Cost Versus Value

Why does the cost of having your pet desexed vary so much between clinics? After all, isn’t it the same no matter where it gets done? There are actually a lot of reasons why the prices vary from clinic to clinic.

The first thing to check when asking for a price is what’s included. We believe that when you get a price, it should include everything your pet needs. The price we give people includes everything including the surgery, a collar to stop them licking the wound, and pain killers to go home with. Some clinics will give you a lower price when you phone for a quote, but don’t include things like pain killers. We don’t see pain relief as an “optional extra”, so it’s included in the price we give.

A recent study from Murdoch University has shown that 85%of dogs undergoing routine desexing will experience low blood pressure (hypotension). This hypotension increases the risk of major organ damage, as well as leading to a slower recovery, delayed wound healing and an increased risk of post-operative infections. Based on these results, we have decided that all dogs and cats undergoing anaesthesia at the Bunbury Vet Clinic will have intravenous fluids administered to help prevent this hypotension.

The level of anaesthetic monitoring and intraoperative care also varies considerably. All animals undergoing anaesthesia at the Bunbury Vet Clinic are placed on a heating mat or warm air blanket for the surgery and recovery, and undergo continuous monitoring of blood oxygen levels. For animals undergoing major surgery we will also use our state of the art Surgivet monitoring machine. This allows us to run a continuous ECG of the heart, monitor core body temperature and even measure the amount of CO2 in the animal’s breath so we can gauge the animal’s respiration and metabolism. This level of monitoring allows us to recognise very early signs of problems with the animal and take corrective actions, massively increasing the safety of our anaesthetics.

The skill and experience of the staff also varies between clinics. All our vets have over 12 years experience, and our vet nurses are all fully qualified and experienced. Many vet clinics have less experienced staff, and many of their “nurses” may not actually be qualified.

When you compare prices for a procedure, ensure you are comparing apples with apples. What might seem more expensive may actually be better value.