PETA spay van questions, plus musings on dog adoption costs

[Innisfree]

We adopted a dog a couple of months ago from a low-budget rural shelter. Instead of spaying her before she came home, they gave us a voucher for free spaying from the PETA van, which I've never used before.

Between having her go into heat as soon as we got her home, and difficulty scheduling spaying with PETA atm, it's taken a while for her appointment to get close, but it's next week. Both dds are worried about doing it through the van, though, and would prefer to use our own vet.

Our own vet would be considerably more expensive, but much more convenient. Though we could afford it, it's a big chunk of money. The van will be located roughly an hour away, and we'll have to kill time waiting to be able to pick doggy up and bring her home. Given covid, that's tricky.

Does anyone have experience with the vans which would suggest either using them, or using our own vet? Any assessment of safety and general conditions?

And just an observation along the way: I often hear people grumble about how expensive dogs from shelters and rescues are today. This dog "cost" $20 from the animal control facility. But they hadn't given her any medical care before we adopted her. So, vaccinations and flea and heartworm prevention (included with our last adoption from a rescue) came to $425. (That's before the lyme and lepto combo which is essential here, but shelters don't typically provide.) If our vet does the spaying, that will be another $400+. A microchip adds another $80. All that was included in our "expensive" $300 rescue. I knew the rescue dog was worth every penny, in many ways, but this really puts the financial part of the transaction in perspective.

Edited January 26, 2021 by Innisfree
Clarity

[Corraleno]

I don't know anything about PETA vans specifically, but there's a good summary of some of the differences between spay surgery at a low-cost clinic vs a veterinary office in this article, written by a veterinarian who does both. Scroll down to where the numbered list starts.

https://drandyroark.com/the-difference/

 

[Innisfree]

41 minutes ago, Corraleno said:

I don't know anything about PETA vans specifically, but there's a good summary of some of the differences between spay surgery at a low-cost clinic vs a veterinary office in this article, written by a veterinarian who does both. Scroll down to where the numbered list starts.

https://drandyroark.com/the-difference/

 

Thanks. I was already leaning towards cancelling the PETA appointment and making one with our own vet, but I was feeling a bit like a spendthrift. This helps me justify the expense to myself.

[Innisfree]

Just to be clear, I didn't mean to be complaining about the costs of veterinary care. Our vets are great, and they earn every penny. And they're not the highest priced place in town...

I just wanted to highlight what a good value adopted pets are, even if superficially the cost seems high.

[Pawz4me]

2 hours ago, Innisfree said:

 

Does anyone have experience with the vans which would suggest either using them, or using our own vet? Any assessment of safety and general conditions?

 

I wouldn't hesitate to use a mobile or low cost s/n clinic if funds were tight. Those places s/n so many animals every day, and AFAIK most do just fine. They're an absolute godsend for what they do. But personally, as long as finances allow I prefer to use my own vet. I do think the pet gets much more individualized attention, and there are usually more options for pain control (both pre- and post-op). I know lots of people don't really value pre-op blood work, but I do. I wouldn't have surgery myself w/o that done, so why--if I can afford it--would I allow my pet to have surgery w/o it? And if I have any questions about recovery, possible infection, etc.--my vet is going to be right there for my pet. Plus I just like having that extra bit of continuity of care that comes with my own vet doing the s/n.

[Tanaqui]

If you have the money, I'd go to the vet. Not because the van is risky - they do so many of them so often that they're presumably pretty experienced! - but because that frees up a slot for another person who *can't* afford the full cost.

I've done multiple cats at the ASPCA van. They don't do appointments except for large dogs, and other than on a few very, very cold days there have always been many more animals than spots.

Edited January 26, 2021 by Tanaqui

[RootAnn]

I agree that adopting a rescue animal from a place that provides shots, spay/neuter, microchip, and other medical care is a good value. They spend way more on the animals, in general, than what they attempt to collect as an adoption fee.

I agree with the others that if you can swing the $$, I always suggest using your own vet.

[cjzimmer1]

4 hours ago, Innisfree said:

We adopted a dog a couple of months ago from a low-budget rural shelter. Instead of spaying her before she came home, they gave us a voucher for free spaying from the PETA van, which I've never used before.

Between having her go into heat as soon as we got her home, and difficulty scheduling spaying with PETA atm, it's taken a while for her appointment to get close, but it's next week. Both dds are worried about doing it through the van, though, and would prefer to use our own vet.

Our own vet would be considerably more expensive, but much more convenient. Though we could afford it, it's a big chunk of money. The van will be located roughly an hour away, and we'll have to kill time waiting to be able to pick doggy up and bring her home. Given covid, that's tricky.

Does anyone have experience with the vans which would suggest either using them, or using our own vet? Any assessment of safety and general conditions?

And just an observation along the way: I often hear people grumble about how expensive dogs from shelters and rescues are today. This dog "cost" $20 from the animal control facility. But they hadn't given her any medical care before we adopted her. So, vaccinations and flea and heartworm prevention (included with our last adoption from a rescue) came to $425. (That's before the lyme and lepto combo which is essential here, but shelters don't typically provide.) If our vet does the spaying, that will be another $400+. A microchip adds another $80. All that was included in our "expensive" $300 rescue. I knew the rescue dog was worth every penny, in many ways, but this really puts the financial part of the transaction in perspective.

My puppy came from a rescue (and cost significantly more than yours) and it included his first couple of sets of shots, microchip, initial flea/tick/heartworm, and a few different lab tests plus the transportation costs from Texas to my northern state. But fixing has to come out of my own pockets. Even so with the care he received prior to me getting him, I suspect the costs were more than I paid.  But I'm in the same quandary right now.  Pay the $400 my vet wants or pay anywhere from $150-$275 at the various lower cost options.  Puppy expenses have added up much faster than I had budgeted so I have to give serious consideration to the lower expense options or rearrange the budget (which is possible just not fun) to cover the higher expenses. So I appreciate your asking the question so I can learn too.

2 hours ago, Corraleno said:

I don't know anything about PETA vans specifically, but there's a good summary of some of the differences between spay surgery at a low-cost clinic vs a veterinary office in this article, written by a veterinarian who does both. Scroll down to where the numbered list starts.

https://drandyroark.com/the-difference/

 

Thanks for this!  It is very helpful to understand the behind the scene stuff.

[Innisfree]

I just made the appointment with our vet and cancelled the PETA appointment. Thanks for the help, everyone.

[TravelingChris]

Oh and for anyone else wondering if they should use a low cost spay- I would add Jack Russell Terriers to the breeds that should not go there.  My son in high school was a volunteer assistant to a vet (along with lots of other staff).  He learned that Jack Russell Terriers are notoriously hard to anesthetize.

[MercyA]

Also--generally speaking I love low-cost spay and neuter programs. That said, I would not want any of my money going to PETA. Their "shelter" is notoriously high-kill and they use their platform to speak disparagingly of no-kill shelters. I'm not a fan.

[Tanaqui]

2 hours ago, MercyA said:

Also--generally speaking I love low-cost spay and neuter programs. That said, I would not want any of my money going to PETA. Their "shelter" is notoriously high-kill and they use their platform to speak disparagingly of no-kill shelters. I'm not a fan.

 

Yeah, it's the tip of the iceberg when it comes to PETA, but I don't want to discourage people from having their animals done if that's their only option.