Prices

Shopping around for veterinary services can be a worthwhile exercise however there are some important considerations when deciding on the right practice for you. Here’s some information to help you evaluate the service offered so you can make an informed decision about safety and comfort for your pet as well as determine value for money!

Consultation

Many veterinary clinics will allocate 15 minutes for a consultation with the vet. At My Local Vet we will allocate a minimum of 30 minutes so the vet can take the time to become friends with your pet first before performing an examination. This is important so that your pet feels relaxed and unintimidated in the veterinary clinic setting. This will also provide enough time for our vet to take a thorough history of your pet’s lifestyle and health issues, examine your pet thoroughly and take the time to explain the treatment plan properly. Our consultation fee is $145.

Microchipping

When a pet is microchipped this involves placing a large needle (containing the chip) under the skin, in between the shoulder blades. You can imagine that this would be significantly more uncomfortable than say, the needle used for vaccination which is comparatively quite small. There are different sized microchips on the market. At My Local Vet, we use the smallest microchip which is specifically designed to cause minimal discomfort to your pet. We also apply a local anaesthetic cream to your pet’s skin before injecting the microchip under the skin. This cream is vital to ensuring your pet’s comfort during microchipping and will prevent your pet from becoming afraid of the vet due to pain otherwise experienced during microchipping. The cost of microchipping at My Local Vet is $74 and this includes registration which we do for you online on the same day! This means your pet’s registration is effective instantaneous as opposed to having to wait the usual six weeks for your registration to be effective.If your pet is anaesthetised for any reason, such as desexing, the cost of microchipping is only $45! 

Vaccination

The core vaccine for dogs is called a C5 and for cats it’s an F3. There are many different brands of C5 and F3 vaccines available to vets. The C5 vaccine used by My Local Vet is called Nobivac DHP and KC. This brand is extremely effective at stimulating a dog’s immune system to reliably produce enough antibodies to provide protection. This means that for puppies we can give one KC from 6 weeks of age and one DHP from 10 weeks of age and that’s it until next year! Not only will your puppy receive less injections than some other vaccine regimes but they can go outside earlier because they will be protected from 11 weeks of age! Early exposure to other dogs is essential for their normal social development.
What about Adult Dogs? The other great thing about the Nobivac DHP vaccine is that your adult dog will only need an injection every 3 years! Even if your dog has never been vaccinated they will only require a single Nobivac vaccine to stimulate immunity. Also, it’s safe and effective to use Nobivac vaccines even if your dog has received a different brand of C5 vaccine previously. The cost of a C5 vaccination is $140 and the cost of a F3 vaccination is $130. This includes a full, 30-minute consultation with the veterinarian during which he/she will discuss any abnormal physical examination findings as well as the latest preventatives for ticks, fleas and worms to ensure your loved one is adequately protected.

Desexing

The desexing operation is a fairly universal procedure across all veterinary practices. However, there is significant variation in what’s included for the price. For example, not all veterinarians will routinely administer intravenous fluid therapy during anaesthesia. My Local Vet provides intravenous fluid therapy to every single anaesthetised patient in order to maintain adequate blood pressure, promote normal hydration and to assist organs, such as the liver and kidneys, to metabolise anaesthetic drugs.
Many veterinary practices do not routinely measure blood pressure and end tidal carbon dioxide during anaesthesia. My Local Vet measures both of these parameters as well as oxygenation, heart rate and rhythm, respiratory rate, body temperature and depth of anaesthesia. Monitoring blood pressure is really important because anaesthetic agents will often reduce blood pressure and this can adversely affect all organs, particularly the kidneys. If blood pressure readings fall below a certain level, we can combat this by increasing the rate of intravenous fluid administration or by reducing the depth of anaesthesia or both. If blood pressure is not monitored then how would the vet know if it is low? Measuring end tidal carbon dioxide is essential in gauging the blood carbon dioxide level and determining if the anaesthetised patient is taking deep enough breaths. Abnormally high carbon dioxide levels can adversely affect both the brain and the cardiovascular system! Some veterinary practices do not routinely perform a pre-anaesthetic blood test. This test is quick and easy to perform at My Local Vet providing the veterinarian with important information about your pet’s blood cell count, liver and kidney health. These organs are involved in metabolising anaesthetic drugs so you can imagine how important it is to know that they are perfectly healthy before general anaesthesia! Often early-stage liver or kidney disease is not detected with even the most thorough physical exam so a blood test will give you peace of mind that everything is ok.

The cost of desexing your pet will depend on the species (dog or cat), sex (male or female) and body weight so it’s best to give us a call so we can give you an exact price.

At My Local Vet the cost includes all of the safety measures mentioned above as well as the following:

  • A warm and comfortable hospital bed separate to other animals
  •  Pain relief before, during and after surgery
  •  A photo sent to your mobile before starting surgery just to let you that your pet is relaxed and comfortable
  • A pre-anaesthetic blood test
  •  Intravenous fluids
  •  A nurse exclusively dedicated to monitoring your pet during surgery and recovery
  •  Blood pressure, oxygenation and end tidal carbon dioxide monitoring
  • No external sutures. Our sutures are placed within the skin and are absorbable so there’s nothing to remove later on
  • Our staff will call you immediately after surgery to keep you updated and make a time for you to collect your pet later that day
  • Take-home pain relief to ensure your pet has a comfortable recovery
  •  A buster collar to prevent your pet from licking their surgical wound
  • Unlimited free post-op check-ups. If you’re worried then come on in!


Also, you can call us any time if you have any questions or concerns about your pet’s recovery from surgery. Desexing is day surgery only so this means you can drop your pet off in the morning and have them at home that evening! We’re open until 7pm on Mondays and Thursdays if you need to book a later discharge appointment and we even provide a complimentary pick-up and drop off service if you’re too busy to come into the clinic! 
Hopefully this information will help you make the most informed decision about who should care for your pet. If you have any unanswered questions we’re here to help so please give us a call! Ph 38247788