Spays and Neuters went up in price - Page 3

lionesrampant- what do you define as a high spay and neuter cost? Our prices are high yes, but as I said in a previous post these prices are discounted from what they would be if we billed them out like all of our other surgeries.

With our staff, and procedures our $200 cat spay IS at cost. We do not make money off of s/n. So in order to not lose money- I can totally justify these prices.

If we were charging $200 for an untrained assistant to give $10 worth of drugs in an outdated anaesthetic protocol, then have them do a surgical prep, then have a vet perform a quick spay using cheap instruments and suture material without gas anaesthesia, monitoring, or pain control while said assistant holds the animal down because it is starting to wake up but the vet still has the abdomen open... Then yes that would be unjustifiable. But the kinds of places that do these spays only charge $30.

See the difference? It would be impossible to practice the kind of medicine we do at such a low price. We would be practically giving these services away, which totally gives people the wrong idea about what our expertise is worth.

(by the way the situation above with the cat waking up during a spay and the assistant holding it down so the Dr. could finish is 100% true as told to be by a girl (the untrained assistant) that worked for a low cost clinic in my area. The clinic has since been closed down but the rest of the chain is still alive and kicking in other areas pratising the same type of medicine. Anaesthetic deaths were also commonplace at this clinic.)

I understand that it's a cost, but $200 is a lot of money. Maybe just to me because I'm a starving college student (not really, my cats and I are well-fed and taken care of...we just dont have many extras). And no matter how you slice it, $200 is a lot of money. Enough for someone to balk at an avoid having to pay. Period.

Pet insurance is just as unpredictable and from what I hear, tends to give people the runaround the same way people health insurance does. And in the US...how are we supposed to buy pet insurance when a whole bunch of us can't afford to insure oursevles?

Honestly, without govt mandated s/n, the best you'd be able to do is to offer payment plans for all non-elective proceedures, including S/N. To me, I think one of the biggest reasons people freak out when they see veterinary costs is the fact that

I'm reading thru this thread and can't help but think about a few things. Companion animals are still viewed as disposable property. If you view something as disposable, you are simply not willing to invest in it. I view my kids as my kids. I don't have the human kind, just the furry 4-legged kind. I don't have clothes, braces, books, tuition, and all the other costs that come with the 2 legged kind. I do have neuters, annual checkups, and basic care to pay for. It's simply part of the obligation of living with a pet (note I didn't say "owning" a pet, as using that term implies disposable property).

People simply don't get it. There are so few of us that respect animals for the value they bring into our lives and take full accountability.

I've heard a lot of frustration from Dr. D. that their costs are being driven up by the deadbeats (charge the paying customers to offset the losses by the ones that walk without paying). I also hear that you get what you pay for - quality services are worth a higher price tag.

Is it simply education?

I think education is a tremendous part of it. Also, if the only places you could get a pet were registered, ethical breeders and progressive, well-informed shelters...that KIND of not only education, but overall respect for animals, would be possible

I would also really love it if more people were convinced that pediatric spays/neuters are a good idea, esp. breeders and shelters, though I've noticed a lot of shelters heading in that direction. I don't have any dealings with breeders outside of this board, so I couldn't say how they feel or don't feel about it.

Wow. The situation you described is horrible. I always wondered if the low cost clinics had their own vets or if vets with their own private practices made themselves available to help at the clinics.

Some clinics (like the SPCA and HS clinics that are associated with shelters) have staff and/or volunteer veterinarians and technicians. These clinics are performing s/n for the common goal of reducing pet overpopulation. They use donated supplies and services to keep the cost low. These clinics operate in a humane fashion (as would be expected ) and by regulatory guidelines.

Other clinics (in my area we call them "A" clinics because their clinic names start with the letter A so that they are first in the phonebook) offer cut-rate prices to compete with other clinics. They often use unethical (but not illegal) advertising techniques like posting their prices in their ads. These clinics are out to make a profit, so they offer low cost but VERY low quality s/n. THIS is the situation I was referring to in my post above.

Thank you. That is very useful info.