Neuter, Spray, and Vacination questions

Dear forum friends,

To make the story short, I took Mei mei and Coffee for the physical examination prior to neuter and spray yesterday and the front desk gave me an estimate of "extras" I have to pay prior to their surgery. The clinic request that both of my cats need to be tested for FIV and FeLV ($128 more) and that mei mei needs to receive both the intranasal FVCRP and injectable FVCRP on the day of surgery.

Turns out even I have purchased the Neuter Now certificate for both cats ($90) that is supposed to cover their neutering, I still have to pay $300 extra to proceed with the surgery. I called the other clinic which also participated in the Neuter Now program sponsored by the state and the Humane Society, they are going to charge $250 more for each cat.

I am a graduate student and I really don't have savings hanging around to spend. On top of that, I am curious why the vet needs to give Mei mei the same vaccine on the same day through different means. They said since mei mei has not been up to date for vaccinations, she needs the intranasal one to protect them (Yes, protect them). Then the injectable one is for her.

Is the FIV test and the double vaccination a common procedure in her case or I am just paranoid that the vet tries to get more money? I actually like the clinic and the vet since she only sees cats and was very friendly. The only thing is the front desk is very firm. Basically I just have to let them do thoese procedures and pay more money to have my cats fixed. Could you give me any thoughts?

Thank you

That seems pretty crazy to me! All of that is DEFINITELY not necessary.

Are you in the US? For low cost spay and neuter clinics in the US, check out this thread: http://www.thecatsite.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=203204 Hopefully you can find something closer that is priced more reasonably.

Something is not right there.
It is not good to give shots the day of the surgery.
That is not a safe shot even.
The leukemia shot killed my Lucy.
I would never give a 4 i 1 shot either.
Find somewhere ele to go.
In fact all the breeders I know do not give the FVCRP shot.

Our vets here will not spay/neuter without an up to date vaccination unless they observe the animal for 5 days for signs of illness. Vaccines actually take some time to work which may be why they want the nasal vaccine as well as the shot.

FVRCP is the common shot here, I give mine FVRCCP as we seem to have a bad Chlymidia outbreak recently causing cats to lose their eyes.

However, I would take mine to somewhere to be vaccinated before the spay and not have it done the day of which is usually only done at low cost clinics and not regular vets. I would certainly not double dose her the day of surgery, but that is my personal feelings on vaccines. (Vaccines, intranasal or needles can make the white blood count drop and that is one of the main reasons vets will not vaccinate and operate at the same time)

I do not test mine for FIV and FeLV as they are rescues and could have been vaccinated in the past

It might be a good idea to test for FeLV, because if they have it they'll need extra care to recover from the surgeries. If they've been indoor cats their entire lives, they probably don't have it. But if they've ever been outside it would be a good idea.

The local Humane Society uses the intranasal vaccine, because it give immediate immunity. The injected vaccine takes a couple weeks to build immunity. So I'd have Mei Mei vaccinated now at another vet/low-cost clinic so they won't double vaccinate her AND spay her on the same day. That would be a huge stressor on her poor little body.

Call all the other vets in the area. There must be a vet out there somewhere that won't require all of that. Call the Humane Society, too----they might have a list of vets who don't ask for extras.

Originally Posted by Willowy

...Call all the other vets in the area. There must be a vet out there somewhere that won't require all of that. Call the Humane Society, too----they might have a list of vets who don't ask for extras.

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The efficacy of vaccines is under question in veterinarian circles right now. My cats get none but the rabies - and wouldn't get that if it weren't required by law - and my vet is perfectly fine with my choice.

Vaccines can, and do, cause reactions. I have to say I'd be pretty leery of a vet who wants to give not one, but TWO vaccines the same day as surgery, not to mention, two different vaccines for the same disease. In fact, knowing what I know ref. vaccines, it'd be unlikely that I ever brought my cats back to that clinic.

Like Willowy (what a pretty name!), I'd recommend calling around to see who else is available and what their costs are.

Good luck!

Originally Posted by Auntie Crazy

The efficacy of vaccines is under question in veterinarian circles right now. My cats get none but the rabies - and wouldn't get that if it weren't required by law - and my vet is perfectly fine with my choice.

