How Much Does It Cost to Neuter a Dog: Many of you may have wondered why castrations are apparently so expensive and why there are so many price differences between some clinics and others. With this article, we will try to give you an answer and, above all, help you to have reliable arguments to know how much does it cost to neuter a dog a trusted veterinarian if you have decided to castrate your dog or dog.
How Much Does It Cost to Neuter a Dog?
What exactly happens to our animal once it goes through the operating room door?
What the Owner Does Not See
When an owner decides to neuter his dog, he expects the veterinarian to use the most advanced and safe technique when operating. According to the report, if it does, the resulting process should be something very similar to this:
First, an analgesic will be applied to the animal, morphine, and the veterinarian will wait half an hour until it takes effect.
Then, you will be given an antibiotic to prevent infections, and a venous catheter will be placed through which the serum and all medications will enter while the surgery is being performed. Once this is done, it will be sedated.
Be careful because if we want to be sure that nothing bad is going to happen to our dog at all times, and for the safety of our animal. There must be a person pending his condition.
In the Operating Room
Once in the operating room, the best thing for our dog will be that, when he is already anesthetized, he will be given another drug that makes his intubation easier. That is, it produces a deeper sedative effect and allows a tube to be inserted into the trachea to administer an inhaled anesthetic. Which is safer than that administered intravenously (the latter is applied in a dose-effect format and not in a form continued as the inhaled one. So that the veterinarian has to be watching if the dog begins to wake up to apply a little more).
Now, once the dog is intubated and breathing properly, the veterinarian will shave and disinfect the area where the incision will be made.
The animal should be continuously monitored by a constant measurement of its temperature, oxygen saturation, ventilations per minute, etc.
By the way, the room where the surgery is performed will also have to be properly conditioned. Because of the animals, when they are sedated, the temperature drops.
Once the dog is ready, it will be the veterinarians who get prepared. To minimize the risk of infections, they will use sterile gloves, sterile material and gauze, sutures, and a new scalpel blade.
To do well, at least in the operating room, there will have to be two people, one watching the anesthesia and helping the surgeon and the other operating. And, if it’s a bitch, surely two veterinarians will be needed for the surgery itself.
The Operation
We will not go into detail about the surgery process because they may be too technical. Still, Marta Castillejo veterinarian seems important to note that, in the case of castration of a dog, it is worth asking our veterinarian if he will do what is called a colposuspension. This technique serves to prevent one of the most frequent long-term complications in the sterilization of females: urinary incontinence.
After Surgery
Here is an important fact! Do you want to avoid your dog having to wear an Elizabethan collar or bell for more than 10 days, with the stress and discomfort that this entails?
So, the veterinarian should perform an intradermal suture (inside the skin). This technique has, among other advantages, a faster healing rate and the low incidence of incisional infections. Ask your clinic to find out how your dog will be sutured.
And to Finish
Once the suture is finished, the veterinarian will turn off the inhalation anesthetic and wait for your dog to wake up quietly, while applying an anti-inflammatory. Now you have to put it in a cage in the hospital ward, with an adequate temperature, and watch it until you are fully awake.
What is the Price of Neuter?
The price of castration can vary considerably. Some clinics offer castration in males starting at 35 Dollars, a suspiciously low price.
To have a reference: in a city like Barcelona, the usual cost of sterilization for a dog over 8kg can be around 200+ Dollars.
In females, prices are always higher because the complexity of the intervention is greater, and we can find trusted clinics that operate for about 300+ Dollars.
Keep in mind that the more we weigh our animal, the more the price will increase. And also that, at the cost of the surgery itself, we must add the pre-surgical analysis ($40+).
Why Do the Costs of Castration Vary So Much From One Clinic to Another?
We have already seen the importance of the technique used during surgery of the properly conditioned environment. And of uninterrupted supervision by an assistant or a veterinarian.
To all these costs are added, of course, the fixed expenses that any entrepreneur has: rental of the premises, purchase of material, payment of salaries, continuous training of staff, etc.
All these factors are involved in the establishment of one or another price.
What Risks Does It Imply for My Dog to Be Neutered at a Low Price?
Reducing the costs just mentioned is very complicated. Therefore, when the health of our animal is at stake, it is not worth betting on sales.
As always, generalizing is risky. However, be very careful when choosing “cheap” clinics because having a properly equipped center, a well-trained and professional staff, and a suitable material is never free.
Therefore, reduced prices tend to be detrimental to the safety and health of our dog.
So, now that you know a little more about what castration implies, it may be easier to weigh new aspects outside the economy when choosing a trusted veterinarian.
