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Why do vets add extra costs for dog neuter surgery? Is it normal?

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Parson Russell Terrier | Male | neutered | 6 months and 5 days old | 19 lbs

We recently had our dog neutered. On the telephone the vet's office said the cost would be around $180, but when we arrived. I was presented a list of options for an IV to administer meds during the operation ($60), Pre-op blood work to make sure there were no illnesses that prohibited the surgery ($60), a CBC ($40), and a few other medical choices. Why ask a customer to make medical decisions. Why not do the procedure properly and charge an appropriate fee. Is this common practice?

1 Answer

Most Helpful Answer

Answered By Dr. Melanie, BVSc MS

Veterinarian

Published on April 20th, 2018

You have a good question! It is common practice to offer this to clients. The options your clinic gave you are best practice, and there are owners who refuse to do things like pre-op bloods because they don't want to spend the money. You are correct that doing this is part of doing the procedure properly, but unfortunately there are clients who want the cheapest option possible, meaning things like a pre-ob bloodwork and CBC are left out. Those owners are warned of the risk of not doing them, and they have to sign the estimate saying they refuse those tests. It would be nice if everyone would follow best practice options, but I'm sad to say it frequently doesn't happen. Good on you for wanting best practice for Spot! I hope this helps answer your question.

1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

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