Dog spaying and neutering is important. It can help reduce the number of unwanted pets, prevent dog illness from spreading and it can also reduce the impact of some unwanted behaviours too.
If you own a female dog it’s worth getting her spayed for several reasons:
- Prevent unwanted male attention
- Prevent pregnancy
- Stop the sometimes messy business of female dogs in season
- Reduce the risk of uterus infections and cancer in females
- Stop siblings mating
Whatever your reasons you’ve likely found out that getting your dog spayed can be a costly issue. Under the Animal Welfare Act 2006 as a dog owner you have a legal responsibility to meet all of your pet’s needs. This includes supporting pregnant female pets too.
How much does it cost to neuter or spay a dog?
This varies enormously from veterinary practice to practice. However, average prices we’ve found vary between £100-£500+. It all depends on what size your dog is and their breed. The bigger your pooch, the more you’ll find you have to pay. There are plenty of places online where people are talking about how much to have a dog spayed such as the MoneySavingExpert forum.
Generally, financial support is only provided for those on means-tested benefits such as jobseeker’s allowance, Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit. If you’re not on benefit and simply can’t afford to get your pet spayed or neutered, there are much fewer opportunities available. The cost of spaying a dog can cost anything from £100 to over £500 depending on the service and what needs doing. Here is a useful list of average vet prices for dog spaying. Please be aware that this list may not be completely up to date.
Charities that may help with dog spaying costs and dog neutering
Here are a group of charities and organisations offering help for getting your pet spayed:
RSPCA
The RSPCA provide low cost spaying and neutering for all animals. This includes getting your male dog castrated (the male version of neutering). It may be worth finding out if there is an RSPCA centre near you where you can go and enquire about RSPCA neutering and any reduced costs they can provide you. You’ll need to check there’s a suitable clinic that offers financial help near you. The RSPCA are well aware of the demand for basic healthcare in pets, neutering being one of them, so they focus a lot of their resources in these areas.
PDSA
Many local veterinary practices are members of the PDSA and can offer payment options. This not only involves discounted prices but costs that can be paid back, interest free over an agreed period of time. If you are on benefits (Housing Benefit or Council Tax Benefit) and live within their catchment area which are located around their PDSA PetAid centres you can be eligible for financial assistance from them. We recommend you take a deeper look at the information they provide here.
Blue Cross
The Blue Cross offers help to those on benefits to provide reduced cost spaying. You’ll need to get in touch with your nearest vet to ensure you’re in one of their catchment areas (3 in London and 1 in Grimsby). You can also go to one of their pet care clinics in Southampton, Tiverton, Bromsgrove and Felixstowe. Find more out about the Blue Cross. They also have mobile pet care clinics and a presence in both Coventry and Neneaton. Additionally, Blue Cross also have a voucher scheme for people living in certain areas that provide grants and spaying vouchers.
Dogs Trust Neutering
For certain areas, the Dogs Trust will provide subsidised neutering for those on benefits. You can find out more information here. This is currently available in the North of England, Wales and Northern Island. Costs will be reduced to £30 in UK regions and £15 in Northern Island. The remainder of the cost is settled with Dogs Trust through the vet.
Spay Watch
This is a charity set up to specifically help reduce unwanted animals and pets through neutering. Although the area in which they offer their services is small (Peterborough) if you live in that area, it may be worth getting in touch to find out if they will provide financial assistance. Unfortunately they don’t seem to have a website but their details are: PE1 1HF, 01733 370198 or [email protected].
Celia Hammond
The Celia Hammond charity provide castration and spaying at reduced costs for those on low income or benefits. They only provide these at one or two London clinics only. You can find out more and find out the price for dog neutering here.
I’m not on benefits – can I get help?
There are no systems available that we’re aware of that can help you unfortunately. However, we do recommend that you try visiting a variety of vets to get multiple prices. Not only will this enable you to find the best price but it may help you negotiate a price if you explain and can provide proof that another local vet is offering the same service at a lower cost. You should be aware that there are various levels of care. How much it costs to get your dog spayed or neutered can depend on area too. So it might be worth looking for quotes at vets a little further afield than you would do normally.
Additionally, see “RSPCA” and “PDSA” above. They provide low-cost basic healthcare for pets which means you may find them to be a lot more competitive on price than your local vets. The PDSA also provide multiple payment options which you may find more financially amenable.
Ultimately, it’s important to consider pet insurance. Getting a basic level of cover for your pet will ensure that you’re covered whenever your dog needs medical care whether this is physical ailments or other required medical treatment. However, always check what is included in the cover as sometimes neutering is not included in some pet insurance policies.
Free dog neutering and spaying
Very few places will provide completely free dog spaying or neutering services. However, there are some vets whom offer discounts, vouchers and special offers such as Vets 4 Pets from time to time so it’s a good idea to go on the look for these. If you know of anywhere offering free dog spaying or neutering please let us know and we can add it to this article.
