# How much does it cost to Neuter a 6 month old puppy?



## Silentgirl490 (Jun 5, 2012)

My puppy is between 25 and 30 pounds and is up to date on all of his shots. I have called a few vets around and they have estimated around $270 to $340, does that sound right? (it include microchipping) That number just seems high to me. I have the money for it but I just assumed it wouldnt be as much because he is a male..

I have several friends with female dogs who payed that much, so is that normal?


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## RedGermanPinscher (Jun 22, 2012)

I've only had my males 1 dog and 2 cats neutered thru low cost clinics so it was only around $40-70 for me. My Bambi was a total of $475 for the surgery (she too was up to date on shots), this included all pre-op bloodwork, fluids, pain management etc. She weighed at the time 110lbs.


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## CptJack (Jun 3, 2012)

Silentgirl490 said:


> My puppy is between 25 and 30 pounds and is up to date on all of his shots. I have called a few vets around and they have estimated around $270 to $340, does that sound right? (it include microchipping) That number just seems high to me. I have the money for it but I just assumed it wouldnt be as much because he is a male..
> 
> I have several friends with female dogs who payed that much, so is that normal?


It really depends on where you are, and who you're using. The last dog I had neutered, and retained baby teeth removed, was just shy of 300.00. In the same area, at the low cost place, it's a little under a hundred for neuter, rabies, painmeds, and a microchip. Meanwhile, my vet charges 65.00 for microchipping, and the only way the low cost place will do it is with a s/n - and it's 20.00. So, we'll be using them for Kylie and, probably, Jack.


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## Amaryllis (Dec 28, 2011)

The microchipping alone is probably $50. That's what it is around here, which makes the actual neutering $220, which I wouldn't consider out of line. Personally, if you have the money, pay your vet to do it. Low cost clinics are a great option for people who really can't afford it, but I wouldn't trust my dog to just anyone unless I absolutely had to.


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## CptJack (Jun 3, 2012)

Amaryllis said:


> The microchipping alone is probably $50. That's what it is around here, which makes the actual neutering $220, which I wouldn't consider out of line. Personally, if you have the money, pay your vet to do it. Low cost clinics are a great option for people who really can't afford it, but I wouldn't trust my dog to just anyone unless I absolutely had to.


I find this weird. Especially since the vets who work at low cost clinics aren't like, I don't know, vet techs. They're vets. They're the same vets who are in your area, anyway. Doing the same surgeries they would do in their offices for more, but for less, because of the lower overhead. My vet hates S/n. He deliberately tries to get people to go to the low cost clinics, both because the scheduling is better, and the people working there have much, much more experience with the procedure.


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## Silentgirl490 (Jun 5, 2012)

CptJack said:


> I find this weird. Especially since the vets who work at low cost clinics aren't like, I don't know, vet techs. They're vets. They're the same vets who are in your area, anyway. Doing the same surgeries they would do in their offices for more, but for less, because of the lower overhead. My vet hates S/n. He deliberately tries to get people to go to the low cost clinics, both because the scheduling is better, and the people working there have much, much more experience with the procedure.


I tend to agree with you. I have chose a low cost neuter, it will cost me $100 for Neuter, Microchip, and a nail trim. I trust them as much as I would my vet (They have done literally thousands of spays and neuters) I feel like low cost neutering is the best option for me, since I have already spent thousands on my puppy (he had parvo and needed lots of medicine, blood transfusion, vet hopsital stay, and so on) And ofcourse I expected to pay this much for my puppy but I feel like it is a good idea for right now.


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## CptJack (Jun 3, 2012)

Silentgirl490 said:


> I tend to agree with you. I have chose a low cost neuter, it will cost me $100 for Neuter, Microchip, and a nail trim. I trust them as much as I would my vet (They have done literally thousands of spays and neuters) I feel like low cost neutering is the best option for me, since I have already spent thousands on my puppy (he had parvo and needed lots of medicine, blood transfusion, vet hopsital stay, and so on) And ofcourse I expected to pay this much for my puppy but I feel like it is a good idea for right now.



