Spaying...SPCA vs. Private Vet??

[Sher]

Any thoughts on if there is a difference in safety/cleanliness/infection/skill, etc., between having a dog spayed at the SPCA or by a private vet? It will cost $147.00 at the vets office as opposed to $49.00 at the SPCA. I really don't need to spend the extra money if there is no discernable difference in technique and skill. Actually, I was kind of concerned by the rather dirty edges of the floors at my vets. It is really hard to find a good vet..:( I really need this answered soon as my puppy has an appt. with my vet this coming Tues. and I am wondering if I should cancel and make an appt with SPCA.....Thanks for any replies.

[Aussie Red]

There is. A private vet usually does a blood work up before going on with surgery. I highly recommend the spca if you have financial needs to go there but I personally would feel more comfortable with private due to the after surgery and pre surgery care . JMO

[~Jessie~]

I agree with Aussie. I had all of my dogs neutered at the vet because of the peace of mind I got by doing it. They had blood panels ran, pain therapy, and came home with pain meds.

If money is a major issue, then the SPCA is highly recommended.

[SisMorphine]

Though I cannot speak for ALL SPCAs, I can tell you about the MSPCA. They are a large teaching hospital and all speuters are done by interns.

Though I never heard back about any complications from speuters (and I would have since I was the general liaison contact) I personally would still go to my own vet even though she is 4 times the price. This is because I feel comfortable with her and I don't want someone I don't know operating on my dog. But I guess if I didn't have a relationship with my vet I may feel differently.

[Sher]

Thank you! You have unconfused me! I will go with my vet. I am so thankful for this forum. Such a vast array of knowledge!!....

[Herschel]

Thank you! You have unconfused me! I will go with my vet. I am so thankful for this forum. Such a vast array of knowledge!!....

Wait! There is one more choice.

You could call local rescues and see if there are vets that have more reasonable prices. Then again, $140 for a spay isn't bad at all. Herschel's neuter was close to $300 including all of the blood work, etc.

Nala's spay was done by a vet in Iowa that gives discounts to rescues. Her adoption fee was $240 and that included her spay. I think he only charged $70 for it or something like that.

[squirtsmom]

Personally I like the attention I get from my vet, who is excellent. He does the blood panel, pain medications when they go hom e, and keeps them over night if he needs to and doesn't charge more. Plus, I just feel better because they know my dogs, and my dogs know him. More familiar place to be.

[bubbatd]

To me the $100 difference is worth the peace of mind having it done through your Vet .

[Buddy'sParents]

Ditto, Grammy. ^

Good luck!

[Aussie Red]

the main reason I would rather go to my personal vet is that he has taken care of my gang from the start and knows them. They have the history of each dog there and know if there are any problems that could come up. At the spca they will put them under and cut.
Whiskey is highly allergic to all the vaccines they have to give dogs and has darn near died from the on the first round. Now that to me means my vet knows that and that he would know to pre treat Whiskey in case of allergic reaction to anesthesia or meds that are given during surgery. The spca would not and would only do something if a problem became apparent and then may be too late. I am by no means putting the spca clinics down. No you won't hear me do that because they are a great answer to a person living on a fixed income who may not be able to afford a spnueter and could never afford to have the litters and care they need as well. And BTW $ 140.00 is a cheap price to me.

[Doberluv]

I've had dogs speutered at the human society. It's a board certified vet, just like any vet. They do pre-blood work. They asked me and recommeded that it is done. It's pretty much the only surgery they do and they do it A LOT. They do so many of these surgeries, that I feel just as comfortable with them, if not, more so. It tends to be a heck of lot less expensive too. I've used them once or twice and my regular vet other times. There may be extenuating circumstances where by you would want to ask if they're equipped say, with plasma in case of a bleeding problem or if they have stored blood on hand if your dog is affected with Von Willebrand's disease and ends up with a clinical issue. But, in general, I feel perfectly comfortable with speuters done at the humane society.

If your dog has other issues, you can inform the vet of that history, even bring in his records. When I was in Seattle and Lyric became ill due to liver issues, he saw a vet there, then another one at the hospital where he had his procedures done, then another one to follow up, then two here in Idaho. He sees several vets. They all have his records and I inform them of anything they might need to know which they don't have. My main vet here called to confer with a team of vets at Washington State University vet hospital to discuss some things. So, I basically have a team of vets with one primary vet in Seattle who really, mainly handled his case, did the biopsy etc.... and one main one here, but sometimes his partner sees Lyric.

[Sher]

No, money is not REALLY a big issue. I just didn't want to throw it away if I didn't have to. My main concern is Lily's well being. I just want her to come out of this healthy and happy. My husband is the one that brought up the price difference and I said I would check it out on this board. Well, seems like everyone thinks the private vet is best, so that is where she will be going. Thank you so much, everyone, for your replies. I really appreciate it!
~Sher~

[Romy]

Either one would probably be fine, if you feel comfortable with your personal vet then go for it.

We haven't found any vets here in town that I really really like yet. They are competent doctors and all. The low cost spay neuter clinic is definitely the place where I take my animals to be altered though. Not because of the cost, but because Dr. Ruth has performed over 115,000 spay and neuter surgeries on cats, dogs, & rabbits. You'd be hard pressed to find any general practice vet who could come close to that kind of experience. He also uses only isoflourane as anesthesia, does a health exam, blood panel, and pain meds are all included in the cost of speutering. They also have an emergency clinic that caters specifically to complications from speuters (such a someone taking off their e-collar and ripping out their stitches, :rolleyes: had that happen a couple of weeks ago).

You might look into what the SPCA includes in that price. Personally I would feel most comfortable with someone who had a high success rate of doing tons of speuters work on my animals, but you may have a more awesome vet than we have found.

[Doberluv]

Not because of the cost, but because Dr. Ruth has performed over 115,000 spay and neuter surgeries on cats, dogs, & rabbits. You'd be hard pressed to find any general practice vet who could come close to that kind of experience.

Yup. But I agree. Go with whomever you're more comfortable.

[Sher]

Well, Lily was spayed on Tues., July 17th at my private vet. So far so good. She was so groggy when I picked her up. Gave her 1/2 pain pill that night before she went to bed and she was wagging and sober the next morning and all herself again. Charges ended up being $216, which included blood work, pulling 2 baby teeth and clipping her nails.

Her incision looks fine. She has one little spot way away from her incision that looks like irritation from being shaved that itches her and she has been scratching and is getting a bit red. Guess I need to call and see if there is something I should put on it to make it more comfortable. Anyway, I am just happy this part is over. Now if we can just get through the rest without getting infections, I will be happy. Thank you for all your help. :)

[~Jessie~]

I'm happy to hear that all went well during her spay :D

[Doberluv]

Great! Glad all is well. It's always a relief when it's all over.

[Sush]

Put some neosporin on the razor burned areas.