Conference misery::feline

    1-800-321-PETS is one of the low cost spay assistance groups, approx.
    $30 last time I checked....
    
    

    Often the local animal shelter has a low cost spay and neuter program,
    or knows of one.
    

    I just called 1-800-321-PETS and they will be sending out information
    on Low cost.  Also I'll try the shelters too. I just brought my kitten
    to Woburn animal hospital and was quoted a price of $101 which
    I thought was a bit too much.  
    
    Thanks for your help.
    
    Anila
    
    

> 1-800-321-PETS is one of the low cost spay assistance groups, approx.
> $30 last time I checked....

	This group is the "Friends of Animals" group FWIW (I just was looking
	in topic 9 for the FoA telephone number to post here and noticed
	it's the same as the one posted in .1 :-).

	$30 sounds right for a male, a female is more than that I believe
	but don't quote me ....

    I had my male kitten neutered in May. It cost $50 at the Shrewsbury
    Animal hospital.
    
                                     Alice
    

    $101 does seem like a lot to me, too.  When I had Tigger done, a couple
    of years ago, I paid $80 or $85 for neutering and shots both.
    
    Marilyn

    
    I had a female kitten done in May, $70 at Bulgers in N.Andover,
    shots not included. Their prices are slighty higher (5 - 10%) 
    than some other towns, but they are within walking distance for me,
    so I'll pay more to not have to listen to my cats howl in the car.
    
    Eva

    Thanks for your responses.  I am still waiting to get something in the
    mail from the number I called - 1-800-321-PETS.  People have told me
    that its not expensive for male kittens for neutering.  
    
    Anila
    
    

We charge $45 where I work. If you discount the plucking of the fur from the
testicles, it's probably about a 3-minute operation, and once you get to be a
good plucker it adds only another minute or two..

						Trace-the-plucker

     $45 seems better than $101.  Where do you work?  Maybe I should try
    your place.  Let me know..
    
    thanks,
    
    

    Plucking the fur?  Ouch, ouch.
    

  Which is good when you consider how it's gotta feel, especially when the
plucker gets just a bit to close and grabs a fingerful of scrotum for the pull.
Of course, sometimes the animal gets to dish out a bit of discomfort, too - Came
home last night with nice heavy dog scratches on my neck, ribs, arm, two bloody
fingers (still bandaid-ed - wasn't interested in surveying the damage this
morning), and a ruined shirt.
I work at the Animal Hospital of Nashua, just off Route 3 at exit 5E. No matter
where you live, if there are several vets in the area they probably all tend to
have a pretty good idea how much each other charges for basic services - most of
us survey prices from time to time in order to stay competitive. Of course,
clients don't always do that so sometimes people end up going to more expensive
places. But if you like the vets/services there, that's important too. We have
people call all the time checking things like prices on things like spay/neuter,
Program, heartworm tests/preventative, dentistry, etc. At $100+, I'd be willing
to bet that you could make a couple of phone calls and find a lower price
somewhere nearby.


						Trace

    I received my booklet from Friends of Animals and I have called couple
    of places in Woburn/Billerica area.  I did get different prices for
    male kittens.  I called Adams Animal clinic in Woburn and the price
    was $39 and the Billerica Animal price was $30 and McGrath just quoted
    what the certificate would be which is  $25.00 for male and $39.00 for
    female.  I have to mail in my money for certifcate which is good for 
    6 months.  I have to wait till my kitty is 7 months old..
    
    Thanks for all your help.  I really like these conference.  Very useful
    with all information.
    
    Anila
    
    

  I'd just like to add a slightly different perspective on the cost of spay/
neuter.  Sometimes just comparing the price for one procedure doesn't give you
an accurate picture of the cost, over time, of using the same vet.  I had 3 
kittens spayed/neutered last fall and the cost averaged out to about $75.00 
each.  This included full blood work and an overnight stay (my boy didn't have
to spend the night, but since he'd never been separated from his sister, they
kept him too).  It also included a multi-cat discount, which was the same 
discount they offered to anyone on their kitten plan.  The kitten plan covers
all normal tests and vaccinations for the first year for half the cost of 
per-visit charges.

Averaging out the cost of owning an animal through them is probably not that 
far off from other vets in the area, and I like having a continuous relation-
ship with someone who knows my animals.  Cheaper isn't always better.

			SQ

    also, some vets will insist on shots at the time of neutering (assuming
    they haven't had the shots). By this I mean rabies (which any cat > 6
    months old must leagally have in Massachusetts), and the 3-in-one.
    
    Deb
    

         Yesterday I had my newly adopted 3 year old cat spayed at Bulger 
    Animal Hospital and the bill was $87.00.
    
    Wendy
    

    
    
    I used Bulgers Animal Hospital for 8 years, untill I moved to the 
    seacoast and had to find some place closer. I noticed then that 
    their prices were always a tad higher than other Vets. But I 
    still used them 'cause I liked the place, and the vets there. 
    
    Shaw 

    
    I just dropped off Sundance last night at Central in Leominster and it
    will cost $32.
    
