Why does it cost so much too neuter/spay your animals

[kado]

This morning i phoned my vet up to ask about the price for a neuter/ spay for the rabbits. They quoted £72 for a female and £50 for a male. So i phoned around others an the price varried from £35 -£56 for a male and £35-£93 for a female. I will get them done but, i hold my hands up and i think Angel is pregnant. If she is i have already found homes for them i am going to keep two and i will get the both done as soon as she is able to be done. I have had rabbits in the past but never neutered/spayed them. I also have sent off for vouchers for Chester and Troy to be castraited and they will be done as soon as get them. I know a lot of you will be angry and annoyed but this was not a planned litter if there is one. Phonning around this morning i can understand why some people dont do vaccines and spay and neuter rabbits I think that people see that a rabbit is cheap to buy so why should we take it too the vet. What is all you oppions good or bad.

[yola]

The costs will vary from vet to vet and will be dependent on them covering their overheads and being able to make a profit. Salaries for the vet themselves, nursing staff, medication, property overheads all need to be covered. And on top of all this they need to make a profit in order to continue in business!

I think all pets need to be neutered unless there is a need to breed from them. And by need I mean someone running it as an honest and ethical business or for showing. It's something I feel quite strongly about. There is a responsibility on the sellers too - be their retailers or private sellers, but unless and until this is legislated it will always be impossible to 'police'.

I'm not going to sit here and condemn you as it's not my way. However, I know it sounds harsh, but if you (not you specifically, but generally) can't afford the cost of neutering your pet or indeed vet bills you really need to question whether owning a pet is in the best interest of the animal.

[kado]

My circumstances have changed since we got the cats at least. We have moved house which is rented which was doubled the price to stay in the villiage for the cats. and I have regained custody of my daughters and my 19year old son has come back as well. With the rabbits i have all the hay,bedding,and straw given too me i only provided the food. Simon and Guinness are on food that costs £28 a month. I know you wasnt getting at me but i though i would give you some information about my situation.

[Elaine]

I have to agree with what Yola has said. I think every one here knows how strongly I feel about neuter and spay issues so I wont get on my soap box.
A rabbit may be a cheap pet to buy but prospective owners should be aware of the importance of neuter and spay as well as the need for veteranary care when and if required.

[dandysmom]

Possibly a dumb question, but is there something similar for rabbits like CP, where you can get a voucher for spay/neuter? There must be rabbit associations on line, maybe you can Google and find such a place????

[alexgirl73]

I agree with you Yola and Elaine, but does that mean people who are on low incomes shouldn't be afforded the companionship of a pet? We all know the importance of speying etc, but vets don't exactly make it easy for people do they, when the charge such exorbitant rates!! If things continue as they are, then only the wealthy will be able to afford animals.

[kado]

I agree with what you all say. I went to a private vet before simon became poorly and had to rush him too the vets in the early hours and then found out i qualified for help at the PDSA. I have never had injections done at PDSA only guinness and Simon go there. I would have still taken them as they are a bit part of my life. I have seen people there that have just come off holiday, people who take other peoples animals in there name. I deeply care about my animals and they all get equal care and i would take them straight away too the vets if they need it whatever the cost.

jane

[Elaine]

I have heard loads of stories about people who use the PDSA under false pretences, they should be ashamed of themselves as far as I am concerned.

[kado]

I dont think they have a good checking policy. If you get housing benefit or council tax even a penny you can get help. You only can take three animals there if you lose an animal you can regester another after 6 months you also have to be reregestered after 6 months as well. I also found out today that the RSPCA also helps out with vet bills dont know how that works though. I owe the PDSA my gratiude for saving my Simon and guinness life if it wasnt for them at the time i could have lost them. If i had to pay to go there i would i always donate, they know the cats and all love them too bits.

jane

[yola]

On the other had there are people who genuinley can't afford pet care and who get rejected by the PDSA . . .

Alex, it's not about being wealthy, it's about priorities. Many people will refuse to live without the Sky box, their ciggies, their booze and their takeaways and will then plead poverty and an inability to treat their pets at a vets. Yes, there are those than suffer genuine hardship - my Mum's a pensioner, on a very basic state pension with a tiny NHS monthly pay out. My brother and I help her with her cat's meds and vet visits.

There are also vets who will do payment plans. And then of course there is pet insurance. For most things (apart from routine innoculations and neutering) insurance plans will pay out. These can start at about £9.00 a month . . . now if you can't afford that surely you can't afford the pet food either!!!

