My puppy is getting neutered, and the vet recommends a blood test to see if he is ok to be put to sleep...?

Question

While the blood test is not necessary, the vet recommends the test to see if the puppy will be ok while under. They said that I can sign a waiver if I do not get the blood test, but that they are not responsible if he dies during operation.
My problem is that the blood test is $65 and I cannot afford that at this time. I adopted the puppy from the pound, and they informed me that I have to have it done on this date or they will take him from me. I have already spent over $300 on him over the past 6 weeks since I got him, and cannto afford the $65 right now.
My question is, is the blood test really necessary for the procedure? What are the chances of him dying during the neutering?
I have asked if they will allow payment plans, 30 now, 35 in 2 weeks, but they won't allow it.
I love my little GunnerLee and I surely don't want him to die, so if anyone knows how important the blood work is to be put under during operation, please let me know. Thanks

Answer 1

I agree with the person that recommends asking what the odds are of your puppy having trouble.

I know it is difficult to make important (potentially life ending) decisions for your pet when you need to take finances into account. In November, our 11 year old dog had a seizure and we took him to the emergency vet. The vet told us our only choices were an operation (expensive) or put the dog down. We paid the money because we love our dog so much. He recovered, but we ended up having to put him down last month, anyway.

Best of luck with your puppy and his operation. (which isn't as serious as the one our dog needed)

Maybe you can ask the vet to reschedule the neutering until you can save a little more money.

Answer 2

It is a very good idea to have the pre-a panel done...while it isn't all that common for young dogs to have problems it still can happen.

Pre-a bloodwork checks for kidney & liver function, blood glucose levels, hydration all are which are vital to disapating anesthesia from the body. It won't tell you if the pet is allergic to the anesthesia (rare this day in age with all the modern anesthesias) and it won't tell you if the pet has an underlying heart problem, but it does tell some very important, vital info..young or not a pet can have kidney, liver issues, hydration issues, etc without the owner being the wiser or it being apparent on a regualr vet exam.
I always have it done on my pets regardless of age. As a vet tech I think it is important.

As for payment arrangements this is not something that vets usually do for routine things and it has nothing to do with trying to get more money...plain and simple it is the fact taht when people book appointments for routines (which spay/neuter is) something they decide on and make the choice to do at that time..it is not like an emergency situation or cronic illness that an owner has no control over. Routines aren't life threatening so they can be delayed in order to save up the money to do them and pay for them at time of service.

Answer 3

Is it a test to see if it's safe to put him under.. Or a test to see if he has a bleeding disorder?

When we go for earcropping/spay/neuter, we are always offered the pre-surgery test, and sign the waiver and turn it down. We haven't had a problem, but that's not to say that you aren't going to... Ask what the odds are that the puppy will have a problem w/ the surgery...

Edit : The vet isn't out to make money or rip anyone off. He is offering it as a precaution.. It's up to you to take him up on it or not. He doesn't care one way or another, you will sign a waiver before surgery saying you know there are risks anyhow.. It's common practice to ask about the test, it's your prerogative where you take it or not.. I am not defending vets in anyway cause I am not a vet lover.. but it's not true that it's just a money grab, he offers, it's up to you to take it or not.

Answer 4

I took my puppy, who was almost 6 months old at the time, to be neutered, and I opted for him to have the blood test. Thank goodness I did. It turns out he had a couple of abnormal levels on his blood panel, and we found out he has kidney and liver diseases. Luckily, we can manage it by restricting his protein and giving him a daily liver support pill, but we would never have known about these problems had we not opted for the blood test. Pets are expensive - we even had to shell out the money for liver and kidney biopsies at this point - so its important to remember the potential costs when adopting a pet. I would suggest that you do the blood test, its not worth risking your pups health. You would never operate on a human without the necessary bloodwork, so why risk an operation on a pet without it?

Answer 5

standard procedure for the vet. they do this just incase there is an underlying problem that isn't visable to the naked eye. maybe if you try to explain your situation to the vet they would be a litlle more understanding of your money troubles and be willing to take payments. or you could call around and check the prices at other vets and do a comparison. its hard to say what the dogs chances of dying are while its under for the surgery. as an example, my mom's cat had a bad tooth. when the vet did the blood test prior to surgery, they found that the kitty was going thru kidney failure. my parents had to put her to sleep, but at least they got to say good-bye instead of having her die while in surgery. i can sunderstand both sides of your situation...we all want what's best for our pets but when money's tight, its tight.

Answer 6

The blood test is not necessary, as your vet said. They are just checking small things, such as allergy to the anesthesia or anemia. I understand your love and worry completely. I had my first Dachshund tested every time but now, years later, I don't really worry about it because the chances are so SMALL and I have never had a complication with any of them and being put under. Your dog is lucky you love him so much. The worry is much worse than anything that will happen to him. He will be his old self in a day or two so focus more on making him comfortable. He is gonna make it. It is an extremely common procedure and vets are pros at them, second nature, can do them with their eyes closed.

Answer 7

The blood test they are recommending checks for things like abnormal kidney and liver function that are hard to discover on regular exam. I personally have never seen a vet NOT ask you to sign a waiver for ANY surgery. If your dog is allergic to the anesthesia, the blood test will not reveal it. So there's no guarantee any animal will survive any surgery, blood test or no. I only really insist if they are older (7 years old or more)

My personal decision, having attended many, many surgeries, would be to have the surgery without the blood test if you can truly not afford it. I have only ever seen one anesthesia reaction, and it was my OWN dog, who DID have the blood work, and he was only in for a dental, with me doing the work. (Yes, he did survive, and I won't risk anesthesia ever again for him. He's now 15, and has no idea he's old.)

If, God forbid, he were to die in surgery, know this, a blood panel may not have indicated anything wrong anyway.

Answer 8

The blood test is important. Most animals do fine, however, there are some who will have a severe reaction. If you can find a way to come up with the extra cash, I would do it. Call other vets to see if they are cheaper. Sometimes they have a specific day to neuter and it is less expensive. Good luck and good job for taking a baby from the pound!

Answer 9

First of all..... Your vet is an A** find a new one who is actually more concerned with animals than money.

As far as the test--Is it for heart and kidney function? It isn't really necessary if the dog is under 8 years old or more, It is highly unlikely that your dog has heart issues or other kidney and liver issues that would be hurt by anesthesia. It is possible, but really not likely.

How old is your baby? You might wait to save up some money for a while to have him neutered. It is best to have it done before 6mo. but honestly, if he is a lot older than that you are just wasting money unless he is aggressive. The positive effects of neutering are almost completely lost after about 6mo because the dog already raises his leg and humps people's feet. So you financial considerations should be weighed against the positive effects of the procedure and the age of the dog. In older dogs neutering helps in a minor way with aggression, but it is a very minor advantage. The main plusses of neutering are found if it is done before 5-6 mo old.

Answer 10

Blood work is very important, My mother-in-law had a cat which the blood work was not done on it, and as it turns out it was allergic to the anesthesia and died. If you are looking for payments look into getting Care Credit, it is a credit card which many vets and regular doctors as well accept. While chances are your dog will be fine, do you really want to take that chance?-
Edit- After reading from Mad Cow that the test would not test for allergy to anesthesia, I would suggest that you ask around at diffrent vets for prices, maybe you can find one for cheaper. You could also try talking to the pound and telling them that you will have GunnerLee neutered but it will take you a little longer then expected and ask for a slight extension of the date.