My vet makes me happy. There are major vet hospitals around, if we need them, and my vet's office is well equipped, he tends to encourage people to, you know, take care of pets within their means, and makes it very possible for them to do so well. Utilize the low-cost spay-neuter clinics, tell you how, and when, to give those shots from the farm supply store so they're actually effective, which flea meds can be split up to be used on smaller dogs to be more cost effective, and told us to hold off until the end of this month to lisence Kylie with the town/county, so we wouldn't have to get another one 3 months from now, for 2013. He will also stay open after office hours if there's a major conflict with your work schedule (if you call in advance and they know what the appointment is for), loans out books on pet nutrition to anyone who is interested, promotes raw feeding, doesn't expect (or want!) dogs to be vaccinated every year (except rabies at 4months and 16 months), and just generally is up on his stuff, but aware enough of his client base to work with them. Easily the best vet we've ever had.

Which is... I just realized off topic. But basically? I'd expect zero problems from a low-cost clinic. It's routine surgery, they know what they're doing. Heck, ours even does a pretty good physical first - we've gotten calls for rescue dogs or cats in the past who had super low grade issues to ask if we still wanted the surgery done.


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## cookieface (Jul 6, 2011)

I agree that the cost will depend on area and the specific practice. I probably should admit this, but we paid ~$1500 for a laparascopic spay and prophylactic gastropexy for our dog. A conventional spay-only surgery would have been closer to $300 (if I recall correctly). 



CptJack said:


> I find this weird. Especially since the vets who work at low cost clinics aren't like, I don't know, vet techs. They're vets. They're the same vets who are in your area, anyway. Doing the same surgeries they would do in their offices for more, but for less, because of the lower overhead. My vet hates S/n. He deliberately tries to get people to go to the low cost clinics, both because the scheduling is better, and the people working there have much, much more experience with the procedure.


I came across this blog post a few days ago: Hey, want to get rid of those ovaries, cheap?


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## Fade (Feb 24, 2012)

It depends on location. near cities is more expensive, farming communities are much cheaper. It costs $185 + 68 for a neuter and microchip at our clinic and we are a distance from chicago but use to be a farming community now more of a suburb. Ive saw bills for well into the $400 range in chicago. and In the small farming community where I use to live in Iowa it cost me $75 to fix my 50lb husky. I could walk in there get all his shots for the year and hw test for under 40$....it also depends on the brand of microchip used. AVID chips run about 15 bucks where homeagain chips can run 65+


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## Hambonez (Mar 17, 2012)

Doesn't seem unreasonable to me. Unlike cat neuters which are done under sedation and only take a couple minutes and don't require suturing, dog neuters are done under anesthesia and the wound get sutured up after. Does that price include pre-operative blood work? (I doubt it for under $300) Our pup was pre-neutered from the shelter, but his microchip was $80 at the vet.


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## CptJack (Jun 3, 2012)

Hambonez said:


> Doesn't seem unreasonable to me. Unlike cat neuters which are done under sedation and only take a couple minutes and don't require suturing, dog neuters are done under anesthesia and the wound get sutured up after. Does that price include pre-operative blood work? (I doubt it for under $300) Our pup was pre-neutered from the shelter, but his microchip was $80 at the vet.


...I have never had a cat not knocked entirely out for a cat neuter. Well, I have, but not since the late 80s. 

And seriously? Blood work at my vet costs 70.00.


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## Hambonez (Mar 17, 2012)

CptJack said:


> ...I have never had a cat not knocked entirely out for a cat neuter. Well, I have, but not since the late 80s.
> 
> And seriously? Blood work at my vet costs 70.00.


Did you watch the cat get neutered? I've watched hundreds of neuters in 5 yrs working at vet hospitals - and they never used anesthesia unless there was a complication (undescended testicles, for example). They were completely knocked out, but they were sedated NOT anesthetized. Sedation was generally propofol - a fast acting injectable sedative - they're only asleep for maybe 10 minutes. With anesthesia, the animal is given sedatives, then they're intubated, then they're given inhalant anesthesia to keep them asleep for the duration of the procedure.


