Costs and Explanations Facts and Myths About Neutering Neuter less than 90 lbs. $197.72 Myth: My dog will be embarrassed 90 lbs. or more $217.29 if he’s neutered! All expenses are expected to be paid in full at the time Fact: We tend to anthropomorphize of discharge. Prices are subject to periodic increases. our , which leads to these types of conclusions. Most of the time, Explanation of Costs we tend to think that we would be embarrassed if this were done to us. Our charges include a significant discount. This dis- This may be the case, but most as- count is our donation to helping fight overpopula- suredly, your dog will not care. tion . Normal surgical time charges are around $4 per minute; nearly 100% of these charges are discounted. Myth: I heard neutering makes IV catheterization and fluid delivery is performed for them less active, but I want an ac- every neuter. This decreases the risk of problems with tive dog! anesthesia as well as gives us a route to deliver emer- gency medications should problems develop. We also Neutering Your Dog Fact: Studies have shown that neu- use several monitors to track your dog’s heart rate, tering greatly decreases the devel- rhythm, blood pressure, and blood oxygenation. opment of aggressive behaviors in . Neutering dogs does tend to We aggressively use pain control on all surgeries. “slow them down,” but not to the Each dog receives pre-operative anti-inflammatories extent that they lose their enthusi- and morphine. All of our neuters also go home with asm for walks, hunting, or hiking. several days of post-operative pain control medication. Rest be assured, your dog will still be able to do all the things you en- Our clinic staffs two technicians to assist the doctor in joy doing with him. surgery, giving us more eyes, ears, and hands to man- age our patients. Including the surgeon, there are three highly-trained professionals present completely devoted to the well-being of your dog.

We are completely aware that there are low-cost op- Serving the healthcare needs of pets tions for this procedure in the Twin Ports. You have the and their families in West Duluth and right to know that there is an association between cost the Arrowhead region since 1985. of care and quality of that care. We believe anesthesia Your dog’s surgery appointment is scheduled for: 5503 Grand Avenue, Duluth, MN 55807 and surgery are not casual medical procedures, and no Tel: (218) 628-0301 ______clinic should ever sacrifice quality of care for volume. Fax: (218) 628-1448 When your dog is under anesthesia, 100% of our focus Please have him here by 8 AM on that date. He can www.grandavevetclinic.com have as much water as he wants, but no food after 8 is on his well-being and the prevention of complica- PM the night before. tions.

Because the procedure does not involve abdominal surgery, he will be able to go home the afternoon of the procedure, after 3:45 PM. There is a fair amount of confusion wouldn’t want it done to us.” WHEN SHOULD MY DOG BE STERI- about the merits and drawbacks to LIZED? neutering a male dog. However, it As we know from the types of things will be one of the most important deci- dogs like to roll in, they are less than The timing of your dog’s neuter depends on sions you’ll ever make for your pet. worried about their appearance. Rest his age and breed. Certain breeds are at risk Because of this, we at Two Harbors assured, your dog does not care about his for other medical conditions if neutered too Veterinary Clinic hope you’ll take this post-surgical appearance. early. Talk with your veterinarian about information into account. when is the optimal time to have this sur- There is no downside to neutering a gery performed. SHOULD MY DOG BE dog. Consider the following benefits to NEUTERED? : It is important to note that any dog at any age can be sterilized. There is no “window The only time your dog should not be  Behavior Modification: Male dogs of opportunity” that can be missed. It is neutered is if you absolutely know you that have been neutered will be less often slightly more expensive to sterilize an are going to breed him. Millions of likely to mark with . More older dog because the surgery is more labor- animals are euthanized year after year importantly, the elimination of tes- intensive. However, the benefits far out- simply because there is no home for tosterone from their system will weigh the price. them. They sit for months in shelters often calm them down and make hoping for a chance at life, and unfor- them less aggressive, especially tunately there aren’t enough people towards other animals. A recent like you out there that are willing to study showed a significant decrease take them home. Also, an un-neutered in separation anxiety in dogs neu- male dog can breed several females in tered before . Also, an intact a short amount of time, which can male dog has a tendency to wander. exponentially worsen the overpopula- This leads to an increased risk for tion problem. things like being hit by a car.

Breeding a male dog responsibly in-  Health Reasons: As in females, volves an investment, and should re- neutering a male dog will reduce the Grand Avenue volve around two questions: risk of some very serious diseases. Veterinary Clinic Obviously, neutering a male com- 1 Is my dog of strong enough genet- pletely eliminates the risk of testicu- 5503 Grand Avenue ics that it warrants passing his lar cancer. It also reduces the occur- Duluth, MN 55807 genes on to offspring to better his rence of prostate disease, specifical- Phone: (218) 628-0301 breed? ly eliminating susceptibility to pros- Fax: (218) 628-1448 tate infection. Intact male dogs can www.grandavevetclinic.com 2 Is my dog of appropriate tempera- also develop a kind of benign tumor ment to breed? around the rectum which will ulcer- ate, causing severe discomfort and If the answer to either of these ques- pain. Neutering eliminates the hor- tions is “no” then you should have monal cause of these tumors. your male dog neutered, plain and simple. If you still have any doubt as to whether or not your dog should be neutered, you Many owners of male dogs who hesi- need to ask yourself one question: is tate to have them neutered do so for there a reason it should not be sterilized? concern over the dog’s psyche. In Unless you plan to breed your dog, there fact, it is very common to identify is simply no good reason to keep it in- with our pets, and thus we choose not tact. to have him neutered because, “we