Most people are familiar with the terms “spay” and “neuter” and why it’s important to prevent pets from breeding. Few people, however, really know what’s involved in the surgery. And although it seems simple, especially since small animals tend to recover so quickly, there’s a lot more to such surgery than a simple nick and tuck.
At Dogwood we are proud of our anesthetic record. We precede anesthesia with another examination to assess your pet’s health on surgery day and perform blood tests to rule out anemia, dehydration, and major blood clotting problems (we have identified rat poisonings in dogs that the owners were unaware of).
We calculate anesthetic doses carefully for each patient using current weights. We also tailor the anesthetic agents used to your pet’s specific needs. Anesthesia can’t safely be one-size-fits-all.
We take special care to ensure that all ligatures (internal sutures) are tight and secure; loose or carelessly placed ligatures can result in internal bleeding. When a group of vessels is very thick or is surrounded by abdominal fat, we often place multiple ligatures for added safety.
Your pet is on kept stable and warm, using warmed IV fluids throughout the procedure, and a warming blanket.
We give pain medications before, during, and after surgery for your pet’s added comfort and faster recovery. We often add local anesthetic and treat the incision after surgery with our therapy laser to speed healing. At Dogwood, we close the skin with absorbable sutures hidden within the skin; this is more comfortable for your pet and avoids the need for suture removal two weeks later. We also assess patient pain before discharge and will usually send home additional pain medications. Your pet is closely monitored during recovery to make sure everything is going well while he or she is staying with us, and we want a report the next morning from you, so we know your pet is still doing well.
This is full anesthesia and surgery for both males and females. For females, it is major abdominal surgery removing multiple organs. Do you really want to shop only for the best price? At Dogwood, our concern is your pet’s comfort and safety, with absolute minimal complications.
Dogs: Spay females $1000-1150, Neuter males $865-940 (depending on size)
Cats: Spay females $850, Neuter males $510
These are estimates only, and assume we have already examined your pet, and that basic vaccinations are current. Dogs and cats that are older than one year, in heat, pregnant, obese, or males with undescended testicles will have additional fees. Pain medication to take home is included. For a better estimate, we must examine your pet. We must examine your pet before we can schedule surgery.