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Questions and Answers
Question:
I have a question about the Low cost Spay and Neuter Clinics, I have a small Dachshund approx 5 lbs female and we are looking into getting her spayed, I want the best for her but the price difference is quit large. Do you recommend these clinics? Thanks for your time.
Answer:
Thanks for your question. I do not know which particular clinic you are talking about but I have had contact over the years with several low cost spay-neuter facilities and theyhave all beenvery similar.
Let's talk first about what you get for your dollars at our facility. Care Animal Hospital has a surgical suite that was designed to be used for surgery. It has positive pressure ventilation, which means that no air is mixed with the rest of the building for sterility. Each animal is examined prior to anesthesia and laboratory tests are run to ensure normal organ function.Pain medications are given to ensure that pain is controlled by the time the procedure is complete. We place an IV catheter to give access for drugs or fluids in case an emergency arises during or after the procedure. Each animal is intubated (an airway is placed) and is maintained on Sevoflurane gas anesthesia. Sevoflurane is the safest gas anesthesia available -- even for people. The patient is placedon a device that monitors blood pressure, oxygen level, heart rate, EKG, respiration and body temperature during the procedure that is performed on aheated surgery table. During recovery the patient is closely watched by a veterinary assistant and is wrapped in blankets to keep him/her warm and comfortable.Each patient goes home with pain control medicationfor several days.
Obviously all of this takes time and a number of staff to accomplish... hence the higher cost. I do not look at this as a commodity that you should pick based on price, this is your pet and you should pick a practice that is committed to making the procedure as safe and comfortable as possible.
If we assume that this is a typical spay neuter clinic, then they will do 30 procedures on the day that your dog is done (one in Indianapolis does 80 to 100 per day according to the Indianapolis Star). If you just think about the amount of time that will be spent with each animal if they are doing that many you know that they cannot be doing all thatneeds to be done for a safe outcome. If they are doing 30 procedures, this allows 16 minutes per animal -- with no breaks, over an 8 hour day. I just ask myself (and so should you) how good of job can they possiblybe doing? It takes longer than 16 minutes just to properly shave and scrub for a spay!
In short, NO. I do not recommend these places. They are not practicing medicine, they are running an assembly line.
Lastly, we do see patients from these facilities frequently after their surgery and have to step in to treat pain, infection and replace sutures -- all problems that can occur with surgery done anywhere but we see many more from low cost practices.
Bottom line: You get what you pay for.
Question:
For the past two months my one year old Siamese-mix has been whining and misbehaving every night. He jumps up on my bedside table, chest of drawers, paws the pictures above my bed, and paws at the walls. The worst thing is the whining. I've tried using a water bottle, a firm "No" and shutting him our of the room, but the whining continues. I also have a 2 year old female Ragdoll, but they get along most of the time. They always have clean litter, food, water, and they get treats before bedtime and in the morning. I am single and live alone so they get a lot of attention in the evenings. I live in an apartment and I'm afraid that with all the whining going on every night all night that someone is going to complain about the noise. During the evenings and days that I'm home he seems fine, it's just at night that he does this.
Answer:
Cats are nocturnal creatures and will often be more active as we are trying to sleep. In particular, intact male cats often become active and vocal at night to claim territory and attract females. If your cat is not neutered, having the surgery done may help him to be more relaxed at night. If he has already been neutered, I would try to find a couple of toys that he really likes playing with and only putting them out at night. This may distract him and eliminate some of the unwanted behavior. You may also consider training him to walk on a leash and harness so that he can experience the outdoors. If all of these options do not produce the desired results, behavior modification medications may be in order.
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