Vaccines can, and do, cause reactions. I have to say I'd be pretty leery of a vet who wants to give not one, but TWO vaccines the same day as surgery, not to mention, two different vaccines for the same disease. In fact, knowing what I know ref. vaccines, it'd be unlikely that I ever brought my cats back to that clinic.

Like Willowy (what a pretty name!), I'd recommend calling around to see who else is available and what their costs are.

Good luck!

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as well as the other s have said look around and ask ??s

All of mine were already "fixed " other than 20 plus yrs ago so I am far from an expert ... But yes many vets here want to test for Fiv and Felv prior to surgery if it is a young or new cat

I also suggest doing some vaccine research ... my own vet convinced me NOT to after baby and booster a yr later ... Of course find out the LAW in your area

As a vet student [don't look at me for authority, I have 6 more years to go in school and I'm young, look to another vet with a D.V.M. for definite and trustworthy answers! Just giving advice from my general knowledge.] I don't know what that vet is thinking! That is WAY TOO MUCH strain on a cat's body. Despite the fact that a spay is noneventful and normally quick, it still invades the body cavity and requires the healing of certain parts of the abdominal wall and organ tissues; technically that's considered "invasive surgery," which requires a lot of recovery. Impaired immunity due to vaccines--and not just one, but two--can really compromise her in the healing process.

I would get other opinions. Plus the fees they are charging for the spay and neuter are ridiculous. At most average clinics, the surgery itself costs $90, and the anesthesia+meds fees are added to that. A good deal for a neuter [non monorchid or criptorchid] would be around $120 at the average clinic, variating around $10. With a surgery, I would just ask for a blood profile [normally ranging from $30-$50] to see if there is anything wrong with her body. This doesn't include the testing for FVCRP if I recall, that's separate. $300 for a spay is outlandish, unless anesthesia and meds+clinic care are included in that price quote.

Testing for FVRCP and FIV should take place before the surgery, and vaccines should have at least 2 weeks to get into the system.

Here is some info.
Vet Info. com

Again, this is online [although it is reputable], so talking with someone face-to-face is better. Also, unfortunately there have not been many studies on animal vaccine combos, but research is currently underway.

[For those who know, the study done by Association of Feline Practitioners had too small of a sample or control group to get accurate results, according to most vets. This doesn't discredit the AFP, but it's just that research=money, and a lot of veterinary research is underfunded. That's why their sample groups were too small.]



In short, what your vet recommended sounds a bit weird. I'd go get more opinions from other vets in your area.

Originally Posted by Fiddledee

I would get other opinions. Plus the fees they are charging for the spay and neuter are ridiculous. At most average clinics, the surgery itself costs $90, and the anesthesia+meds fees are added to that. A good deal for a neuter [non monorchid or criptorchid] would be around $120 at the average clinic, variating around $10. With a surgery, I would just ask for a blood profile [normally ranging from $30-$50] to see if there is anything wrong with her body. This doesn't include the testing for FVCRP if I recall, that's separate. $300 for a spay is outlandish, unless anesthesia and meds+clinic care are included in that price quote.

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In some areas, $300 is a deal

But I think she means the $300 includes the things she outlined above as she has already paid for the spay/neuter certificate which cost $90

One thing I have found with low cost speuter certificates is they end up not being low cost because they dont include everything and by the time you pay a la carte rather than the vets speuter package cost, its almost the same

Originally Posted by icklemiss21

In some areas, $300 is a deal

But I think she means the $300 includes the things she outlined above as she has already paid for the spay/neuter certificate which cost $90

One thing I have found with low cost speuter certificates is they end up not being low cost because they dont include everything and by the time you pay a la carte rather than the vets speuter package cost, its almost the same

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Tell me about it. It's as if all the "fees" included sometimes cancel out the certificate in the first place!

As far as the price quotes...perhaps I should have mentioned it was in my state, Alabama. I don't really know of price variation in other states that much...I don't know why there would be that much difference. I'll post if I find out! $160 for a neuter in Alabama is bordering on very expensive. Perhaps it's the suppliers and the source...If I recall, where I attend vet school and that vet I worked for get medication shipments from Dothan, AL and Florida, so close by.

I'll investigate and I'll post if I find anything about that.

It has been a long time (6 years) since I paid for a neuter but according to his file, we paid $277 back then - its an expensive area however.

Our local low cost place does neuters for about $100 plus $55 for shots and spays about $50 extra