My vet said she charges between $300-500 for the procedure. Is this normal cost or way too much. Any low cost clinics or something out there? I live in northern California.

That sounds way out of line for a 6 month old with the testicles descended. $50 or $100 should be more like it. Check around. Maybe talk to the local animal shelter. They will be interested in helping you. Large cities usually have low cost clinics. Can't give you specifics. That price sounds more like what having a cancer removed when he is older if you don't neuter him.

I found as much information as I could for your state and posted it below; at the end of each bit of information is the link for the page I got it from. That is way too high, do not pay that, that vet is going on vacation paid for by you.

If by chance you need more you can respond back here or I can be emailed at this site, I hope it was helpful to you in some way. Sorry guy for the long post


Spay/Neuter Assistance Program
Our Spay/Neuter Assistance Program (SNAP) provides financial aid and advice to Placer County pet owners who need help. The program is funded by the generosity of donors to the program and by grants aimed at bringing an end to pet overpopulation. If you are in need of spay/neuter assistance for your cat or dog, please call our shelter at: (916) 782-SPCA (7722) ext. 201
http://www.placerspca.org/services.htm#snap


Programs that provide low cost or free spay/neuter for cats, listed by state. Some programs work only with pets of people with low incomes. Some do not consider income but serve only pet cats -- or only feral (untame) cats. But other programs serve all kinds of people and cats. We believe the listing details below are correct at this writing, but call the program to be sure.
http://www.lovethatcat.com/spayneuter.html#states

Friends of Placer County Animal Shelter provides vouchers for dog and cat spay/neuter surgery for pets of Placer County residents. A co-payment of $5 for male animals and $10 for female animals is due at the time of surgery. Residents may pick up vouchers at Placer County Animal Services, 11251 B Avenue, Auburn, Tuesday through Friday, 9 to 11 a.m. and Wednesday evening 4:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. or at the Cat Adoption Facility, 11556 D Avenue, Auburn, Monday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. This program will end when funds are gone.


http://www.placer.ca.gov/animal/spayneut.htm

Spay & Neuter Information
One unspayed dog and her offspring can produce 67,000 puppies in six years! Many of these puppies are abandoned, allowed to roam the streets to continue the breeding cycle. Others are left at already overcrowded shelters. Nationally, only 25% of dogs at shelters are adopted. In California, over 250,000 dogs are euthanized each year. Spaying/neutering is a vital step in combating the issue of animal overpopulation and euthanasia.
There are other good reasons for spaying or neutering your dog(s):
1. Prevents prostate and testicular cancer in your male dog.
2. Reduces the rate of uterine and breast cancer (in *****es) when done before the first or second estrus cycle.
3. Prevents Pyometra, a potentially fatal infection of the uterus in female dogs.
4. Reduces inter-male aggression.
5. Reduces dominance aggression towards people.
6. Reduces roaming.
7. Reduces “mounting” behavior and sexual frustration.
For referrals or discount vouchers call:
• Rover Rescue 310-379-0154
• SPAY USA 1-800-248-SPAY (low cost spay/neuter referrals)
• Pet Assistance Foundation 1-877-772-9738
• Animal Birth Control 310-539-3112
• SPCA LA 1-888-772-2521
• L.A. Animal Services 1-888-452-7381

http://www.roverrescue.com/8spayneuter.html

Thanks this was very helpful

Hi,
Just for some added information, the cost for neutering here in our local area, small town, is about $50.
Our local Vet will do it for $20, if one adopts a pet from the local county Animal Shelter. He is great; supporting adopt-a-pet all his life!

As a manager of 3 veterinary hospitals, please understand you will get what you pay for. Low cost generally means higher risk. Your pet will most likely not be given the safest anesthesia, cardiac monitoring, supervised recovery, bloodwork to be sure it's safe to take your pet to surgery, IV fluids for hydration and instant meds should an emergency occur, sterile surgery packs used only once... the list goes on and on. Do your homework, and ask important questions that go beyond price. Yes, $50 to $100 is out there, but be aware of what you're NOT receiving in the process.

Another consideration... pain meds. Many hosptials actually consider this optional, and will charge you "if" you want them given to your pet. So, any fellas or gals out there that have undergone surgery, think of your pet recovering without benefit of pain relief.

Ok this thread hits on something I was wondering.. I'm in canada... I might be adopting a dog.. the requirement is that he be fixed by six months of age and they will refund 100 dollars out of how much it cost to adopt him... How much would it cost to get him fixed before or at 6 months of age?

Although low cost spay/neuter is the cheapest way to go, those types of clinics do an assembly line of spay or neuters in a day. And they fix a ton of a dogs. It is vets who volunteer most of the time, but even the best of the best can make mistakes... One of our adopters adopted a dog on a neuter contract... took the dog to the low cost clinic and the dog ended up dying due to the internal stictches not being closed correctly. He died from internal bleeding. So like pawsnclaws stated... you get what you pay for. However, you can shop around vet clinics and see who has the better price. Some vets are more expensive than others.

Binx... the price is based on how much the dog weighs at the time of th procedure... Every clinic is different... But over 40lbs is usually when it starts to get extremely expensive.

Binx.. talk to the rescue. They will help you find a good clinic that is reasonable in price... Coming from a rescue person, we don't use the most expensive clinic for vet work :)

Oh... and this is an old thread...

Try visiting aahanet.org... that is the site of the American Animal Hospital Association, but I know they cover Canada too. They are the only accrediting body for veterinary hospitals. All 3 of the hospitals I run are accredited, meaning we have met over 900 standards of veterinary excellence from client service to surgical procedures. You should be able to use their search feature to find a reputable hospital near you to price shop a little.

Our price to neuter a dog is $235 USD, and we do give a nice discount if you've done all of your puppy shots with us first. That aside, ask these questions when you call around:

What kind of anesthesia will be used? Make sure your pet will be under general anesthesia, not just sedated.
Will you run pre-anesthetic bloodwork to make sure my pet is fit for surgery? Bloodwork tells the doctor things that they can't see... organ function like liver, kidney, or infection issues that may make surgery a greater risk.
Will you administer IV fluids? This is the best way to give your pet lifesaving drugs should they be needed.
Will someone besides the doctor be monitoring my pet during surgery? A veterinary technician or nurse should be monitoring some kind of cardiac equipment for the safest surgery. We use ECG, get blood pressure and monitor temp,pulse and respiration.
Will someone monitor my pet during recovery? A nurse should be with your pet until their trach tube from the general anesthesia has been removed.
Is pain medication included? Be sure your pet is given pain meds prior to and after the procedure.
Will my pet stay overnight? It is a good idea for the team to see your pet the day after surgery before he/she goes home to be sure they have recovered properly.
Does my pet need to be vaccinated? In the US, rabies, distemper and bordetella are usually required to maintain the safest hospital environment.

Make an impromtu visit as well and ask for a tour. I would steer clear of any facility that doesn't readily take you back to show you around. Is it clean? Does it smell fresh and NOT like animals? The overall state of a hospital speaks volumes about the way your pet will be cared for as well.

Hope this was some useful info for you.

Also... we mask and gown for surgeries, and use a sterile surgical suite for all spays and neuters.

This thread is from 2006. The original poster does not appear to have been back in almost exactly four (4) years.

While older threads are a great way to find information, please, DO NOT respond to them. It causes them to be bumped up above the active threads needing attention. Including more recent ones needing information about spaying and neutering.