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

I think if your firm with your vet he may let you take her home. Im sure they would rather do the spay then lose the business. My vet likes to keep them overnight also but I told him I was bringing them home since no one was there to watch them

:thumbup: I think so. Also to HELP you to feel more comfortable, ask your vet questions, thats what they are they for. I had this one lady that was a wreck bc she had to spay her 3 lb female..she was almost in tears over it but in the exam room I told her to ask any questions she had, the Dr even went as far as showing her the treatment area and when she would stay until she was picked up!
I think things like that always help. It shows that us as a practice care about what the owners are going thru and are willing to go that extra mile to make them feel better :D

The problem is both vets may be right, it's just that they are giving you partial answers, for example, you don't have to remove dew claws, but many people recommend it because nail will need constant trimming, and if caught on something can cause major damage and pain. Also it's best done at time of spaying because anesthesia is required. You can microchip at any time, but some people just wait until spaying, why should they be subjected to the unnecessary pain of injection? I would not choose the vet, who insists upon an overnight stay with no one there, to me that's a deal breaker! Concerning the person who asked about the blood work, and why it was needed, she may have just been a receptionist, but if the doctor doesn't know why, I'd find another doctor, another deal breaker. With smaller breeds like Yorkies, the type of anesthesia used is very important, also since your dog is smaller than average, you would want to make sure they have the smaller tubes that are used for the procedure. The tubes are placed down the throat, and too big of a tube can cause other problems, and even damage the trachea. I believe that you will also want to take care of baby teeth at this time, and it would be great if your vet knew this. Too many vets don't recommend this, but those familiar with yorkies know this is necessary. You might want to find a vet that specializes in small breeds, they do have different needs, and it's important to find a vet you can trust, but in the meantime, you have Yorkietalk, and you can help train your vet to know Yorkies!

google like " best rated vet's in _____ your city..

In response to the teeth pulling: Maddie is 19 weeks old and still hasn't lost one baby tooth. The vet said that she probably won't lose any for awhile and it was more important to get her spayed before her first heat than to wait until her baby teeth are starting to fall out.

Which one of the three said this? lol
It is also important that she doesn't have to be put through two surgeries so close together because blood work and a day in the hospital may be necessary again. It is generally pretty safe to wait until six months to spay a Yorkie.

Now mine were done at 6 and 7 months and the vet pulled the baby teeth so they wouldnt have to risk going under twice. I would get another vet opinion

Very informative, thank you! I am going to cut and paste this for when I might need it.

Why did he want to spay her before the first heat, do you have other dogs? I'm really not that familiar with female dogs, so I probably shouldn't be responding, but I thought they didn't have first heat untill after 6 months. Yorkies have problems with teeth, and this is especially true with tinies, sometimes they don't even have room for all their teeth. There is always a risk with anesthesia, and since you will need it for the teeth, I think I might want to get more information, on when to spay. I mean are there really that many pro's to extra early spaying?

Spaying before the first heat almost negates the possibility of breast cancer.

If at all possible, she should be spayed before her first heat.
I do agree with that part.

If she is spayed before her first heat, the risk of her getting mammary cancer is less than 1%. If she is spayed before her second heat it is 8%. Anytime thereafter is is 26%. IMO, she does not need to be spayed at five months though. She could come into heat, but it is very unlikely that it will be before six months.

Before you start researching vets, please read these two threads:

http://www.yorkietalk.com/forums/yor...erinarian.html

http://www.yorkietalk.com/forums/yor...-protocol.html

Don't be afraid to ask a lot of questions when calling to learn more about a vet. Crystal (Ellie May) gave me some great information and questions to ask when I was looking for a surgeon to do Chelsea's LP surgery. None of the vets I called seemed to mind my the mile long list of things I wanted to discuss. And if the person you're talking to doesn't know the answers they should get someone on the phone who does. If they can't, call the next vet. I found a wonderful surgeon who spent half an hour talking to me on the phone about my concerns - & I had never even met him! A truly good vet practice will make the time to answer your questions. Oh, and ask about their experience with small animals - your tiny baby will need different care than horses or even a great dane.

Hmmmm...what's the best way of going about finding a new vet? Can I like take her in for a check up or something? She already finished all her shots and when I call the vet's office I usually just get the receptionist. I don't mind shelling out the extra money for a first visit or anything- I will do anything to ensure that my baby is getting the best care she possibly can.

Go on their websites, look at clients reviews on site like Insider Pages (but remember some clients rate low because the palce is expensive, so read the reviews carefully), get a list of important questions together and call and tell teh receptionist you would like to talk to someone about it. Then when you think you have found one, go for a check-up and see how you like the vet.

What about teaching hospitals? I am in town with the University of Missouri-Columbia vet teaching hospital. I know that they have specialists for orthopedics and such but didn't know if it would be a good option for overall care. This is more frustrating than choosing my own doctor!