Got the results from Nuts' bloodwork

taryn

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His creatnine is slightly elevated but normal BUN so she just recommended he have fluids during his neuter but the elevation was so minor and with the normal BUN she says there isn't anything actually wrong with his kidneys, that perhaps he just hadn't drank much before the test.

Since the low cost place doesn't do fluids looks like I have to go to the vet. I don't have the money for this, but I have to do what is right for him.

I was napping but don't think I'm going to get back to that any time soon.

Edit: called vet, he's going in next Weds. It's going to be $145.20, that includes the $57.75 for fluids(personally I find that outrageous, but if that's what it is then I'll have to pay it) and $15 for pain meds. I know I do feel more comfortable having my own vet do it but having it done for $5 would be easier on the wallet. I know Attitude's spay was $225 and some change but that was with fluid and blood work. The price just seems so steep. My vet is awesome so I don't mind paying it, but still. What is the going rate for a spay/neuter where you are?

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snickerdoodle

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I'm not sure about the neuter, I had Boo's done years ago at a low cost spay and neuter here in NC and it was about 30 bucks if I remember correctly? But the total doesn't sound over the top to me, for a neuter, meds and fluids.. a bag of fluids at my old vet cost 23 dollars, a line 7 dollars and needles 50 cent a piece, and that sounded fine until I found my own supply. I am glad your kitty doesn't seem to have any kidney problems, that is good.

IMHO, I personally wouldn't pay 5 dollars for a spay unless it was my vet doing it and I knew them. Not to say that whoever is doing it isn't extremely skilled or anything. That's just me. That's way too cheap and I'd worry. I got Chickster's done at my vet on a rescue voucher from the Humane Society. Had to pay 8 dollars for the remainder of her shots and that was it. I think that may be a little steep, 57 bucks, how much fluids will he need? Is he going to be on an IV for several days, or a couple days, or just at the time of surgery?

Vibes for your baby!
 
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taryn

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The fluids are used to keep his blood pressure up during surgery so I'm assuming he won't get much and it is just for the surgery. He is released the same day as the surgery. The main thing is the fluids, I just feel like that is way overpriced.

Attitude was done by my vet as well, we use the $5 for the outside ones. The $5 people do great work(I've had 4 females done there) but I'm just more comfortable having my vet doing Attitude and Nuts. I also haven't had them do a neuter for me before and I don't want Nuts to be the first. If I could afford it everyone, inside and outside, would go to my vet, but I'm not made of money.

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snickerdoodle

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I understand that for sure! My 2 outdoor males are not neutered and not going to be anytime soon. Legally they are mine since I am feeding them, but I have no money to get them fixed right now. Thankfully the two females were trap and release spayed, I believe, so nothing to worry about.
 
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taryn

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The 2 outside males will get done at the $5 place. Like I said all the females(4) did great and no one had any complications, they do good work and I highly doubt they would send a sick animal or one that reacted badly home the same day. The $35 place did that with Biter, I was afraid I was going to find her dead on the porch in her carrier(everyone including Attitude and Nuts were living outside due to the leukemia because of Maude so bringing her inside wasn't an option), I kept checking on her to make sure she was ok.

I know a vet is doing it and these are the same people who took care of Mama after her prolapse so I already knew they did good work. They saved Mama's life, without them she would be dead and it was only $150 and she was in the hospital for over a week, cost isn't a question but having just shelled out over $200 on Attitude's spay I was kind of broke. The vet is a total a-hole(he kept trying to talk down to me and treat me like an idiot, I think he thought I was a lot younger than I really am, I think he thought he was dealing with a teenager not a 30 year old woman, not to mention he thought it was a rip off for me to pay over $200 for Attitude's spay, it was and still is worth every penny to me) but I don't have to deal with him. He does good work and as I said I don't deal with him after the spays and neuters.

I wouldn't let him be my regular vet but for the outside ones(when they need care) and for the spays and neuters I can deal with it. Like I said I don't like his attitude but he is a great vet(and face it some great human doctors are total a-holes) and the rest of the staff is awesome, they didn't mind me calling at least once a day to see how Mama was doing.

Like I said if I was made of money I could afford to have my vet but I just can't afford it, there are reasons for lost cost spay/neuter services and I'm sure the majority do great work. TNR exists only because of low cost services because most of us are not made of loads of money, we are doing the best we can with what we have. I know there are crappy ones and even dangerous ones, but the one here is a good one, you have options if you want blood work, or pain medication or anything else.

BTW- If my f-ing vets office asks me one more time if I'm just getting them fixed or also get all their fingers hacked off I'm going to scream. They actually had Attitude's paperwork saying she was also being declawed. The receptionist knew I was PO'd about that, but that is why they always go over the paper work before the surgery. I don't think they'd want to know what I would have done had I picked up a mutilated cat.

