Castration- vast difference in prices....

Hi, we brought home Sparks from a rescue centre at the weekend.
I have been ringing around our local vets (Berkshire) to get prices.
So far I have 5:-
£72.61
£110
£41.25
£30
£95

I am very puzzled as to why the price differs so much and I have no idea how to choose.
Does the most expensive always mean the best care? (I doubt it)
Any advice would be great x

Our local vet charge 80.00. They have a fair number of rabbits and a couple of nurses and a vet who are particularly keen on rabbits.

Experience and recommendation are the best guide imo.

No, the most expensive does not always mean the best. These are some questions you could ask and the answers (in brackets) to be hoped for from a Rabbit Savvy Vet

Does the Vet carry out numerous surgical procedures on Rabbits ? (Yes)

Should a Rabbit be starved before surgery ? (No)

Will the Rabbit be intubated whilst under GA ? (Yes)

After surgery will there be a Vet Nurse in constant attendence to monitor recovery ? (Yes)

Will my Rabbit be kept in an area well away from Cats and Dogs (Yes)

When will I be able to take my Rabbit home? (usually the same day as the op' as long as the procedure was uneventful and your Rabbit is eating, pooing and weeing)

Will I have to keep him indoors ? (Yes, Rabbits who normally live outside should be kept indoors for 24 hours after surgery. Not in an overly hot room, but somewhere quiet where they can recover from the GA)

Will I be given any take home medication to give to my Rabbit after his op' ? (Yes, a few days supply of a non steroidal anti-inflammatory will be given)

Will I have to bring my Rabbit back for a check up ? (Yes after 3-4 days unless there are any problems before that-eg excessive swelling, Rabbit not eating, Rabbit chewing at surgical wound )

I dont know if Windlesham is too far away for you, but if not then a Vet called Gill Tose is very Rabbit Savvy

http://www.windleshamvet.com/about.html

Normally rabbits from rescues are either already castrated or the cost of the castration is covered by the rescue :? I would agree I would go to the most rabbit savvy vet though :thumb:

Jack's-Jane said:

No, the most expensive does not always mean the best. These are some questions you could ask and the answers (in brackets) to be hoped for from a Rabbit Savvy Vet

Does the Vet carry out numerous surgical procedures on Rabbits ? (Yes)

Should a Rabbit be starved before surgery ? (No)

Will the Rabbit be intubated whilst under GA ? (Yes)

After surgery will there be a Vet Nurse in constant attendence to monitor recovery ? (Yes)

Will my Rabbit be kept in an area well away from Cats and Dogs (Yes)

When will I be able to take my Rabbit home? (usually the same day as the op' as long as the procedure was uneventful and your Rabbit is eating, pooing and weeing)

Will I have to keep him indoors ? (Yes, Rabbits who normally live outside should be kept indoors for 24 hours after surgery. Not in an overly hot room, but somewhere quiet where they can recover from the GA)

Will I be given any take home medication to give to my Rabbit after his op' ? (Yes, a few days supply of a non steroidal anti-inflammatory will be given)

Will I have to bring my Rabbit back for a check up ? (Yes after 3-4 days unless there are any problems before that-eg excessive swelling, Rabbit not eating, Rabbit chewing at surgical wound )

I dont know if Windlesham is too far away for you, but if not then a Vet called Gill Tose is very Rabbit Savvy

http://www.windleshamvet.com/about.html

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Great post! But just one thing to add that some vets prefer to give pain medication by vaccination rather than to take home :wave:

Hesperus said:

Great post! But just one thing to add that some vets prefer to give pain medication by vaccination rather than to take home :wave:

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But that involves having to take the Rabbit back to the Vet every day. Not all Vets are happy to allow clients to give injections themselves. Oral meds means that the extra travelling and stress can be avoided

Hesperus said:

Great post! But just one thing to add that some vets prefer to give pain medication by vaccination rather than to take home :wave:

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But, if it is given by injection, it will still only last a certain amount of time and will need to be topped up, orally, at home.

Thank you for all your advice- it's really helpful.
I'll be ringing around again tomorrow x

Sometimes an increase in price can be because the vet is using a more expensive drugs protocol, is giving more drugs to go home with etc, but sometimes it's not. So there is one vet around here which charges something ridiculous like £35, but as far as I can tell they keep the cost down by just using gas and without giving additional pain relief, gut stimulants, sub cut fluids, intubating etc, or by spending time sewing/gluing the wound in anything other than the more basic form. Whereas on the other hand, some vets might charge a fortune but still do the same!!

My previous vet used to charge about £47 for a castration, and they did it all 'properly' but didn't routinely give extra pain relief to go home with. My current vet uses the same anaesthetic/fluids protocol etc but sends bunny home with a week of pain relief and gut stimulant - and that obviously costs money, so the overall charge now is £60.

It's also worth remembering that vets have different pricing structures - some will charge more for consultations or drugs and less for surgery, others might charge more for surgery but their vaccination or consultation prices might be less (or some might be expensive for everything!!) So it's hard to tell just from a snapshot for one procedure what is 'normal' for that practice.

Personally I would be more interested in finding the most appropriate vet to undertake the procedure and to develop a relationship with for ongoing veterinary care, rather than shopping around in the more traditional sense. Cheapest isn't necessarily worst and most pricey isn't necessarily the best, BUT if something is very cheap, I'd say it's likely it's being done in a cheap way. Feeling reassured by their answers to questions is probably the best way to tell whether you're confident in their ability with bunnies Good luck xx

It cost me £56 for Blossom and £45 for Leo. I am not sure why prices vary so much, but £100 or over for a castration is ridiculous! At Cheshirepet where I go to, they only charge £69 to spay a female guinea pig, which is usually more expensive because of risks involved.

I believe the more experienced your vet is, the less they charge as the procedure doesn't take as long and there are less chances lf complications. I see one of the leading exotic vet's in the country.

Hello Bumblebee

Can I possibly try and help with a recommendation? Berks is kind of my area and as I rehome in Berks/Hants/Surrey I am familiar with a fair few vets.

Whereabouts are you based?

Helen

We have 2 vets on shetland. At one it cost me £35 for my male and £65 for my female and that included pain relief to take home too. George was booked in with another vet to castrated and have his bottom teeth removed. They usually charge £72 for neutering and £120 for tooth extraction. George had his op yesterday and it only cost £102. I knew there'd be a discount due to having only one anaesthetic but I didn't expect that much of one!! George bounced back really well. He was tucking into grated carrots a couple of hours after we came home. You'd never know he'd had anything done.


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The Duchess said:

Hello Bumblebee

Can I possibly try and help with a recommendation? Berks is kind of my area and as I rehome in Berks/Hants/Surrey I am familiar with a fair few vets.

Whereabouts are you based?

Helen

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That's helpful - I'm sure someone has used a vet in Newbury (?)