? I'd never heard of that. Learn something new every day I guess.
 

mews2much

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Meekos spay was with pyometra 193.58.
That included basic pain meds, Buprenex and iv fluids.
This was a few days before her spay.
Antibiotics were 45.12
Urine Test 38.50
Blood Test 143.90.
Office Visit 46
Sasha had the laparoscoptic spay whuch is 100 more then a reg spay.
That was with Iv,blood tests and pain meds.
She also was in heat.
Her bill was 364.60
Cleo was spayed before I got her so I have no idea how much that was.
It is worth paying extra for the tests.
I had cats have blood transfusions before and it saved them.
The vet has the cats right there that donate the blood.
 

sweetpea24

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Originally Posted by Sohni

I just scheduled my kitten for a spay surgery next Tuesday. The receptionist was giving me the run-down on pre-op procedures and then she mentioned the optional fees. The regular cost will be $200, but they offer IV fluids during the operation for an additional $60.

My sister is bringing in her kitten on the same day, and her kitten needs an additional operation to correct a hernia. So hers will be $260 plus the additional $60 for fluids if she chooses this route.

I have looked up info online and all the sites I have found were from vet offices. They all say that the IV fluids are important for the safety of the cat under anaesthetic as well as for quicker recovery. Do they help a lot?

EDIT - I am paying the extra fee. They told me it increases the safety of the procedure and I am happy to provide that service for my pet. I am just curious to see if anyone has any further information on the process.
$200 is not bad for a spay. Where I work, the fluids are included. I think for your cat's safety I would pay for the fluids (although I think they should be standard). The reason being is that they have to put a catheter in and IV line - if your cat stops breathing or her heart stops, they can inject atropine or epinephrine directly into the IV line as opposed to struggling to find a vein. Plus it prevents her from being dehydrated.

Where I work, the options are: 1) Pre=anesthetic blood sample -CBC, tests kidneys, liver and glucose and electrolytes for $45; 2) ECG monitoring - $12.00 (we do it anyway so I don't know why we offer it as an option - money grabbing perhaps); microchip insertion - $63.70 and 4) extraction of deciduous baby teeth - $14.70 per tooth. The price of the spay depends on the age - more for a cat over 9 months but I think for a cat under 9 months it's $258 or something around that amount. This includes IV fluids, surgery, 3 days of pain medication after the surgery, anesthesia and hospitalization including food which we give after they've awakened. We send them home with an E-collar which is $15.00 but if they return it, they get $10.00 plus tax back.

So basically, yes go for the fluids.
 

Ms. Freya

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$200 for a spay is about what we paid for Freya. For us, fluids were included, but if the cat needed extra fluids (more than 2 units, I believe) it was $10.
 
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sohni

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Interesting, I just called my Aunt's office to price out a spay. They quoted me $190 including taxes plus $15 for three days of liquid pain meds. I asked about the IV fluids and she consulted the vet. They don't see a need, especially for a very young cat. AND, they will include the hernia fix for free since we are family.

I'm going to talk to my sister about it, as I really do prefer my Aunt's clinic, I just didn't think we could afford it. They are so much newer and their office was built last September; it's state of the art.
 

pookie-poo

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Two hundred dollars for a spay is about the going price here. I would pay extra for the fluids, just because I know the benefits.

I would definitely recommend pre-op baseline bloodwork. That is how my vet found out that Cleo had renal failure. Since we knew, she was able to use a more kidney friendly anesthetic for the spay, and we did fluids during the surgery, which also helps the kidneys.

Good luck!
 
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