Vet won't do an early spay!

I called the vet we go to to make an appt. to get Lily spayed a few minutes ago. She doesn't do spays until 6 months of age. The other vet in town doesn't do spays until 6 months of age. The next nearest veet will cost at least 2 times what our vet will cost(I have heard bad things about him, too). There is a vet in Fmt., but I have never worked with him, so I don't know if I should call. There is the vet clinic where I boarded everyone over Christmas, but other than that, I can't hink of any vet clinics.

Do I just start calling places to see if they will spay Lily already? I feel bad taking Lily somewhere else to get spayed since our vet won't do it.

Is there a way other than calling places to see if anyone spays before 6 months of age?

I could use some advice. I really want to get Lily spayed ASAP because there are so many advantages, but mom & dad think she could wait until she is 6 months old to be spayed.

I had this problem here too-- When i lived in our states capitol city early spay.neuter was the thing to do. Now, the closest vet to me that would do a spay.neuter before 6 months was 3 hours from me and they wanted me to wait until PB was 4 months. UGHHHHH. I ended up just getting him done at my regular vets at 7 months due to some family life issues. Good luck finding someone. I wish i could help more, just want you to know you arent alone.

She can wait until 6 months if she is strictly indoors and isolated from unneutered males. But it is going to be easier on her to have the surgery earlier.

You might want to call your local shelter and find out if they know of anyone who will do a pediatric surgery.

Then you can print some literature on pediatric s/n for your vet. I don't think too many private practice vets will have much reason to s/n 8 week olds, but 4 months is really the age that pet cats ought to be s/n based on current information.

The problem with waiting is that it is such a better idea and healthier to have the spaying done before the first heat. Have you looked for a low cost clinic? Or a mobile clinic?

Mine won't either. We clash about it all the time. But he stands firm. Even the few times he has had to spay pregnant kittens impregnated by their brothers, he still won't do it. I know he has his reasons, and I respect him for it.

Our vet's policy is to spay or neuter when the first tooth falls out, which is usually around four months. They will do it earlier, and do so with ferals we bring in - we have given them the literature on early spay neuter. The problem is that most vets do not have experience spaying or neutering animals that small and don't want to take the risk.

Did you discuss with your vet the study done on the safety of early spay/neuter? Perhaps talking to her about it and getting her the information would help?

There's really no urgency to having it done before four months unless the kitten is an outdoor feral. All of our indoor pets were spayed at four months - when their first tooth fell out (if we saw it - or when we noticed they'd gotten their first adult tooth in). Outdoor kitties we have spayed/neutered ASAP, though we usually wait until they're at least 12 months old, when they're ready to head out on their own away from the family group anyway.

If your kitty is an indoor/outdoor cat, I would insist with both the vet and your parents that kitty be spayed as soon as she gets her first adult tooth, because going into heat is not far behind. Six months is an arbitrary number based on averages of when cats "mature." But just like some girls get their period at 11 and some get their period at 16, cats mature at different ages too, and thus the "adult tooth" marker is relevant in relation to when to spay/neuter a cat.

But calling local shelters to find out about vets that may perform a spay surgery earlier than six months I think is a great idea. If you want to find local shelters or other organizations in your area that may know where to turn, use this link: http://www.pets911.com/organizations/organizations.php
and let your fingers do the walking!

Originally Posted by Jen

The problem with waiting is that it is such a better idea and healthier to have the spaying done before the first heat. Have you looked for a low cost clinic? Or a mobile clinic?

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There is no such thing as a mobile clinic or a low cost clinic in the boondocks. The nearest low cost clinic is 3 hours away. I doubt a mobile clinic is going to anywhere near me. They haven't before & probably won't be here before Lily is 6 months. Most shelters in that area don't do low cost spay/neuters unless you adopt from them, then you get a discount. I wish they could offer low cost s/ns, but most of them don't have enough donations to do so. They are the county pound as well as a Humane Society, so they are taking many animals on very little funding. My family doantes as much as they can, but it isn't all that much help when you have 200 cats & you only have room for 75 or so.

I am going to be to the HS to volunteer on Tuesday, I am going to ask them then. I think they have a vet do some kittens before 6 months, but they are probably close to 6 months when they are spayed/neutered. If I get the chance to go volunteer tomorrow, I will ask then. I know they have a list of vets. I just haven't really looked at it.

I tried getting my kitten spayed before 6mths and I couldnt find a vet to do it either. I even called a cat only vet and they still wouldnt do it. I dont know how breeders find a vet to do early spay.

Originally Posted by LDG

The problem is that most vets do not have experience spaying or neutering animals that small and don't want to take the risk.

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That's what I've found, too. I must have called about 15 vets in our county, asking about early neutering, and was told by some that they weren't trained to spay so early (we had a 3 to 4-month-old, indoor-outdoor female at the time), so they wouldn't risk it.

Are there any SPCA's or something to that effect around you? Shelters with a clinic will almost always do pediatric spays.

My vets policy is the cat has to weigh at least 5 lbs. I just had Boogs and Gracie spayed just after Christmas. Boogs is about 4 months. Gracie is about 5 months.