Hey, I was 18 when I got Jackson too. I'm 19 now. He's like my child though, and I did
what was best for him and knew it was just part of having a dog going into it. The first year
is always the most expensive! It gets wayy cheaper. I don't have much money either but
I spare some other things in my life for him. I found a low cost clinic to get him neutered
and it only cost $65. His rabies vaccine was only $7! There's ways to make dog ownership
cheaper.
Do a search online for clinics like such. There's also vouchers you can get online
(someone else can hopefully find you the link!) and usually you can bring it to your regular vet
and they do it cheap.
I was also very worried about Jackson going under but it's such a routine surgery. Just make
sure you research the place you're taking him to, get some reviews, ask questions, what kind
of anesthesia they're going to use, etc. Take a look around the place. I got very lucky in
finding the place I found.