Desexing Costs And Inclusions

[ziggyboy]

I know what some of you are thinkin.. "not another how much does it cost to desex thread..."

I'm more curious about inclusions to in desexing a male puppy (18kg).

My local vet in Canberra charges $370 but that includes everything including:

• Cost of the surgery
  
• Take home meds
  
• Accommodation for the day
  
• Consultation before and after surgery
  
• Consultation after a week including stitch removal
  

Am I getting ripped off?

To those advertising $150 surgeries, does it include everything in the list above?

[Staffyluv]

I think I paid about $240 for Ziggy to be desexed when he was 6 months old and weighed about 12kg.

That fee included consult, hospitalisation, take home meds, fluids and he had dissolving stitches (so we didn't have to go back for that)..

I have said it before but you may not have seen my reply so will just explain why vets charge different amounts for the same procedure..

Depending on the practice, do they rent or are they buying the premises (this cost can be large for some, depending on the location), how many employees and other overheads (the bigger the practice the more overheads, so sometimes they will charge more to cover costs). Some vets may choose to use specific brands of products (that they prefer to use) that may be a bit more expensive than say generic branded products - so they would have to charge extra because they cost them more. Leasing or buying their equipment can make some charge more or less..

Practice owners have to cover various costs that can differ greatly from one practice to another..

I would think that a $150 surgery may not include things like fluids and overnight pain meds - most vets (I think) give a 24 injection for pain after such surgeries (well ours does). Just my opinion.

[Christina]

What is included is standard in all desexing.

At my vet fluids during the surgery is an extra cost but isn't needed in normal healthy young dogs.

Prices for desexing are so variable by hundreds sometimes. There is no set charge.

[dotdashdot]

That's $100 more than it cost to have my female 20kg dog spayed in a regional town, the only difference is that I wasn't told about consultations. I had to go in the day after for some vaginal bleeding but that was fine and nothing extra, and 10 days later for stitches removal and that was fine too (included in what I had paid)

I wouldn't say you're being ripped off, as vets have their own reasons for their prices, but it seems a lot to me.

[GeorgieB]

I paid $375 for Reggie. She was 16kg.

It included consultations before and after the surgery

Consultation 2 weeks later for stitches out

IV fluids

Staying at the vet all day.

Reggie was a brat and pulled her stitches while at the vet and they decided to keep her overnight for observation and pain relief they did not charge me extra.

There was a vet nurse monitoring for the entire duration of the operation also.

Take home pain relief.

I also took her after a week to get her stitches looked at as they were a bit red. They put some cream on them for me and didn't charge me for the consult or the cream.

I was very happy with the whole thing.

[*kirty*]

I think I paid around $300 for my large breed female to be done recently. No consult needed, and no post op visits as I took the stitches out myself but it would have been included anyway. Price included fluids and pain relief etc.

ETA: I think she weighed 23kg.

Edited August 2, 2013 by *kirty*

[suziwong66]

i paid around $150-$200 for a 32kg male lab in January: that included an unexpected post op consult for swollen testicle sack and then the post op stitch removal consult, all the meds etc

[tdierikx]

None of the vets I've had desex my dogs have charged consult fees on top of the surgery cost - that includes the pre-op check and any post op checks/followups. The dogs all had fluids, proper monitoring during surgery, pain relief post surgery, and any AB's needed post-op - some were dropped off the evening prior to surgery and stayed overnight for no extra cost. The most expensive was $265 for an adult female Lab, who had a reaction to the internal sutures and needed 2 post op consults to drain off fluid from the site at no extra cost. I tend to remove stitches myself unless I'm suss about the way they are healing.

Actually, most vets I've used haven't charged consult fees for any followup visit for an already diagnosed issue - and also reduced X-ray costs for followups of those, especially if the dog doesn't require sedation for the x-ray. Case in point my male Rotti that had an issue with a bone in his foot - he would happily sit with his paw up on the x-ray table for his fave vets.

I've also been very fortunate to have vets that will do massively reduced costs for rescue fosters - no consult fees, and almost cost price for any meds/surgeries needed. It helps that I don't take advantage by going to the vet for every little thing too - sometimes the rescue rates have extended to my own dogs too, even though I do tell them that they aren't fosters and am happy to pay regular rates for them. I also pay on the spot for any visits.

T.

[Rappie]

You will find a range of costs and inclusions and there has been plenty of debate over it previous threads. While the mention of veterinary overheads etc certainly influence veterinary charges I think it's important to keep in mind that the veterinary profession discounts the cost of desexing to try to keep it affordable for the general population. In many practices it would cost around $300 to anaesthetise, hospitalise, administer fluids and pain relief BEFORE there was any surgical procedure performed.

[Staffyluv]

You will find a range of costs and inclusions and there has been plenty of debate over it previous threads. While the mention of veterinary overheads etc certainly influence veterinary charges I think it's important to keep in mind that the veterinary profession discounts the cost of desexing to try to keep it affordable for the general population. In many practices it would cost around $300 to anaesthetise, hospitalise, administer fluids and pain relief BEFORE there was any surgical procedure performed.

I don't know if all vets do it but our vet only charges half price for dogs in rescue.