Desexing your dog or cat has been a legislative requirement in SA since 2019 and is often the first procedure your pet will undertake. While we understand the costs of veterinary care and desexing is important in the decision-making process of where you will choose to go, we encourage all pet owners to ask “What does that involve?”.  So here we are to answer that question for you.



A Brief Walk Through of Your Pet’s Day

When your pet comes into Pet Society for their desexing procedure they get an examination by our surgical team before being placed into their warm pre surgery space.  Some will have a blood sample collected for their Pre Anaesthetic Bloods Test Panel to be run in our In Clinic Lab and Pathology area.  An intravenous catheter (IV canula) will be placed to provide intravenous fluids and medications. They will be given pre-anaesthetic medications and settle into their pre op space until it’s time for their surgery. 

Surgery is performed in our purpose-built operating theatre.  We use intradermal sutures for all our routine desexing surgeries, which means there is no suture removal and makes it harder for your pet to pull at their sutures.

After surgery they will be moved into a warm recovery space, before going back to their pre surgery bed to continue their recovery until it is time to go home. 


Cat & Dog Desexing Costs 

For an up-to-date estimate specific to your dog’s or cat’s desexing cost, please call or email our friendly team. You can also refer to our current price list as a guide. Please note prices are for ROUTINE surgeries and the dog’s weight will be measured at the time of surgery.


STANDARDS OF CARE – WHAT WE PROVIDE & WHY


Admission Appointments and Examinations

Your pet and your time are important to us. Therefore, we ask to book an admission consultation with one of our surgery team staff to go through the admission questions and plan for the procedure. We find that this give everyone the best chance to clearly communicate the wants and needs and let you know how we are going to look after your fur kid.


Pre Anaesthetic Blood Test Panel

We encourage clients to select a Pre-Anaesthetic Blood Test Panel for their pets.  This has the benefit of gathering important health information for us to assess hydration, health, and the possible need for alterations to medications, or the planned procedure itself.  Routine blood testing is also of high value as we can use this information to compare any trends of health changes over the years. Look out for a future post about “Routine Wellness Blood Tests – Oscar’s Story”.


Intravenous Fluids

At Pet Society Vet we believe that intraoperative fluids are important for all pets undergoing a general anaesthetic where possible. We also believe there is good evidence to show that intravenous fluids provided before and after the procedure has its benefits and is best practice. 

Therefore, instead of this being an additional elective service (and cost) offered at many vet clinics, we provide this to all appropriate patients within the overall costs. 


Medications

As a routine standard of care all our dog and cat desexing patients receive various medications as part of the package and pricing.  These medications include pre surgical medications with calmatives, pain relief in the form of methadone (or similar) and a light sedative, anaesthetic medications, and post operative non-steroidal anti-inflammatories via an injection in the clinic as well as an oral form to administer at home during recovery and healing.  


Elizabethan Collars

Many pets will try to lick or chew at their surgical sites therefore we make it a priority that all pets have an Elizabethan collar to help reduce this risk. If you already have a collar at home, make sure you bring it in with you so we can help ensure this is the right size and fit for your pet at the moment. 


Your Pet is an Individual 

As you will see us repeat time and time again – Your pet is an individual with individual needs, and we are here to help you choose the best approach for you and your dog or cat. We are open to discussing any questions you have.

For more information check out our Cat & Dog desexing page or call or email our friendly team.


Some important links you may find useful

Animal Management Plan 2021-2025 | Your Say Unley

Desexing Dogs | Dog and Cat Management Board (dogandcatboard.com.au)

Desexing Cats | Dog and Cat Management Board (dogandcatboard.com.au)