Expert: Ali - 8/14/2009

Question
Hi Ali, I read in this post http://en.allexperts.com/q/Cats-1606/2009/5/Cat-pregnancy-16.htm towards the bottom regarding spaying, we've been wanting to get our cat, Maiko, spayed for a little while now due to future concerns with pyometra, however my vet is saying that since she is a bit older (about a year and a half now) that spaying will run up over $300 and myself and my girlfriend are not able to afford that. I was wondering if you had anything in your list of resources in the Peterborough/Kawartha Lakes, Ontario area that could help in getting her spayed.

Thank you very much for any help you are able to provide us,
Chris & Season

Answer
Chris & Season,

As far as I know spay costs really don't depend on age, it's all about weight because the heavier an animal is the more anesthetic s/he needs. Most vets inject cats with a sedative and narcotic pain reliever prior to surgery, then the cat is intubated and placed on isofluorane gas which is one of the safest anesthetics currently available. Provided that Maiko isn't pregnant or in heat the cost of her spay should be based on her weight.

Some communities have more resources than others when it comes to spay/neuter clinics, subsidized or non profit veterinary clinics. I'm not entirely sure that there are even any veterinary hospitals directly in your area since none came up when I did a specific online search for vet clinics in Peterborough. I did an online search for local resources to help with the cost of getting Maiko spayed and I came across the name of a vet hospital that's not far from the vet clinic we've dealt with for years. Our veterinarian is an absolutely fantastic holistic vet, the cost of care is lower than clinics in our immediate area and the standard of care is top notch - I would recommend Dr. McEwan without hesitation. I'd recommend that you go ahead and contact Carleton Place Veterinary Hospital, find out about getting in to see Dr. McEwan, and ask if the clinic staff are aware of any resources in the general area that may help to cover the cost of Maiko's spay. Generally the staff at Carleton Place Veterinary Hospital are well informed when it comes to local resources. In the event that there aren't any local resources out there I'd recommend that you consider opening an account with the vet clinic and putting a few dollars a week on the account until you've reached the total needed for Maiko's spay, these folks are pretty good about stuff like that. As far as I'm concerned the drive will be well worth it when you go to see Dr. McEwan, I've never met another vet like her and she's always been absolutely fantastic with my animals. I also really appreciate the fact that the doctor takes a holistic approach when it comes to treating medical/behavioral issues whenever appropriate. If you still don't have much in the way of luck finding a solution to the financial issues that go along with having Maiko spayed I'd suggest contacting me again, I'll keep digging to see if I find anything helpful in the meantime.