    Ann
    

    Had Bits neutered over the week-end, I had expected it to cost a lot
    more than it did.
    The Doctor told me it cost $70.00 but because of having to leave home
    early in the morning and not getting home until late in the evening, I
    had to drop him off on thursday evening and pick him up on Saturday
    morning, I thought I would be charged extra because of the length of
    time he was there but no, I was only charged the $70.00 plus tax.
    
    This was nice as I have heard some horror stories from others in the
    office about how much it cost them.
    
    Of-course this was just for this one item, it has cost me $50.00 a
    month for the last 5 months for all his shots (Phew, what a relief)
    when the Doctor told me "Unless he does something stupid, I don't need
    to see him for a year"
    
    But it's great having a kitten around the house again, even if we have
    to buy a new sofa.
    
    
    joan
    
    

    I had started this question about neutering and got all kinds of
    responses.  I am having my kitten neutered on Saturday and I got
    my certificate from Friends of Animal for $25.00 which is great. 
    They will not charge anything extra since he is up to date on
    shots.  
    
    I will be taking kittie to the Adams hospital in Woburn. I don'
    t know much about that hospital but for shots and check up I am
    using Woburn Animal Hospital which is close to where I live.  
    
    Thank you everyone for your responses.
    
    
    

    We are running into the problem of needing shots before spaying as pointed
    out in response .15.
    
    My wife (not a vet) gave our six-month-old female her shots several
    weeks ago.  Now, several vets we have called insist on re-giving the
    rabies and 3-in-1 again without some kind of "proof".
    
    Does anybody know of a vet who will do the spaying with minimal proof
    of having the shots?  We just do not want to have the cat go receive
    all those shots again.
    
    -- Bob

    without proof, you won't get a vet to do the spay in MA. It is a law.
    
    If your wife gave the cats the shots, does she have the reciept from
    the vaccine?
    
    Deb

    I didn't think we (non vets) could even get the Rabie Vaccine???
    I do know many people who give their cats their own booster vaccines.
    My guess is...your vet is requesting the proof for the Rabie
    shot, because as Deb says...It's the law.
    
    Sandy

    sandy,
    
    you can get the vaccines via mail order without a prescription. The
    catch is that you need a prescrption to get the syringes.
    
    Deb

    Out here in CA, I buy Sweetie's insulin syringes just by asking
    for them at a drugstore.  I haven't ever been asked for
    a prescription.
    

    Deb..wow, I knew you could get boosters stuff via the
    catalogs without a prescription...BUT I didn't think you
    could get the rabies vaccine.  
    
    KAren..I had to laugh.  In Ma. you don't need a prescription
    for the insulin..but you do for the syringes.  I thought that
    was rather odd!!! 
    
    Sandy
    

    Sandy,
    
    That's because you can only do one thing with Insulin but the syringes
    can be used for other drugs.  It's the same way in NH.  I'm surprised
    that CA allows purchasing needles without a prescription.  Maybe if the
    insulin is purchased there too it's assumed that's what the needles are
    for?
    
    Linda

    Well, after calling around we found that without the recepit the cat is
    going to have another rabies shot but the doctor will not require any
    other shots.
    
    Vaccine for rabies is getting very hard to find by mail order now -- 
    several years ago most of the mail-order catalogs supplied it.
    
     --B

    Karen, I can't get over that you can get needles that easily.
    
    I got such a hard time at Walgreen's when I went to purchase
    insulin needles because the prescription was from a vet. I pharmasist
    was asking why I just didn't bring the cat to the vet to get the shot,
    (right, twice a day), what did the at need insulin for, etc. and he
    wasn't just being curious. Then called the vet!!! I made it plain I was in
    a hurry and he said he was "just being carefull". I came d*mn close to
    telling him I was going to fill the needles with herion and distribute
    them at the local grade school. 
    
    Needless to say, Walgreen's hasn't gotten a dime of my money since
    then. 
    
    In fact my vet, who is diabetic, went to the CVS across the street
    from his clinic with a prescription from his doctor for *his* syringes,
    and a prescription he wrote for his dog (also diabetic), and another
    prescription for a dog that he was stablizing in his clinic. That
    pharmasist gave him a hard time with questions ranging from why doesn't
    he just write his own prescriptions for his own needles (that would be
    illegal for him to prescibe them for a human), to are the needles for "him"
    really for the dog and is he just trying to beat his insurance company,
    etc.  He had a much more colorful comment that he wanted to make to the
    pharmasist, but it is something that I couldn't write in a notes file.
    
    Deb

    Continuing this semi-rathole :-)  All I have to do is sign
    some book and show id when I buy the syringes.  They don't blink an eye
    at Long's (a chain here, dunno if it's back East.)  The only
    place I've been "interrogated" is the local pharmacy;  that's the
    same place where the pharmacist refused to give me the medical
    information sheet (the thing that lists side effects, etc.)
    with a prescription for me once, unless I had the
    doctor call them and okay it (patronizing &&^&%%$s, I think they
    are actually required by law to hand out that information.)