Spaying clinics--are they safe??

[beksy]

As you may know, I just got a kitten and its already time to think about spaying! Well, I am also a law student so money is a little tight (ok, its very tight!) but I definitely want to get my Minnie spayed. There is a free clinic here that will spay and neuter for free. Does anyone have experience with these? I don't want to take a chance with Minnie but I also really don't have the extra money for her vet to do it. Are these places safe to use (as safe as the vet) or should I find a way to take her to the vet to be spayed? Any info is appreciated! Thanks! :mickey:

[JanetMegan]

I'm going through the same thing, my local clinic wants $45 which seems cheap but is in my price range...I don't want her to be hurt of course but I'm in the same broke boat as you!

[Stitchahula]

I don't want to scare you but it is a major surgery. I haven't used one but I have heard some not so favorable things about them. See if your vet could maybe do a payment plan for you. Also at at a veternary hospital if something goes wrong god forbid they would be better suited to handle it. Good luck.

[Tick-Tock]

I volunteered with a cat rescue group. The vets working with us for our clinics were the same vets that their clients brought pets to. They had as high standards for their free spays and neuters. I would check out the group that's offering the clinic, but I wouldn't be concerned that free necessarily = poorer quality or more dangerous (obviously, there's always a risk with surgery, but it's pretty low for most cats).

If that particular clinic/group doesn't check out so favorably, contact your local humane society and animal rescue groups. They may have recommendations for other low-cost or no-cost options.

[RenDuran]

The only thing that has ever held me back from using the local low-cost spay/neuter group is I'm not sure who is handling my pets. The one in our town requires that you drop off your pet the night before and then they're transported by the local shelter to where the surgery is done. Having worked in a shelter and in a vet clinic, I wasn't sure I wanted people handling my pets that I'd never met before...not everyone that works with animals is good with them, unfortunately. I've known a few people that have used the low-cost option and they've been happy.

Recently I had success with asking a vet, not my regular vet but one that had done extensive surgery on one of my dog's years ago, what their lowest price would be on a spay. It was half what my regular vet was charging. They even included more care, so going to them was a total no-brainer!

[PlutoLVT]

Just ask a lot of questions before you leave you cat for surgery. A spay clinic may not run preanesthetic labwork or provide as much pain management as your normal vet. As far as the actual surgery everything should be about the same.

[azdisneymom]

Think about it - a clinic does dozens of surgeries a week where as the vet may only do few. If you were having surgery you would want to go to dr. who has the most experience. Go to a a clinic with a good reputation.

We took our 5 month old rottie to a clinic and were quite pleased with the results. A few other friends who go to the same dog park as us used this clinic and they too were happy. The biggest difference between our vet and the clinic, besides price, was the vet used a laser to do the surgery and dissolving sutures;' the clinic did conventional surgery and we had to return to have the stitchs removed.

[TinkerbellT421]

All I can tell you is after taking my baby's to the local aspca clinic which did the spays for $45 I swore I will never do that again. It was a horrible experience for me and I swore next time I will bite the bullett and go to my vat next time no matter how much it costs. My vet was devastated and so was I after what happened to my cat. The place was dirty and unkept and not clean and safe which i did not know until after the fact. And yes the "vets" they have are "professional" and well-known usually but even at that I was so upset with the vet and the situation in general. I agree with a PP that you do your research well before you just drop them off for that. But in my experience I will never do it again. AGAIN that my opinion.

