Rabbit Spaying and Hidden Costs

[Small Presents]

I am writing in this forum because I am feeling frustrated and trying to find a solution/hoping others can relate. 

So after a six plus year hiatus of no bunnies.  I decided to adopt a 9 week old female rabbit called, “Frankie, the other woman”. I don’t have the vet connections I used to have in Arizona because now I live in New York (the armpit).  I remember having a rabbit fixed cost no more than $250 and that was considered very expensive.  Recently for Frankie’s first checkup I was told $425.  I was upset about the price, but after some ‘research’ that seem to be a common number I heard. 

Then I got that call the day before Frankie’s surgery.  Low and behold the cost suddenly rose to $524 to $602 (“depending on what they need to do&rdquo.  Besides feeling woozy hearing these numbers be almost the cost of rent, I was more uncomfortable with the change of costs from what I was originally told. 

I have been trying to find sanctuaries or an affordable neuter and spay clinic with no luck.  Maybe I am looking in the wrong places?  I have no idea what to do.  I also looked into pet insurance and found out spaying is considered an ‘optional’ surgery.  I know about care credit, but I still be paying the same amount which the Rabbit Society doesn’t even list these kind of numbers. 

Basically I want to ask if anyone in Upstate/Western New York know of affordable/competent neutering/spaying clinics for rabbits?

I also want to express that maybe if there was affordable procedures for rabbits, there wouldn’t had been such an influx of rabbits up for adoption at petsmart (not fixed by the way).  I should had known better, and believe me, I will do right by Frankie, but these costs make me sick.  I have begun to think ill of SNAP the people who have these rabbits up for adoption.  Maybe, this is my calling to organize a rabbit sanctuary in Upstate/Western New York?   /rant

[Deleted User]

My boys were both neutered for $350 each, and I live in Boston, so I 100% understand your frustration. I think a lot of it has to do with living near bigger cities/ being in the northeast? I know people in the south have had their buns altered for $85-150. You could check MSPCA hospitals, I know some of them will have payment plans of low cost options.

Is your girl going to be getting any overnight time at the vet? That’s why mine was so costly, the vet watched them for the first 36 hours. They were also given painkillers and antibiotics.

[Deleted User]

Part of what you might be feeling is how much more expensive everything is in the Northeast.

$425+ sounds pretty typical to me. Did your vet provide a breakdown of the costs? Both my primary care vet and the specialist surgeon I’ve worked with give a bare minimum estimate and a high estimate that takes into account anything that could increase the cost, like additional time in surgery, overnight hospitalization, etc.

Spays for cats and dogs can be done for very low cost for a number of reasons, not least of which is just that they’re more common, and the surgery itself is less involved. Veterinary medicine is at the point where you can basically have the same success rate doing cats and dogs in a Spaymobile in a parking lot as you would at a top-of-the-line hospital. Unfortunately, rabbits need to be seen by exotics specialists, and low-cost spay and neuter clinics for rabbits haven’t really proliferated. There are some but they aren’t common.

I wouldn’t blame the vets for the high number of abandoned rabbits. That’s 100% on irresponsible owners and “breeders.”

But I do feel your pain about the cost of vet care for rabbits. I just spent several thousand on the most expensive “free” rabbit I’ve ever had.

[sarahthegemini]

Expensive spays are not the reason that so many bunnies get dumped. It’s irresponsible idiots that don’t do their research that are to blame.

[Tay]

I paid about $300 for a spay in CT, but was quoted anywhere from $275-450 depending on whether or not anything went wrong, whether or not we did blood work, etc. Her spay went pretty routinely, so I paid the lower end. Maybe also ask if followups are included should you need them? Charlie had to go back to the vet for the 3 days after her spay because she wouldn’t eat and they wanted to see her, so that was an extra 3 visits and a top off on more meds. I didn’t pay a penny for any of the three extra appointments, so I was happy to pay the $300 and have all of that included.
It’s rough, it is really expensive so I totally understand where you’re coming from. The best thing you can do is call around and go with the best vet and best price you can find in combination. Good Luck!

[bonnie_bunny]

I don’t know how much of a hike it is for you, but my bunny is being spayed on Thursday in the Potsdam/Ogdensburg area. I was quoted a base price of $155 by a vet at a clinic nearby. At first the low price and the fact that it was actually the cat price scared me, but she has done a bunch of neuters and spays in the past months (2-3 every other week was the number I think) and she’s also owned rabbits for a decade or so. I feel your frustration though. I’m from Vermont and the vet there quoted me a minimum of $250 with it more likely getting over $300. I will absolutely fork over the cash to make sure my little Bonnie stays cancer and “oops” litter free, but I think the vet she’s going to, though cheaper, is well versed in bunny care and bunny surgery. I don’t know what the policy is on naming vet clinics in posts and if it’s considered product/service promotion, but if you want the name of the clinic you can message me.

[Mikey]

I think youre looking in the wrong area. I think BonnieBunny has great advice on where to look and what to look for

Im outside of Chicago and all three of my boys’ neuters costed 250$ – 300$ (covers pre visit check over, pre surgery blood work, after care pain killers, two week after check up) each. My vet does spays for the same price. Of course, theyll charge more if an emergency happens, but they also require you to sign a paper first (it states what counts as an emergency, what will be used to fix these emergencies, the price for each individual item/medication that might be used, etc). I believe it also states that if an emergency happens, theyll do payment plans until it is paid off, if the owner cant pay right after the surgery.

[Author]

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