Humane Society or Vet?
 

Should I get Maddie spayed at her vet or the Humane Society? It is cheaper at the Humane Society and she doesn't have to stay overnight, but if I get it done at the vet they are going to make her stay the night. She is still under 3 pounds and I am super nervous. What do you think?

She is small i would get it done by her vet also get bloodwork done beforehand

Well, i have a million questions for you and they may help you decide.

Do both places offer preop bloodwork?
How does each place monitor the pet while under anesthesia?
What anesthesia do they use?
Do they place an IV before surgery?
Do they offer pain meds?
Do they do surgery on a heated surface?
Who do you trust more if something were to go wrong?
Does your humane society do line spay/neuter, fasted paced spay/neuter, or do they take their itme on every animal?
Does your regualr vet have somebody there overnight watching the pups?
Who are you more comfortable talking about your concerns with?
Will they both pull baby teeth at the time of spay?
Are vaccines required for hospitalization that you don't agree with in either place?
Are the surgeries at the humane societ done by vets who have been practicing awhile or interns that have just gotten out of vet school?

I personally would never take Ellie to the humane society or shot clinic for anything. They have their place, but it isn't something I'm interested in. Her doctor knows her well and I trust her judgment. I know she knows what she is doing and I think it's the best choice for Ellie. :) Now if you can't stand your vet, I guess that's another situation entirely.:p

:thumbup::yeahthat:

Cheaper is not always better. Why does she have to spend the night? I didn't really think they had to stay the night? Do they have tech's there at night or is she just going to sit in a kennel by herself..if that's how it is then I would tell them I want to pick her up later before they close the hospital. Have you been to this vet before? Do you trust them?

Ok...just got off the phone with my vet and a vet that was recommended by my coworker since I am a little iffy about the place I go to.

Vet 1: My vet said that they would work up a quote that included blood work and pain meds. She would be kept overnight but NO ONE WILL BE THERE overnight! She would have to be 6 months old before they will spay her.
Vet 2: Called another vet and it is 80 bucks and she does not have to be kept overnight. I asked about blood work and she was kinda like "why do you want that?" but said they would do it if I requested it. They also said that she can be anywhere from 4-6 months old to do it.

I don't know what to do :confused: This is my first dog, so I am really nervous, especially since she is so tiny

I would recommend your vet. especially being so small. I had cats done at the Humane society and they would always end up with really large scars that would turn into really large scar tissue. I realize they are cheaper but I think it is because they do so many and I think it is kind of like an assembly line.

I would ask your vet if anyone is there during the night. Most of the time there is nobody that stays and it would make more sense for them to come home where they are comfortable and you can watch them over night. They usually are fine and sleep most of the night. I would also make sure they give her a pain shot to help easy the pain through the next 24 hrs. My vets admitted that they don't have anyone at night and agree to let me take them home.

My girl was 2.5 lbs when she got spayed and did great.
Good luck.

The problem I have with this vet office is that I have seen 2 of the doctors and they both kinda give me different answers about everything. One said she only needs flea protection, the other says to flea AND tick protect her; one said to remove dew claws at time of spay, the other said it is not needed; one said to microchip her anytime, the other said to wait until time of spay. So it is confusing

I would go with vet 1 but tell them you want to take her home that evening since no one is there

:goodpost:

Humane societies and other low cost spay neuter clinics are bare bones and only do the actual procedure. Pre op bloodwork is essential to make sure that they can safely handle the anesthesia, especially in Yorkies who are prone to liver disease. Anesthesia is processed through the liver and we have had a few cases here of dogs who crashed during a routine spay or neuter because they had an undiagnosed shunt. You would have to get that done at your regular vet beforehand so add that to the cost.

If Maddie has any retained baby teeth which is very common in toy breeds, they are commonly removed at the time of the spay or neuter for a small amount per tooth. Since shelters do not do that procedure, you would have to get it done separately at your regular vet. That would cost several hundred dollars since another anesthesia would be required. Not only would Maddie have to risk anesthesia twice, it would probably end up being more expensive to do those procedures separately.

Finally, since Maddie is so small, I personally would not even consider having her spay done by the Humane Society.

Heck no! I would not let my dog stay at vet after a sx if NO ONE WILL BE THERE!! What is the point of that.. she is safer with you at home!
I would grab your yellow pages and look around and call some places!! Talk to some friends in your area and see where they go..

In all honestly, I would not do any of these three options.

It is not safe for them to be alone overngith after a spay and I don't like vet 2 only doing bloodwork to try and make you feel better. There are very good reasons to do bloodwork at any age and especially before surgery. They should really offer it IMO. You shouldn't have to ask for it. And unless they do low cost spay/neuter and only break even on it, $80 is way too cheap. The type of anesthesia they should be using is not cheap.

Thanks for the replies. I have been asking around here at the office and such and everyone is like "Humane Society!" and I really didn't want to take her there. They also have labs and boxers that are 1000x the size of Maddie. I basically wanted some reassurance from you guys that taking her to the vet was the right choice ;)

I'm going to yellowpages.com as we speak! LOL..anyone know any good vets in mid-Missouri or the St. Louis area? :p

I had a wonderful experience at a clinic-type place :)

http://www.yorkietalk.com/forums/bre...-maryland.html