Spaying

We got the same spiel for our cats and had the same impression as you, that it was an 'upsell'.
I'm interested in Dr. Doug's observations.

In my humble opinion not needed.

We always take all our pets to the spay /neuter clinic in Dothan, it is a lot cheaper and they do an excellent job .
I think someone is trying to sell you something you really do not need.
(my opinion only)

Never heard of it, but google has good info on that.

I did spays for about the first 10 years I was in practice without pre-anesthetic blood work. Since that time the technology has progressed to the point where it is an easy process and doesn't really interfere with scheduling and requiring multiple trips back to the hospital.

Is it necessary? It isn't an option in our hospital. You have to opt out and sign a waiver to NOT do it.

It is "standard of care" now in veterinary medicine.

Would you be OK without it? Probably, but if there was a problem don't blame your vet. I feel way more comfortable knowing some baseline values and in many cases can adjust anesthetic protocols (drugs used and doses) and fluid delivery to help minimize the effects of the surgery.

We delay or cancel less than 5% of our surgeries due to issues that show up on pre op blood work.

To me, the $95 respresents a little insurance and peace of mind.

Would your doctor do a procedure on you with a general anesthetic without pre-anesthetic blood work?

Doug, DVM

Thanks Dr. Doug, it was just the way it was presented to me that I questioned. She'll get the test.

I always get pre-anesthesia blood work done for my pets. It's worth it for my peace of mind.

rwj146 wrote:
I took my kitten in for her booster shot and rabies vaccine and scheduled her being spayed.

They gave me two prices, one includes "Preanesthetic Profile with Clotting Profile" and another without. It's a 95 dollar option and the way the tech was explaining it almost seemed like an 'upsell'.

If it's needed I don't mind a little extra but is it needed?

January 8th is when it will be done.

The Animal Hosp where I worked in the late 1960s and 1970s also did bloodwork before any kind of surgery. I can't remember the names of the tests they did. It was included in the price of that surgery, be it a spay or broken leg that needed pinning or casting.

Since it's $95 just for blood work, what may I ask, is this vet getting to spay your pet?

If it had been explained to me like Dr. Doug there would have been no questions, but it was presented as the "economical" choice. There were two columns one with the test and one without.

I asked the Dr. and she told me the Tech would go over prices and such. Maybe they think I am poor because I ask what something costs? Who knows.

I will mention it to the doctor after her surgery, I ain't shy.

I think it's because vets deal with all kinds of pet owners and some people want a full accounting of every penny charged. Then they have other pet owners (ahem) who would mortgage their house to save their pet, if that's what it takes.