Early Spay/Neuter ***

[SamsonsMom]

Your right Jac the important things to do is ask questions and observe the people interacting with the pets. One of the things that I really value about a vets office is how they interact with all the pets, every pet has a different personality, so I think it speaks very largely about the staff if you're able to wait in the waiting room and see how the staff handles each unique pet.

I also love the vets office who will let me see where the procedure will be performed, the boarding area, the post-op area, etc. And Questions, Questions, Questions.

My point was though, that not all Clinics are inferior to a traditional vets office - and if I knew a pet owners only financial option was the Clinic (in my area) I would certainly recommend our Clinic. My town I actually live in (surburb of a larger town) has a vet that works for the clinic, since the clinic usually has a long waiting list - he has started offering his services in his vet office for people with low incomes for the same cost the Clinic charges. So for those people, they get the exact same traditional vet office experience at a Clinic's cost. I guess I'm trying to say, a higher price tag and a traditional vets office does not mean you're getting better service or your pet is in better hands....just got to check out all the options for yourself.

[Jac]

You are absolutely right!

My vet, one that I really liked, often volunteered for the Humane Society and she did their spay/neuter surgeries as well as other things...the did not scrimp on costs, she took great pride in her work. I know that there are soooo many great vets out there.

I like the way you choose...I agree that it is so important for me to see how they act with their patients.

I once took my dogs to a vet and the first thing they wanted to do was muzzle them before taking them back! I said, "no, you are not going to muzzle my dogs." and they explained that they do that with every dog...and I told them that I was not interested in seeing their vet. And I left.

Sure, there are some times when you need to muzzle a dog and I know that it is not a harmful thing to do...but before they even find out anything about the dog? Sheesh... I want my dogs to feel welcomed and loved...not feared.

If the vet needs to do something that might cause the dog to bite, then, yes...by all means they need to be safe...but not just for an exam, not without cause.

[kirama]

Where I live 'low cost' spay/neuter costs around $130-$150, unless you go to the humane society it's even cheaper there. The humane society here gets mixed reviews for spay/neuter, a friend of mine had her dog spayed at the humane society and the dog got a staph infection and died. And I am not slamming all clinics, only the ones that I am familiar with in the area where I live

My vet charged $300 to neuter Beck and I about fell over, I was so startled by the price that I delayed the procedure and talked to a friend of mine who is a large animal vet. She said that if everything goes well, the low cost spay/neuter is just fine, but if the dog has difficulty during the procedure it probably won't be detected in time to reverse it, and that there is no way that you can start an IV in time to save a puppy during surgery, their blood pressure drops so quickly you can't get one started. She said that surgery is a dumb thing to try to save money on.

[SamsonsMom]

Originally Posted by kirama

She said that surgery is a dumb thing to try to save money on.

You're absolutely right, it's not something to try and save money on. And if you KNOW the spay/neuter clinic does not use the same precaution and does not have the same experience as the traditional vet - than of course, shell out the extra money and make sure your little guy is safe and healthy.

Samson was neutered at a regular vet's office, I paid the extra money because I trusted my vet. BUT our clinic gets amazing reviews, I haven't heard a bad story about them in our area. So I think our clinic is a terrific option for people that may not be able to afford a regular vet. However, I didn't use the clinic because I could afford the regular vet & did not want to abuse the clinic's services.

I was just saying, not every clinic is inferior - so if you can't afford a regular vets fee, check out the clinic, ask questions, ask around & find out what people around you think of the clinic. If the clinic has bad reviews or IS inferior to the regular vet - than of COURSE, save your money, do what you have to, and take your pet to the regular vet that you have also questioned and researched and found to be the better choice.

And HOLY POO Kirama, I thought our neuter prices were expensive!!! GEEZ!

[Jac]

Well, I think that the lesson here, as in all things, is that high price does NOT ALWAYS equal supreior quality. Every consumer has to do their research...and, to me, there is the lesson...what do WE need to know, as savvy consumers, in order to get the best quality for the right price?

[SamsonsMom]

Jac very well said!

[LabyLabradoodle]

When is the menopause stage for dogs? My dog is 2 years and has never been pregnant. Will there be any problem if she will get pregnant at an old stage?