Yeowch. I didn't read that. Yes, I'd have to say unless you lived in North America and were going to ship your pet to Australia you wouldn't save that much on gas.
I completely agree with you, though. We paid over $300 for two 6 month old cats to be spayed, and all they got were some organs removed and anesthesia. No painkiller. No stitches OR staples. No board for the rest of the day or overnight, we were asked to pick them up immediately. I personally went into the "cage area" and got them out of a GRIMY metal cage where they had both been crammed (when over ten other cat cages were empty) with one rag soaked in iodine.
They said they decided to not give them any painkiller, so we basically had to just deal with it. Didn't explain that they were still under the effects of anesthesia, so of course we freaked over how they were acting.. not to mention the large holes in their stomachs..
Took them to another vet where we got painkiller for that night and the next day for free, the only thing they asked (yes, asked!) us to pay for was the little cardboard carrier she put Emma in, b/c you shouldn't have two drugged cats in a small carrier with eachother. They stapled the wounds for free, as well, and cleaned them out. In later visits, they cleaned the wounds multiple times and did re-staples, gave antibiotics, more painkiller, etc. Both of them almost died.. and those bills totalled less than $300.
SO... let's hope no one who reads that can deny some vets are just in it for the money. Not to mention your $600 vet trip, Savethebulliedbreeds. :yikes: