Hi Everyone,

I have a 8 y.o. chihuahua that has a granular breast tumor that needs to be removed (less than 3 cm, right breast closest to her armpit).

The dog is intact, has never been bred, never exhibited false pregnancy. The vet also recommends removing her uterus while under anesthesia for the tumor removal.

The vet wants about $1,200-$1,500 for the spay and lumpectomy; this quote includes x-rays, blood work, catheter, fluids, etc. A whole slew of stuff that I'm not convinced are necessary.

Don't get me wrong, my family loves this dog but I got laid off last November and can't afford $1,200+ in surgery right now.

So I was calling around for other quotes and one place indicated an extra charge for a friable uterus simply because the dog was 8 years old (having never seen the dog). Is this true?

I'm seriously considering the spay just because she'll already be under and to eliminate the chance of pyometra (vets saying her likelihood of pyometra increases w/ age - is this true?)

I'm leery and trying to do my homework - about 10 years ago with another intact female I had, I went to an emergency clinic as the dog appeared to have abdominal pain. X-rays showed an obstruction in her bowels, and an enema cleared the problem right up. Dog had no symptoms of pyometra, but the vet wanted to emergency spay her for - get this - $1,000! I questioned the vet as to why so much when other places will do it for a couple hundred bucks. Her response to me was "you get what you pay for". I asked her so all the vets that don't charge $1,000 to spay a dog are quacks? to which she had no answer.

So - to recap:

Does my current 8 yo ankle-biter have a friable uterus simply because she's older?

Vets say she needs all the blood work, catheter, etc. for her safety as an older dog (she's very health other than the tumor - acts like a puppy).

If I leave her intact, is there increased chance of pyometra as she ages?

Any other thoughts you guys may have would be appreciated.

Thanks for reading my long post.

Roz.

Roz, you can get her spayed at almost no cost:
http://www.snap-sandiego.org/spay_neuter_resources.php

Aaron,

Thanks for the link. I'm aware of several low cost spay options here in San Diego (already have my $50 rebate voucher from animal control).

The problem is - the vets are wanting to do a lot of "add ons" claiming necessity due to the dog's age. Plus I need the lumpectomy.

If I only needed her spayed, it would cost me less than $50 with the San Diego programs. It just seems like the vets are trying to get the money out of my one way or the other.

Roz.

Get her spayed, and then take her for the lumpectomy separately.
Its certainly better than letting her die, because you cannot afford the price the Vet quoted you.

I can speak to one part of the questions:

Anesthesia "add-ons" like a dedicated anesthesiologist (whose only duty is monitoring/administering anesthesia), pre-procedure bloodwork, and having a catheter in place throughout are, IMO, very important and worth every cent, particularly with a senior or a bracheocephalic dog. I'd go for every single one of them with any of my dogs having anesthesia, though, including the younger healthy ones.

One example: sudden loss of blood pressure during the procedure is not when I want the vets to be trying to get a catheter in place.


ETA This doesn't mean I don't understand that money often has to play a big role. I get it, 100%. We do what we can do.



Edited by Connie Sutherland (07/19/2010 03:06 PM)
Edit reason: eta

 Quote: Roz Kovacs

$1,200-$1,500 for the spay and lumpectomy; this quote includes x-rays, blood work, catheter, fluids, etc.

does not seem excessive for this kind of procedure. 2 separate surgeries on a senior over a short period of time might turn out to be more expensive at the end, besides, it would be double the risk.

Aaron,

I'm not understanding - what's she dying of? The spay is the add-on procedure to the lumpectomy.

I just re-read my original post and see it's not very clear. The dog HAS NOT BEEN DIAGNOSED with a friable uterus. That's what one vet office said she probably has - making this conclusion without seeing the dog, merely basing it on the fact that she's intact and 8 years old.

Connie,

I really appreciate your input. I'm trying to figure out what are worth the add-on expenses and what are not.

Roz.

 Quote: roz kovacs

I'm trying to figure out what are worth the add-on expenses and what are not.

Roz.

http://leerburg.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Board=10&Number=223789&Searchpage=1&Main=22028&Words=anesthesia+Connie+Sutherland&topic=0&Search=true#Post223789

Pre-procedure bloodwork and especially catheterization would be on my "way worth it" list, even if a dedicated anesthesiologist throughout had to be skipped. This is not advice; it's just the way I would think in the same situation. I'm not a health professional.

Ana,

I agree with you to do both procedures at the same time due to double risk.

I just never considered a chihuahua to be a senior at 8 yo (my shepX is the same age - that's another story - I'm waiting for him to die any day now.). I have a hard time with anyone making assessments on a dog (or human) based primarily on age.

Roz.

I'd shop around with the low cost spay neuter places. It's either $55 to have a top of the line laser spay done here locally at a spay neuter clinic or $250 to have the old knife method done by the nearest vet. 8 years old is Barely a senior for a small dog. So really if the dog is in good health otherwise I'd just go with the normal low cost spay at a clinic.

As far as pre op bloodwork I've never opted for it on a otherwise healthy dog.