# Cat Surgery Costs?



## ace3001g

Hi,

In your experiences, what are the price ranges for cat surgeries, ranging from routine stuff to emergency/risky types of surgeries.

We were quoted 15000$ CND for an emergency cat surgery which would have involved removing clumps of puss that was crushing our cat's lungs. I am wondering if this type of costing is normal.


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## yingying

It really depends on what type of surgery it is. There are surgeries that cost hundreds and there are ones that cost thousands. But 15000 is a price I've never heard of. It could be because its an emergency surgery. Emergency usually charge a lot more than regular.


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## MowMow

150.00 or 15,000.00 ?


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## marie73

$1,500?

Costs vary wildly in the United States, I wouldn't have any idea what's normal for Canada....


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## Kobster

Any kind of thoracic surgery would require a ventilator and a specialist so $1,500 would actually be cheap for that, if that is the case. But that's US, not Canada.


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## Susan

I can't help you with what various surgeries might cost, but based on my participation on this Forum, I have concluded that vet costs in Canada are much higher than costs in the U.S. For example, it cost me a little over $1,000 to have Abby spayed and microchipped (standard surgery with no complications), which I take it is much higher than the cost in the U.S.


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## yingying

Hi Susan, I think you were overcharged with the spay price. I got my Meatball spayed this July, and the cost is 217 CAD, including the pain killer afterwards and the cone collar. I live in Toronto. Actually that price is considered higher than average. Couple of my friends got their cats spayed for less than 200. The low cost spay from the shelter is only around 100. I don't trust those kind though. Over 1000 is an outragous price.


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## Miriam

It depends a lot on what you are having done and the vet.

To get a cat spayed/neutered where I live costs anywhere from 20 to 150. I usually take my cats to a low-cost clinic that the rescue I work with uses, but paid the higher price for two of my cats. One was a six month old male that I wanted neutered before he got grand ideas of spraying. The other was a foundling kitten cat that almost died of pneumonia and malnutrition after I found her. I felt better having the vet who knew her best spay here and monitor her closely.


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## saitenyo

I agree that it probably varies with both type of surgery and location. My cat's spays and neuters were both free (covered in the adoption costs which were only $100 and $200 respectively) but it does seem that emergency surgeries are more expensive.

I have a friend who had to have surgery done on her cat due to a blockage from urinary crystals and I think that was somewhere around $2000 if I remember correctly. But I could be mistaken, that may have been the costs of multiple visits/procedures to deal with the whole ordeal, I don't remember exactly.


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## raw vet student

As s vet student, I haven't had to learn costs yet, but I do know that a thoracic surgery, especially one involving infectious material, and especially especially an emergency is going to be complicated and expensive. And unfortunately, if it is what you are describing the prognosis isn't really a guarantee. Did they give you a prognosis?


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## Fyreflie

Susan said:


> I can't help you with what various surgeries might cost, but based on my participation on this Forum, I have concluded that vet costs in Canada are much higher than costs in the U.S. For example, it cost me a little over $1,000 to have Abby spayed and microchipped (standard surgery with no complications), which I take it is much higher than the cost in the U.S.


That's crazy, I live in Canada and I've never paid that much! 

To the OP--15,000 seems really excessive for a surgery, even if it is an emergency. I would get a second opinion.


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## Carmel

Susan said:


> I have concluded that vet costs in Canada are much higher than costs in the U.S. For example, it cost me a little over $1,000 to have Abby spayed and microchipped (standard surgery with no complications), which I take it is much higher than the cost in the U.S.


That's totally insane. Not that I've had a cat spayed or neutered recently, although the puppy was spayed with a care package (a little more than the basics done) a few months ago, coming to 250, or there abouts. Spaying is always going to be a little more than neutering. Before getting the puppy spayed I visited various websites online in the area that had price listings and even phoned up the SPCA as well as a few vets to get a quote, the conclusion was it seems that's about the average in Vancouver, give or take ~100 dollars on the place (low cost clinics are around) and the type of surgery you choose (laser being a bit more money; we didn't use it). I can't imagine the microchip, which we didn't have done, would have added ~700 dollars to the bill.

Having said that, a lady down the road said her dog's spay/neuter (forget which) was about 1,000 dollars. We wrote her off as touched in the head. But I suppose there are places around that seriously gouge.

Other kinds of operations are likely around 500 to 1,000 dollars depending on your location and what's being done, could be a little more or a little less. Emergency procedures are a lot more expensive. A friend's dog has an emergency operation followed by a week long vet stay, cost 5,000 dollars if I recall.


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## Carmel

Actually, what am I talking about... the puppy _was_ microchipped. Geez, I totally forgot! I think it was an extra 50 dollars or something. So the total might've been more like 300 in Canadian dollars.


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## ace3001g

Hey,

I was originally referring to 15000$ cnd. This would have been for a Pyothorax emergency surgery.

Prognosis was "uncertain".


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## Carmel

So. You actually meant 15 thousand dollars?! That's... well, I've never heard of a cat or dog surgery costing so much right off the bat, emergency or otherwise. Was the estimate including a prolonged stay at the vet? That can add up. 

But something doesn't seem right... I know nothing about "pothorax emergency surgery" but with a price tag like that I'd wager they were just trying to make sure no one ever gets one done.


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