Vet bill, suggestions?

$7.00 needle disposal fee? You have got to be kidding? I never paid anything like that, but different areas have different practices. Why don’t you call around and see what other vets will charge to have the shots out of the way before you even get the neutering done? It shouldn’t cost $100.00 I would think.

sometimes there are places similar to Friends of Animals that work with stray animals, and they can offer you a certificate to get the vet stuff done, paying through them.

The last kitten i got, the vet had me doing all these “booster shots” which, if i didn’t do them, the kitten would have had no boosters, she would have just had the regular shots. the boosters seemed to be a way for the vet to get about three payments for three rounds of shots. i should have just brought the kitten in once, when she was more mature. vet bills definitely hurt, and you want to do what’s right by the animal, but they’re hard to afford and can definitely run into the hundreds of dollars.

That’s a pretty typical bill for that list of procedures. One possibility for saving some money is holding off on the rabies vaccination and going to a rabies clinic for the shot – you can usually find a $5 or $10 clinic through the shelter.

@jca Vaccine boosters for young animals is not designed to make money for the vet clinic. The reason for boostering shots is because maternal antibodies interfere with vaccine effectiveness. They usually start to fade at around 6–8 weeks of age but may last for weeks longer. The problem lies in the fact that there’s no way to know when the antibodies fade. Vaccinate only once too soon and the vaccine doesn’t work at all – your baby is unprotected for the full year until he comes back for a booster (in effect, his very first shot). Wait too late to vaccinate and the baby is unprotected and potentially exposed to some truly nasty diseases. If you start early, booster every 2–3 weeks until they have their own immune system, you’ve maximized the protection. Then, since their immune system recognizes the disease, you booster annually (or now they’re starting to say every 3 years) to “remind” the immune system of the enemy.

If you want to save money, give your pet away or don’t do the procedures. It’s an option…

$200 is pretty typical in our area for that list of stuff, although we don’t pay a separate “needle disposal fee.” You may want to ask the Friends of Animals if they know of vets who tend to charge less. However, just as in human medicine, vet fees are going up.

Some vet offices have lower overhead than others and so have lower charges. Vets who have been in practice a long time sometimes charge less and those in low-income areas do too. Here there are a couple of clinics in nicer areas of town that charge quite a bit more, but then they also have some expensive equipment that other offices don’t have. Also many vets will take credit cards so you don’t have to pay up front.

If this amount of money is a real problem for your budget you need to know that you will probably spend about that much per vet visit typically for the life of your pet. While young, a dog may visit the vet only once a year but once they get to be 7 or so you may be in the office more often. You might consider pet insurance – it would be cheap to start it now while your puppy is still young.

Well the $200 isnt a problem, i was mostly concerned that I was going about things the rigth way, as I have never done it before, there are many things in life i have over payed on due to lack of knowledge. I can afford the $200.00 but if I can save money, why not? I figured I would ask.

Kudos to you for being a responsible pet owner and vaccinating and neutering!

johny: it’s definitely painful to have a pet and have to spend the money, but believe me when you get to loving the pet you’ll do anything to take care of it, even if you have to charge the stuff on your credit cards. i spent $900 last year on one of my cats -had a urinary tract infection. i spent a couple hundred another year when one had gotten into a fight with the other, who bit it on the leg and caused an infection. last year a good friend of mine had a cat with a UTI and put it to sleep instead of having to pay the bill. putting cat to sleep devastated her daughter. i would have paid the money if i were her. if i had known i would have taken up a collection for the cat, to save the daughter the upsetness. the most important thing is the spaying/neutering. i have friends with indoor cats who don’t vaccinate – if you are really short of cash that may be an option. you take a chance, but there are many people who go that route because they can’t afford any other way.

I found the following. Given Rukus’ breed, he should be on the low end of the cost spectrum.

* The cost of neutering a dog at a Human Society or at a low-cost clinic can range from $45 to $135, depending on the weight of the dog. The cost of spaying, a more complicated surgery, usually ranges from about $50 to $175.
* Some clinics and animal hospitals can charge up to $200—$300 or more, depending on the weight of the dog.
* The cost of both neutering and spaying vary greatly by geographic region, and even by veterinarian.

What should be included:

* In neutering, the veterinarian makes an incision in front of the scrotum, removes both testicles, then stitches the incision.
* In spaying, the veterinarian makes an incision in the abdominal wall, removes the uterus and ovaries, then stitches the incision. VeterinaryPartner.com offers an overview of neutering and spaying.
* General anesthesia usually is used for neutering and spaying.
* Neutering benefits include protection from prostatitis and testicular tumors, as well as reduction of undesirable behaviors, including aggression toward other male dogs, desire to roam, urine marking and inappropriate mounting.
* Spaying benefits can include a lowered risk for mammary tumors, reproductive bleeding, uterine tumors and infection.
* The American Veterinary Medical Association offers a list of the benefits of spaying and neutering.

Additional costs:

* Spaying a dog that is in heat, or obese costs about $25 extra.
* Spaying a pregnant dog costs about $50 to $125 extra.
* Laser surgery can reduce pain, bleeding and swelling, and can be more precise, but costs between one-quarter and one-third more.
* Most veterinarians offer the option of pre-anesthesia blood work, to make sure the liver and kidneys are working properly, for about $40.
* Extra pain medication, usually an injection before surgery and a pill for later, usually costs between $10 and $30.
* For male dogs, testicular implants are available. They cost between $94 and $919 per pair, depending on the size and model. Neuticles.com offers a detailed description of the product.

@alfreda thanks for the great response, I dont think rukus needs fake balls ha but that is good to know, he is under 55 LBS and male so the surgery is actually much cheaper then if he were a large female. Thanks for all the great info, I think $200.00 is actually a pretty fair price, i just wanted to see how other people did it. I mean I want to make sure he will be okay and healthy. So Id be concerned if someone was like “yo $25 and ill take care of dem balls fo ya ma friend” haha I just kinda thought about the vet like a mechanic ha, when you bring your car for a check up and they tell you $1000 worth of repairs they claim you need when in reality the car runs fine and just needs new break pads…So I didnt no if the vet was trying to pull a fast one with blood work and needle disposals and all that. If its needed ill do it, but I wanted to make sure I was doing what was needed, nothing that was just a waste of money.

i don’t understand why an animal would need fake testicles. for aesthetic reasons?

There was a big debate on Askville some time back on the neuticle question. I suspect the animal needs nothing of the kind, but certain owners seem to feel ashamed if their dog does not reflect the owner’s personal “masculinity.” Think of the dilemma of a responsible rapper – he wants his dog neutered but he has an image to protect – there’s your customer right there.

I thought the site was a joke when someone at work sent it to me after I had my cat neutered.