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## CptJack (Jun 3, 2012)

Hambonez said:


> Did you watch the cat get neutered? I've watched hundreds of neuters in 5 yrs working at vet hospitals - and they never used anesthesia unless there was a complication (undescended testicles, for example). They were completely knocked out, but they were sedated NOT anesthetized. Sedation was generally propofol - a fast acting injectable sedative - they're only asleep for maybe 10 minutes. With anesthesia, the animal is given sedatives, then they're intubated, then they're given inhalant anesthesia to keep them asleep for the duration of the procedure.


I did actually watch a couple get neutered, but not recently (the cat neuter in the 80s, it was literally just knocked down/paralyzed - was awake and SCREAMING but unable to move. I was a kid, I Have trauma). But the last cats we had neutered, and it was a low cost place, used isoflurane. Which is an inhalant, as far as I remember, and requires entubation.

(ETA: Nope, doesn't require being entubated, and apparently some vets 'mask them down', but either way - the last vets I've had experience with seem to use iso for everything, including our low-cost clinics. )


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## Hambonez (Mar 17, 2012)

CptJack said:


> I did actually watch a couple get neutered, but not recently (the cat neuter in the 80s, it was literally just knocked down/paralyzed - was awake and SCREAMING but unable to move. I was a kid, I Have trauma). But the last cats we had neutered, and it was a low cost place, used isoflurane. Which is an inhalant, as far as I remember, and requires entubation.


Maybe it's a regional thing? The procedure is so fast I'd think it'd take as long to intubate and hook up to inhalant anesthesia and monitors than it is to do the neuter in the first place! I'd think that since you give sedatives to pre-op for inhalant anesthesia to begin with, if you can do it with just sedative, why give more meds?


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## CptJack (Jun 3, 2012)

Yeah, given the speed of the thing I don't think it makes much logical sense to me. I also think it's entirely possible that they just 'mask down' the cats, but now I'm really curious and REALLY want to know. Maybe I'll make a phone call on Monday.


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## Fade (Feb 24, 2012)

It probably based on the clinic and what they have available. We always give cats a IM inj of ketaset ace in very small amount knocks them out quickly and they wake up quickly very few complications.


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## Abbylynn (Jul 7, 2011)

I paid over $100 for the neuter of each of the white dogs. They were under 20 pounds each. Their pre-surgery bloodwork was $86 each. This was at their regular vets office.

I only paid $50 for Eddee at a spay/neuter clinic. He was from a shelter. He was 12 pounds. Micro chip and meds were extra. They did a fine job!

Abbylynn already came spayed, bloodwork, vaccines because she was adopted that way for $100 from a shelter/rescue.

Much of it has to do with the economics in the area in which you reside.


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## CptJack (Jun 3, 2012)

Kylie has an appointment to be spayed/microchipped/nail trim/take home pain meds/e-collar on 10-29. The cost for that will be between 36.00 and 66.00, depending on if she tops 10lbs between now and then. The cheaper price is for if she does. 

And, technically, most of the cost is for optional things - take home pain meds, e-collar, microchip. If we just wanted the spay, it would be FREE. There's a special on dog spays for every monday appointment between now and the first of November. You can't beat that one. 

(Regular cost for neuter+chip+pain meds+nails = 100.00. Which will be happening around the same time, to save on how many dogs are recovering at once).


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## Willowy (Dec 10, 2007)

Every time I've had a cat neutered, I picked him up still out/just coming out from the anesthetic, unless I go to the exotics vet who uses Sevoflurane (since that's all you can use on exotics, I guess he figures he'll use it for everyone). So evidently the vets here do use full anesthetic for cat neuters. 

I don't know how I feel about people who CAN afford a full-price spay/neuter using low-cost services. It particularly irks me when people spend hundreds/thousands on buying a purebred and then use the low-cost place for vet care :/. Whenever I've used one, I donated more than the minimum--whatever I could afford or at least thought was a reasonable price. But the place I used was a charity. . .apparently some places are for-profit and their prices do net them a reasonable profit; they just have lower overhead so they can charge less. So I suppose that's different.


