Canine Spay Surgical Procedure

Spay Surgical Appointments: Breed Based Age Recommendations:

Toy / Small Breed Class: 6-8 Months of Age. Based on current available information, we recommend those breeds with an expected lean adult body weight of < 25 pounds to undergo surgical sterilization between 6-8 months of age.

Medium Breed Class: 8-10 Months of Age. Based on current available information, we recommend those medium breeds with an expected lean adult body weight of 25 - 60 pounds to undergo surgical sterilization between 8-10months of age.

Large Breed Class: 10-12+ Months of Age. Based on current available information, we recommend those large breeds with an expected lean adult body weight of 60-85 pounds to undergo surgical sterilization between 10-12+ months of age.

Giant Breed Class: 12-18 Months of Age. Based on current available information, we recommend those giant breeds with an expected lean adult body weight of 85+ pounds to undergo surgical sterilization between 12-18+ months of age.

General Surgical Procedure:

Please take a moment to review the information included below it just may end up saving you money, sparing you frustration and avoiding unnecessary discomfort for your pet:  

In the current economy, "High Quality Veterinary Care At Low Prices" or some variation is a common theme at many veterinary businesses today. The problem with this slogan is because 'high quality' isn't really defined in the Veterinary Profession it really doesn't mean much unless you, the consumer, understand what's going on "behind the curtain".

Because low cost promotional pricing is designed to get you in the door, often times it isn't until the pet owner arrives for their pet's scheduled surgical procedure that they are made aware of all of the things the low price quote doesn't cover such as blood profile testing of organ function, IV Catheters and Fluids, or even modern pain relief. In these types of situations, it is at this time the veterinary staff usually covers all of the 'highly recommended' add-ons for your pet's health, safety and comfort available to you as significant "up-charges". This ultimately results in the pet owner feeling as though they've been the target of Bait-and-Switch and taken for a ride. 

Or, worse yet, in order to keep the low cost price quote, these other basic aspects of modern veterinary care aren't even discussed with the pet owner. This leaves you, the pet owner, to fall back on the belief that all aspects of these basic services and procedures are the same from one practice to the next -- which leads to your assumption your pet has received "high quality" care at low cost. Sometimes it couldn't be further from the truth. 

In our practice, we list our preventative medical care and elective surgery procedure fees AND we put the details of what's going on "behind the curtain" down in writing out front. What you see is what your pet receives at our practice - No games, no gimmicks, no bait-and-switch sold to you as "high quality at an affordable price".

Examination

All anesthetic and surgery patients receive a physical examination to evaluate them prior to their procedure. We assess their vital signs such as body temperature, heart rate and respiratory rate, as well as many other factors which can influence our decisions on which types of pain relief, sedation and anesthetics we choose - or, in some instances, whether to postpone the procedure.

Pre-Anesthetic Blood Testing

Prior to the use of anesthetics, your pet will have a blood sample drawn and processed by our in-house laboratory equipment. Because many anesthetic agents are metabolized and eliminated via the internal organs it is important to asses any changes from normal function which can affect how patients respond to anesthetics. These tests can alert us to organ disease, such as kidney or liver abnormalities, which are not always obvious as part of our pre-surgical physical exam. When abnormal test values are found, we may either modify our anesthetic protocols, by changing anesthetic drug choices, doses or fluid therapy, to address underlying issues or we may postpone procedures until we are better able to understand the root cause of the problem.

Intravenous Catheter and Fluid Support

As part of our standard anesthetic protocol, an intravenous catheter (IV) will be placed in a vein in your pet's leg. This catheter allows us to maintain a route of instant access to your pet's cardiovascular system for delivery of important drugs in the event an unexpected problem develops during anesthesia. In addition, your pet will receive IV fluids delivered through this catheter during and after surgery. The administration of IV fluids assists in maintaining stable blood pressure and proper blood flow to their internal organs.

Pain Management Protocol

We are also serious about pain control in our patients. Our most basic surgical procedures call for the use of two forms of pain management drugs. We administer an injectable narcotic medication prior to actual anesthesia. This 'pre-med' serves two important purposes; it creates a 'warm and fuzzy' sedation which allows us to use significant less injectable anesthetic drugs to produce the desired anesthetic effect, and it helps to preempt pain responses before they even begin - which means less discomfort should be produced overall. The narcotic injection lasts for approximately six to eight hours. We also administer a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory (NSAID) drug which helps address mild to moderate discomfort, similar to high dose over the counter pain medications for humans. This drug begins to take effect shortly after administration and generally hits peak effective levels before the narcotic injection wears off. Almost all of our surgical and anesthetic patients receive additional NSAID medications for home use for several days after the procedure.

• Please schedule a Surgical Appointment with our office.
• Please do not give your pet any food to eat after 10 pm the evening prior to the procedure - this includes withholding a meal on the morning of the procedure.
• Drop off time for surgery patients is 7:30 - 8:00 am.
• Puppy patients undergoing spay procedures go home afternoon on the same day.

Puppy Spay Package Group

* Puppy Package Credit applies to THREE VISIT Puppy Package Series participants.

                                            
Exam: Anesthesia Procedure                                            
Hospital Day Care: Pre/Post Operative                         
Complete Blood Count                                           
Blood Chemistry - Canine: Minor                                     
Pre-Anesthesia Sedation Injection                         
Anesthesia Support: IV Catheter                                     
Anesthesia Support: IV Fluids                                         
Narcotic Pain Relief Injection                            
Anesthetic Induction Injection                                      
Isoflurane Inhalant Gas: First 30 Min.                            
ECG, Blood Pressure, Temperature Monitor                  
Staff Monitoring: Anesth. Support                                  
Surgical Suite                                                       
Surgical Sterile Preparation                               
Surgical Instrument Pack                                   
Surgical Materials, Misc.                                   
Laparotomy / Sponges, Excess                                         
Suture Materials, Excess                                    
Gown, Mask, Gloves                                           
Spay, Puppy Ovariohysterectomy Surgery                   
NSAID Pain Relief Injection                              
Carprofen Pain Relief Tabs Home
Progress Evaluation Suture Removal Appointment

Toy / Small Breed Class: 6-8 Months of Age:

$ 350.00   // $ 300.00 with the Puppy Package Credit of $ 50.00

Medium Breed Class: 8-10 Months of Age:

$ 375.00   // $ 325.00 with the Puppy Package Credit of $ 50.00

Large Breed Class: 10-12+ Months of Age:

$ 425.00   // $ 375.00 with the Puppy Package Credit of $ 50.00

Giant Breed Class: 12-18 Months of Age:

$ 500.00   // $ 450.00 with the Puppy Package Credit of $ 50.00