Veterinary Surgery

Veterinary surgery is one of my favorite areas of medicine. We get calls every day about how much surgery costs. Unfortunately, most of the time the answer is “it depends.” Why? Well, there are a number of factors that must be considered such as whether it is an emergency procedure, whether you’re at a veterinary specialty hospital versus a general practitioner, the complexity of the procedure at hand and the standard procedures used at a particular clinic.
For example, with a dental procedure, it depends on how diseased the teeth are, how many surgical extractions are required and how long it takes. A simple extraction is much different than a complex fractured tooth that needs an x-ray, drilling and a gum flap to close the hole left after removing the tooth.
What about routine surgeries like spays and neuters? Why are prices so different when clients call for estimates at different veterinary locations? Be sure when you call that you are comparing apples to apples. Someone who calls our hospital and asks the price of a spay will get the price for pre-anesthetic bloodwork, IV catheter, IV fluids during surgery, a sterile surgical suite and a dedicated anesthesiologist responsible for monitoring that dog or cat the entire time. We give pain medications before, during and after the procedure. That is our standard and not all clinics do the same. We do not allow owners to opt out of pain medications or full anesthesia if needed. We do what is best for the animal.
So if your pet needs a dental procedure or a mass removal, schedule an appointment with your veterinarian. They will give you an estimate for the most comprehensive surgical plan and explain why and how they will treat your pet like their own.
Stevenson Ranch Veterinary Center is located at 25832 Hemingway Ave. in Santa Clarita. For more information, please call 661-799-0655 and visit www.srvc.com.