Upcoming Spay

[Stephanie]

We are quickly approaching the time for Perry to get spayed...  my vet sent me a quote of the surgery and I noticed that a pre-op blood panel and pain meds were optional. She said they always recomend the blodd panel to make sure the puppy is healthy for anesthia...     also curious, is there really a sistuation where pain meds wouldn't be needed?

 

Trying to remember back...   MANY years ago,  almost 12 years when we had our mini poodles done..  don'e remember pain meds at all, and who knows they could have done a blood test and I wouldn't have known. of course  vets weren't as marketing savy back then either...  I think I paid $80 for a spay back then LoL!!

 

Curious, does your vet do blood panels, and did your doodles HAVE to have pain meds?

[Janice Hammond]

None of our dogs ever had pain meds.The most recent spay was five years ago.The blood panel was done though the morning of surgery.

[Pam & Trixie]

I had Trixie Spayed in Feb I think it was...I had a thread started because my vets cost was so much ($500-$700)  I forget if she had a blood panel done...But if you search for my old thread it will say it as I listed the costs of each thing in his price quote.  Trixie came home with 2 Pain Meds & she definately needed them.  (but she really is a Pain Baby)

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

My vet always does a blood panel before putting a dog under general anesthetic, it's the smart thing to do, especially with a puppy hwo's never had surgery before.

Every dog I've ever had has needed pain meds after a spay (but not a neuter.) I would pay for the pain meds, and if you don't need them (doubtful), you can count your blessings. Better to spend a little extra and have them handy  if she needs them.

[Stephanie]

Here's another quesiton to ponder.... we have a spay neuter clinic here  that I'd like to investigate as well...    I have heard ( and Iwill confirm) that even though it's run by a foundation, it's the local vets who donate their time to perform the surgeries?  Not sure..   but the cost through this would  only be 85$!    don't get me wrong, I certainly wouldn't  want to put her in jeaopardy if I find otherwise about it's safety / record etc....     but you gotta wonder,  how much extra "fluff"  is the Vet adding in there that we are being charged for  to make the price differnce that large?    my estimate from the vet is gonna be anywhere from 177.00 ( if I do no meds  or blood panel) to 277.00   and this included a Discount I recevie for having all her puppy vaccinations/ exams  done there... 

 

my trainer scared me last night...   said to do it for sure with in the next 4 weeks!!  I was hoping I had alteast another  8 or 81/2!   EEK!    She turns 7 months  in August

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

The $85 is the bare bones price without the blood panel or the pain meds, and if you call for details, you may also find out, as many others have, that it doesn't even include IV fluids. You may find the price difference is not as great as it appears.

Personally, I wouldn't take my child to a clinic to have a doctor I didn't know operate on her under anesthetic, and I wouldn't take my puppy to a clinic to have a vet I didn't know operate on her under anesthetic. You don't know a thing about these local vets who are donating their time- like how much experience do they have? How many spay surgeries have they done? Hoe many times have they anesthetized a dog? How many sudden emergency situations have they dealt with? Too many things can go wrong. I want the works- the IV, the blood panel, the pain meds, and an experienced vet I know and trust. Your vet has overhead- an office, insurance, utilities bills, payroll taxes, all of the expenses that any business has, and the prices reflect that. You can't compare it to a clinic run by a foundation, where the doctor's fee for doing the surgery is donated. The vet is entitled to make a living and get paid for his services, knowledge and expertise like anyone else. Hopefully you are also building a relationship with your vet that will last for 12 or 15 years. It's your choice, but I personally don't feel that surgery is the place to cut corners.

Also, if you don't have pet insurance, get it today.  All you have to do is read through the discussion forum to see how many of us have had to deal with vet bills in the thousands to realize that it's a necessity, not an option. It also makes these kinds of decisions easier.

I would definitely have the spay surgery done sooner rather than later. The older they are, the tougher it is on them. Most breeder contracts call for the dog to be spayed or neutered by 6 months of age.

[Stephanie]

yep 8

[Sue & Lily Grace]

I completely agree with you Karen. You can't be too cautious when it comes to the vet monitoring your dog during surgery and having all the blood work results available going into it. You would never allow a Dr to operate on yourself without all precautions taken.