Is $245 to spay my dog a reasonable price?

Question

This includes over night stay & observation.

I have a female dog & I live in the Washington DC area.

According to my vet hospital; all dogs that is going to be spayed/neturered are to be kept overnight. I don't feel comfortable leaving her overnight either, but I guess it's procedure at this place.

Answer 1

If you are going to a reputable Dr. and that price includes pre-operative blood work, and i.v. catheter, fluid therapy, i.v. antibiotics, intubation, gas anesthesia, and post op pain medications, then yes- that is a fair price. If it doesn't include all of those things, the no- find somewhere that does include all of that , and have her surgery done there. Also, make sure there is actually someone IN the hospital for her 'overnight observation' alot of clinics say that it includes overnight observation, and they don't have anyone in their clinic overnight!

Answer 2

Kinda high. Seems the concensus here though is that the prices vary by location. Here's what my doggie cost for a neuter (which is less invasive, but still.....)

Neuter dog less than 40 lbs. (weight does matter) = $94
Preanesthetic Panel + $43
Rimadyl Pain Pack (pain meds) = $5

Total was $142

I'd say to call around and see. Females probably cost more than males since it's a more invasive surgery but that sure seems a bit high. Still, you have to pay what the market dictates in your area. Also, if you find a cheaper price, you would sure want to check the reputation of the place before putting your baby under the knife. Good luck, hon! Pet ownership can really hit you in the wallet sometimes. Still, it must be worth it because I have a dog, 2 cats, 2 turtles, 2 parakeets, various fish tanks full of various fish, an ornamental fish pond and now a fishbowl with about 200 tadpoles on my dining room table. = D Help!!!!!

Answer 3

It does differ so much from place to place so it's hard to tell. I have known people pay from as little as $15 with no overnight stay up to $300 or so. It will cost me about $150 to neuter my male in a few weeks, but he will be home by 5pm the same day. That's the going price in my area.

You could try calling around to see if you can get it cheaper, but I know I would always prefer a vet that I know and trust over one chosen by price alone.

Hoping all goes well with the spay. I'm sure it will.

Answer 4

Seems a bit high, but since they want to keep her overnight and observe, maybe she has some health problems? A healthy young dog can have her spay in the morning and then go home in the evening with some pain pills. Just a thought too, consider getting her dental done at the same time if needed while she is under the general anesthetic anyway because it will only add a few dollars to the bill if you do them at the same time.

Answer 5

I'm curious... why is your vet keeping the dog overnight? Most vet clinics don't have anyone there overnight, so how would it be better for your dog to be there for "observation"? Just a question... I've been seeing this a lot lately, and personally, I wouldn't leave my dog in a cage at a vet's office when my dog could be at home, where there will actually be people around to visibly monitor her.

Good luck.

Answer 6

There is no need to do the "overnoight stay" or observation. This is simply way too much money. Depending on where you live you could check out an Animal protection league or a K-paws program. They do spays and neuters for a cheap price. We did our sdog that way. We brought him in the morning, and picked him upa t 6:00. He had to wear a cone for about a week, and we had to kind of monitar him. It was 60$ for the spay, cone and pain killers. Defin. look around though, most of the time it's an in and out procedure.
(Females are usually more expensive by the way)

Answer 7

Any Major Metro area is going to be very expensive. If you can drive a little bit to a rural area, you can get a better price. Large rescues and humane societies often have low-cost clinics.

Many times cost is based on weight. My vet charges $100 on my dogs who are over 100#. I prefer to have my dogs recover at home, even though that is included in the price.

Bless your heart for spaying!

Answer 8

It depends on your location and the breed of your dog. I know that spaying a smaller dog is more expensive than a larger one. My mom just paid $100 at a vet to have her chihuahua spayed but I only paid $35 at the humane society to have my pit bull spayed. Although the humane society didn't keep Keeta over night where the vet kept Pippin. I would certainly check around for prices. Our pets were spayed in Kentucky. I know different states charge different prices.

Answer 9

That seems a little high... I think it only cost $150 for my dog with the overnight stay & observation plus one extra day because we couldn't make it to pick her up next day. You should probably call around to your local vet offices and just ask prices and go with the best one. Female dogs are a lttle more expensive to have fixed than males also.

Answer 10

Depends on the size of the dog and your location.

I live in Los Angeles -- and I was quoted upwards of $300 for a 15lb dog spay -- checked around and found the vet the West Valley Shelter uses... he charged $85 and $25 of that was donated by Actors and Others for Animals.

Maybe you could check with your local animal shelters and ask which vets they use for their alterations. My local shelter actually uses the $300 vet... so you really have to check around.

Good luck!

No overnight for me, dropped her in the morning, picked her up at 6p. She was loopy and very drugged out... but at least I had her home in her crate, rather than scared with strange barky dogs at the vet overnight.