[Elaine]

I agree with you Yola and Elaine, but does that mean people who are on low incomes shouldn't be afforded the companionship of a pet? We all know the importance of speying etc, but vets don't exactly make it easy for people do they, when the charge such exorbitant rates!! If things continue as they are, then only the wealthy will be able to afford animals.

Not at all Alex, but they should think long and hard about how they are going to afford necessary things such as neuter/spey, at the end of the day the animal will only have to be neutered/speyed once, therefore a one off payment. Many people are also in a postion/location where there is more than one vet surgery and can shop around a bit with regards to prices, then there is also the option of the PDSA and RSPCA/SSPCA if people qualify.
I agree that vets can be a very expensive business and beleive me I know from experience, you have no idea how much i spent on dear old Winston, never grudged a penny of it but it did mean that my social life pretty much ended and i also did car boot sales etc. We managed, we had to in order to help the old fella.
I also know that you struggled when poor Teddie was sick, so I know exactly what you are saying Alex but there are those, and they are many, who go get a pet just coz they want one and havent thought of the animals needs or what they would do should anything go wrong.

[farthing]

Sorry to hear you bunny is pregnant, I will say no more, as I'm sure people will know how I feel about breeeding. However you will need to remove her from the male before she has her babies, as she will come into season immediately after giving birth and if the male is there she will fall pregnant again- this will not be fair on her, as it is she is very young to be having a litter in the first place, and won't have stopped growing herself.

The reason, I've been told, that rabbit neutering costs so much is because weight for weight a higher dose of aneaesthetic is required for a rabbit compared to a dog or a cat, it is also a more time consuming op due to the size of the rabbit.

Personally, I don't think the cost of an animal to should be a consideration as to how much you spend after, if you take on a life it is your resposiblity and and in my eyes no animal is more important than another.

[farthing]

And as to the general cost of the vets, I think perhaps we are spoiled by the NHS. I had a carpal tunnel op in June paid by BUPA, it was a local anaesthetic and took 15 mins, no antibiotics afterwards and it cost £1175.00. So be greatful we don't have to pay those kinds of bills. Also vets work very long hours, there is a vet available day or night with ours, and yes it costs you, but by god I have been very grateful many times when they have come our at 2 in the morning to deal with an ill animal.

If you are struggling, talk to the vet and ask if you can pay by direct debit, if you expalin your situation many are willing to help.

[kado]

IF she is pregnant farthing i am going to seperate her on Monday. I have a slightly smaller hutch which the male buscuit is going to go in. I am then going to get buscuit done first and then Angel done after she has had the baby's. I am then going to another bigger cage for buscuit. I do not intend for her to have another litter.

jane

[Elvisisboss]

the only way you will get help paying for things like this is if you are on Housing benefit, already looked into it!

my old vets was charging £150!!! to neuter a small dog!! £150!! my NEW! vets only charges £75! half the price and its only in the next town!

to spay/neuter a cat its £25! i think that is really good

to microchip its only £12.50, half the price of another vets i went too

i think that consultatations should be cheaper, £18.50 just for a quick 5 min check up!

im sure that could be brought down?

[kado]

I am going to take Chester, Troy, Angel(in seperate cage now and not pregnant) and Buscuit to the vets sometime next week to find out when i can get them all neutered and spayed. Money isnt a problem its the varing prices from vets to vets that got me. A very good friend is paying for all of them to be done, we used to look after her jack when no one else would and she has never forgotten it.

jane

[smudgley]

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[diskinc]

Glad to hear she isn't pregnant and that you are getting them all sorted out.

An extra benefit from having Angel done is that her risk of uterine cancer if left unspayed is about 80% so this way you'll remove that risk as well as that of pregnancy.

You may need to be patient with the rebonding when she gets back from the vets as she'll be a bit sore.

[kado]

I'm going to ask about when i can bring them in when i take troy and chester next wednesday.

jane

[random]

Id never get a rabbit spayed again, that's how I lost mine, the risk is so much higher in rabbits than cats and dogs, if I were you Jane i'd get the boy done as it is a much simpler op and eave the girl or just keep them separate. JMO of course. I believe the PDSA does spay/neuter for £25 for cats? I don't know about vouchers and things but I think the RSPCA gives them out? Not sure how you apply though or if it covers the whole cost or not.

When I first got Charlie (one of my dogs) I wasn't working as my son was just a baby then and I remember getting a voucher from dogs trust to get Charlie done and i think it cost me £15. I'm not sure if they still do it as it was before they changed their name to dogs trust, but there are organisations that help with neutering. I honestly can't remember how much my bunny was to spay.