I will say getting a cat declawed here is fairly common, but it still bothers me. If I didn't ask about it I obviously don't want it done.

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kailie

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OMG, I wonder how many people have picked up declawed cats when they had no intention of getting it done?!?


My vet charges approx. $100 for a neuter and $160 for a spay, but that is with nothing else at all included(ie fluids, bloodwork, etc.).
 

otto

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Jennie's spay was $268. That was 3 years ago.

That included FIV/FeLV test (she was a stray), one treatment of frontline plus, one drontal dose, and first rabies and distemper vaccine.

She did not get pain meds or fluids or any blood work other than the FIV/FeLV.

That was before I knew her, I had only trapped her the night before. Now, of course, any procedure requiring anesthesia I would request full blood work, and fluids for her.



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sharky

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low cost here is 65$ w pain meds

reg vet 200-250 some charge extra for pain meds others no .... fluids add 30-40$ , bloodwork add 50-100
 

strange_wings

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Normal spay and neuter for cats under 6 years old at my vet is $106 and $74. Blood tests, overnight stay, shot of pain med and antibiotic.
 
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taryn

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Like I said I'm more comfortable having my vet do it. The blood test results just helped me have kind of an 'excuse' to use the vet and not the low cost place.

Like I said if I could afford to have everyone done by my vet I would but the low cost place is good for the outside cats that way when the next unspayed female is dumped we don't end up with a population explosion. I miss itty bitty kittens but not enough to want to go through it again.

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Willowy

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Originally Posted by Taryn

BTW- If my f-ing vets office asks me one more time if I'm just getting them fixed or also get all their fingers hacked off I'm going to scream. They actually had Attitude's paperwork saying she was also being declawed. The receptionist knew I was PO'd about that, but that is why they always go over the paper work before the surgery. I don't think they'd want to know what I would have done had I picked up a mutilated cat.
Ack, I know. All the vets here do the same thing. "Do you want fries with that?" i.e. "Do you want a horrible mutilation with that necessary, livesaving surgery?" Typical $$$$-making upsell. My vet knows not to de-claw my cats, but when I picked Sammy and Scrappy up from their neuters the receptionist said "they did just fine, and their paws didn't bleed at all!". I nearly had a heart attack right then. Actually, my brain wasn't working and I just stood there for a second trying to figure out why their paws would bleed from a neuter. Then I figured it out and THEN I nearly had a heart attack, though I didn't say anything right then. She brought them out of the back room, Scrappy stuck his paw out of the carrier, and I grabbed his paw and made his claws come out. Phew! But obviously if she said that to me she must say that to everybody, so anyone who did have their cat de-clawed should never believe that "his paws didn't bleed!"

I have heard stories of cats being "accidentally" de-clawed. Most of the time the vet/receptionist can't figure out why the owner is mad, since they took the charges off, they just got a free de-claw.....
. That's why de-clawing needs to be made illegal, otherwise nothing will change. It's too entrenched in the American cat-owning mind, put there by money-hungry vets.

Anyway, my vet charges $65 for a cat neuter and $90 for a cat spay. I think that includes a 24-hour pain shot, but nothing else. He will use dissolvable stitches for spays if I ask, without charging extra.

I've used a low-cost place before. I've never had a bad experience. The clinic is run out of a dog rescue---the rescue's full-time vet does the alters (they close the shelter on Wednesdays to do the clinic), and he does a very good job of it, too. My 5 indoor ferals, my Tugger, my brother's 2 cats, my mom's Fiona, and my grandma's Timmy were all done there, plus all of my outdoor ferals, and a few cats from low-income friends. I'd have all my cats done there if it wasn't a 3-hour drive from here.....too far and a 3-month waiting list, so I only go when I have at least 6 cats lined up. I do think that the low-cost clinics care about the cats, and I wouldn't necessarily consider them as a lesser option than my vet. At least I don't have to worry about them being "accidentally" de-clawed
.
 
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taryn

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I made sure Nuts has on a full set of Soft Claws which I hope would show not to touch his claws, they are staying where they are.

The $5 place also will declaw cats(keep in mind they are used to doing mostly pets.) Wish they wouldn't do that, if you are so poor that you need a $5 place to get your cat fixed you don't need to spend extra $$ get their toes hacked off.

If they were to accidentally do it I would refuse to pay fpr any of the surgery even the neuter and consider it 'damages.' Then I'd be finding me a new vet.

I always go over my paperwork and when you take them in they go over it with you to make sure nothing is there that shouldn't be.

Taryn
 
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