Heres my story:
I brought my cats to the local ASPCA clcinic seeing I saved both of my cats from going to the pound yada yada...I bring them there after doing research on the vet...couldnt find anything about her in regards to the ASPCA clinic but found a lot about her at her own local vets office. Seemed good...Well she was not a nice person and neither were anyone in the office. I was very upset about that as it was...this I did not know until I had already paid...you pay upfront before the surgery and before you drop off your animals...no refunds if you cancel....go figure...well in the waiting room there were FLYS EVERYWHERE!!!! My mother was swatting them and killing them with her key lanyard....I'm not lying if there wasnt a hundred flies there wasnt one! So I freaked out...Flys are the dirtiest insects...Im sure everyone knows what flys do...well I asked where the surgery takes place and that I wanted to see it....If there were flys I was walking out! Well the girl not so nicely rolled her eyes and said its not in here its in the office out in the back (there was a small shed type building behind the dog kennels)...I asked to see it and she said no that I was not able to until I picked up the girls...well to try and make a long story short....Against my better judgement I left them there...and I kicked myself for a year after that...I pick up my girls after the surgery...everthing seemed ok took them a week to get back to normal and my biggest one was doing so well....acting sick and not happy and very lethargic...well the day she started acting like that I checked her stitches and I broke down! She was wide open! I could see through to her insides! I took a nervous breakdown rushed her to the emergency vet....well 800.00 later and her second surgery...it was an infection absess that caused her to not heal...she was in apain for days...coming to find out...that place goes through that all the time...I swore after that I am biting the bullett and going to the vets office....caused me 5 times as much as if I just did that from the beginning...oh yea and the infection abessess was caused by the flies...when i picked them up after the surgery the shed area was full of flies as well on the inside!!! Any "good vet" or professional I don't feel would have that....but again they are "volunteering" their time so I dont feel she was giving as much care as she would have if I had brought her to her vet office and was paying top dollar...so I think thats just carelessness and not caring...and not to mention the "pro-vet" had attitude with me when I picked them up! I was so upset...but thats just my experience Im not saying everyone or everywhere is like that...I just wish I would have researched more and just bit the bullett and did it right....I never forgave myself for that experience my poor cats went through...:(

[azdisneymom]

Tinkerbell247 - I am so sorry you had such an awful experience. I hope your girls did not suffer any permanent harm. I think I would have made the clinic pay for the second surgery.

[Dulcee]

It depends on the clinic and the vet in that day. I work in a vets office and have sat in on numerous spay/neuter procedures that were charged through our office and others that are part of a local clinic. My dog was spayed at a clinic that was staffed on different days by different vets from the area who voluntered their time. The two big differences of going to clinics versus your local vet office is that most clinics still use stiches that need to be removed and your pet may not recieve post operative pain meds aside from whats given immediatly after surgery. Both of these are very managable differences if your willing to keep a close eye on your kitten for a few days following surgery.

While there are the horror stories most vets are doing what they do because they honestly love and care about every animal that passes through their practice. Do a little research into the clinic. A great way is to call some of the local vets. During slow times you may find one willing to tell you their honest opinion about it. Any surgery, even one as routine as spaying, is stressful for you and your pet so don't feel pressed to make a decision until your 100% comfortable with it.

One other suggestion, if you ask some vets will allow for a payment plan. Bottom line, vets want to see your pet fixed so most will try to work something out with you.

Good Luck!

[TinkerbellT421]

Tinkerbell247 - I am so sorry you had such an awful experience. I hope your girls did not suffer any permanent harm. I think I would have made the clinic pay for the second surgery.

thank you...No premanent damaged except now she has a big belly where the muscles just didnt have time to heal from the first time cutting thru then had to have a bigger surgery in the same spot so she never really "healed" completely. Shes not in pain, just everyone thinks shes fat...:mad: Though she is a big cat! lol...big in general shes about a foot tall and about two feet long...and 23 pounds...shes big in general shes part maine coon which is a big cat...I tried to make them pay but they said I "signed a waiver" and it wasnt "their responsibilty" and I was pretty much on my own and a "oh well" from one of the workers there...needless to say Im bitter..bitter about "clinics" in general....But thats just my bad experience...some people could have been there the same day and raved about them...its all on personal opinion, preference, and all-over experience...Again, do ALOT OF RESEARCH before you just throw your cat in there...I wish I did...I would do things totally different now.