What are the differences between Low Cost and regular priced dog and cat spay/neuter?
Last week we discussed how $60 spay is impossible and a ploy to fool you.
Veterinarians in Markham encourage you to do your research. We, at the Animal Hospital of Unionville, one of the oldest established veterinary clinics in Markham, have compiled a list of 14 questions every pet owner needs to know before booking a surgery appointment for their dog or cat. We love animals through and through. Our job is to inform and educate pet owners to facilitate their decision-making. Animals need our and your protection. Only when you have the right information and take the right action, can you give your pet optimal health.
In this series we hope to educate every pet owner about 14 important details you need to know before submitting your pet to any surgery.
1. Do you get to meet the veterinarian who does the surgery and is s/he available for you after the surgery? (Not quite as obvious at it seems…)
You would like to meet the particular doctor who performs the surgery on your dog or cat, but this may not be always the case. We and the vets in Markham feel it is important that you know who is taking care of your loved one and that you have contact with him or her. Surgeon’s time is valuable however, and speaking to clients does not generate revenue. So, for low cost surgeries and high volume pricing structures, the surgeon is often kept in the operating room and away from the family who entrusts their pet to him/her.
2. What level of license does the veterinary surgeon have? (Now it gets interesting…)
In Ontario, there are different levels of veterinary licenses. (click here) Most practitioners hold a general license. However restricted licenses are created to enable veterinarians who have not completed their accreditation in Canada to practice in private clinics under the supervision of a general licence holder. The level of supervision ranges from immediate, to direct, to indirect. A facility could very well have only one veterinarian on staff with a general license, who supervises a team of restricted license holders in the surgery room. In certain circumstances, the general license holder may not even be in the hospital at the time of the surgery. This is an important question to ask.
3. What happens after the surgery? How long will my pet be attended to?
The hours following a surgery and anesthesia are most critical. Some animal hospitals close at 5 pm and send the freshly operated patients home, while they are still under some effects of the anesthesia and leave the owner in charge of the recovery. Their rationale is correct: “The owner can watch their pet better than we can, because we are all going home and there is no-one to watch the pet.” We feel that this is very inappropriate. Things can go wrong and you shouldn’t be alone at home worrying what to do with your pooch, if something doesn’t seem right. We only schedule surgeries in the morning, and we have staff on site until late at night so that your pooch is fully recovered before we call it a night. We have seen too many dogs and cats who have had to go to the after hours emergency clinic after being sent home too early.
Stay tuned to learn what else you NEED TO KNOW about cheap dog or cat neuter or spay services.
Sincerely,
Dr. Ernst Marsig, veterinarian in Markham
Practicing Veterinary Medicine in Markham for a Long and Happy Life of ALL Your Pets.
Animal Hospital of Unionville, a veterinary clinic on the north side of Hwy 7, serving all pets in Markham, Richmond Hill, Scarborough, Stouffville, and North York since 1966. We are your family vets for dogs, cats, pocket pets (rabbits, chinchillas, gerbils, mice, rats, hamsters, guinea pigs, skinny pigs, etc.), ferrets, and birds (budgies, cockatiel, parrots, amazon, cockatoo, love birds, conures, African greys, finches, canaries, etc.).
Disclaimer: No part of this website constitutes medical advice. Readers are advised to consult with their veterinarian.