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## CptJack (Jun 3, 2012)

Willowy said:


> Every time I've had a cat neutered, I picked him up still out/just coming out from the anesthetic, unless I go to the exotics vet who uses Sevoflurane (since that's all you can use on exotics, I guess he figures he'll use it for everyone). So evidently the vets here do use full anesthetic for cat neuters.
> 
> I don't know how I feel about people who CAN afford a full-price spay/neuter using low-cost services. It particularly irks me when people spend hundreds/thousands on buying a purebred and then use the low-cost place for vet care :/. Whenever I've used one, I donated more than the minimum--whatever I could afford or at least thought was a reasonable price. But the place I used was a charity. . .apparently some places are for-profit and their prices do net them a reasonable profit; they just have lower overhead so they can charge less. So I suppose that's different.


There are a couple of things that you need to remember, when deciding how you feel about these things - and if you're going to use them, yourself, and that goes beyond 'are they for profit, or not'.

The clinic is use is a 5013c non-profit. I have no qualms about using them, or anyone, regardless of income, using them. The reasons for that are fairly simple.

Spays/neuters aren't a limited resource for them. They have done more than 13,000 surgeries since opening, and they just opened a second location that has greatly increased that number - and will continue to do so in the future. They've been open for 2 years and some change. They aren't turning clients away for lack of availability of services. Ie: Me taking an 80.00 neuter is not making someone else lose out on one.

There is no income requirement to use them - at their base rate, or their 'regular' grants (Monday appointments are free (this is because their new vets/new graduates from the local vet school are doing them), pits and pix mixes are 20.00, cats in a trap are 1.00, regular old pet cats are 7.00/neuter, 12.00/spay, including rabies and pain medication . 

They DO offer further discounts based on income! Their regular prices are the TOP of their sliding scale. Really broke people can get their animals fixed for all the way down to one buck. 

It's an AWESOME place, well funded by grants, and that is doing a HIGH volume of surgeries. Now, I don't know true all of the above is for all clinics, but I strongly suspect that the ones operating in most areas are also not a case of, unlike a food pantry, you taking something and it not being available to someone else. Their goal isn't entirely to help poor people. It's to get animals sterilized. I would kinda be confused by someone who spends thousands on a purebred using those places - but I'd also have to know a lot about their finances, work history and where they got the dog before I'd bother even with that. (My 'thousand dollar purebreds cost me 150.00 and nothing, respectively, and I've been in situations of owning a house and nice things, and then having my husband lose his job, and stay without employement for long enough to be REALLY strapped. I don't subject people to OMG WHY DO YOU HAVE X IF YOU HAVE NO MONEY. I just don't).


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## Willowy (Dec 10, 2007)

It just seems to me that if a clinic is supported by donations, well, donations are not unlimited resources :/.


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## CptJack (Jun 3, 2012)

Willowy said:


> It just seems to me that if a clinic is supported by donations, well, donations are not unlimited resources :/.


That's not what 5013c or nonprofit means. They can be, and often are, be self-sustaining - including paid staff - based on the services they render. Donations come into play, yeah, but it's a tiny, tiny part of most nonprofits. Grants play a bigger role than donations, and most of the money comes the same way as any other business: Making enough of a makeup on goods/services to continue to cover expenses.

ETA: Came back to add what I meant to say:

The only real classification of nonprofit is that they provide a service to the community and are not commercially motivated. If they make TOO much money (and this is more than you would think) above and beyond their operating expenses, they will be queried by the IRS (assuming they are tax exempt to begin with, and they may not be), regarding their tax exempt status, but that is ALL it really means.

Here, try these: 
http://womeninbusiness.about.com/od/legalterms/g/nonprofit.htm and 
http://nonprofit.about.com/od/fundraising/a/fundraising101.htm (Fundraising)


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