Price dog and cat spay/neuter surgery by species, weight, region and clinic type
Spaying a dog at a private vet costs $250-$1,200 by weight (medium dogs average $455, the 2025 national average); neutering a dog runs $200-$1,000. Cats are cheaper: $250-$500 to spay, $170-$400 to neuter. Low-cost and humane clinics do the same surgeries for roughly $45-$300. Add $100-$200 for the usual extras: pre-op bloodwork ($40-$120), take-home pain meds ($25-$60), an e-collar ($15-$40), and a microchip ($20-$50). Major-metro vets run about 25% over these numbers, rural vets about 15% under. Example: a 45-lb female dog at an average private vet runs about $455 for surgery, or $600 with bloodwork, meds and an e-collar; the same spay at a low-cost clinic is about $182.
| Procedure | Pet Size | Typical | Range | Low-cost Clinic |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dog spay | Under 30 lb | $350 | $250 – $500 | $100 – $200 |
| 30 – 60 lb | $455 | $300 – $650 | $120 – $260 | |
| 60 – 90 lb | $575 | $400 – $800 | $160 – $320 | |
| Over 90 lb | $750 | $500 – $1,200 | $200 – $480 | |
| Dog neuter | Under 30 lb | $280 | $200 – $420 | $80 – $168 |
| 30 – 60 lb | $360 | $250 – $520 | $100 – $208 | |
| 60 – 90 lb | $475 | $350 – $700 | $140 – $280 | |
| Over 90 lb | $625 | $450 – $1,000 | $180 – $400 | |
| Cat spay | Any | $350 | $250 – $500 | $75 – $150 |
| Cat neuter | Any | $250 | $170 – $400 | $51 – $120 |
National ranges assembled from 2025 MetLife and CareCredit provider surveys, PetMD procedure pricing, and published low-cost clinic schedules (San Diego, North Carolina, humane-society programs). A dog spay's 2025 national average sits near $455. Your quote can land outside these bands in high-cost metros or with complications like pregnancy or being in heat.
| Setting | Typical | Range |
|---|---|---|
| Low-cost / humane clinic | $182 | $120 – $260 |
| Rural / small-town vet | $387 | $255 – $553 |
| National-average private vet | $455 | $300 – $650 |
| Major-metro private vet | $569 | $375 – $813 |
The clinic you pick moves the bill more than anything else on it. Humane societies and high-volume clinics subsidize the surgery, which is how a $455 private-vet spay becomes a $182 clinic spay — same anesthesia protocols, same licensed vet.
Spaying and neutering are the most common surgeries in veterinary medicine, and the bill is built from four moving parts: what the animal is, how big it is, where you live, and which kind of clinic does the work. This calculator prices all four together so you know what a fair quote looks like before you call around.
Surgery price = base price for species, procedure and weight tier × clinic factor × regional factor. Dogs price by weight because anesthesia and surgical time scale with the patient: a 100-lb spay takes longer and costs more than a 20-lb one. Low-cost clinics run roughly 40% of private-vet pricing for dogs and 30% for cats. Regions swing about 15% in either direction from the national average. Add-ons are priced separately because clinics itemize them — your $455 surgery quote can quietly become a $600 bill.
Pick species and procedure, set the weight tier for dogs, then choose clinic type and region. Tick the add-ons your clinic includes — many require bloodwork for pets over 5 years, and pain medication is standard care everywhere now. The low-cost-clinic figure stays visible beside whatever you select, so you can see the savings on the same screen.
A 45-lb female Lab at an average private vet: medium-tier spay, typical price $455, range $300-$650. Add pre-op bloodwork ($80), pain meds ($40) and an e-collar ($25) and the realistic bill is $600. The same dog in a major metro runs about $569 for surgery alone, or $714 with those add-ons. Book her into a low-cost clinic instead and the surgery is about $182. Over the same phone call, that's a $417 spread for one identical procedure.
Second example, the budget end: a male cat at an average private vet runs about $250, or $325 with a microchip and pain meds. The humane-society clinic down the road will neuter him for about $75. Cats are the cheapest sterilization surgery there is, which is why community cat programs can exist.
Bands are national estimates for a healthy pet, not a quote. Pets in heat, pregnant, or with undescended testicles pay more — sometimes double. Prices reviewed against 2025 MetLife, CareCredit and PetMD national data plus published humane-clinic schedules.
At a private vet, a dog spay typically runs $250 to $1,200 depending on weight: small dogs under 30 lb average around $350, medium dogs around $455 (the 2025 national average), large dogs around $575, and giant breeds $750 or more. Low-cost and humane clinics do the same surgery for roughly $100 to $300.
A dog neuter at a private vet typically costs $200 to $1,000 by weight, with a medium dog (30-60 lb) around $360. Neutering is usually a bit cheaper than spaying because it's a shorter, less invasive surgery. Low-cost clinics neuter dogs for roughly $80 to $210.
Cat spay at a private vet: $250 to $500, typically around $350. Cat neuter: $170 to $400, typically around $250. Low-cost and humane clinics run cat spays near $105 and neuters near $75, and some nonprofit programs go as low as $45-$77.
Generally yes. Humane societies and high-volume spay/neuter clinics do this surgery all day, every day, and high surgical volume correlates with fewer complications. The price gap comes from streamlined protocols and nonprofit subsidies, not corner-cutting. Ask whether pain medication and an e-collar are included, since some low-cost quotes are surgery-only.
Common line items on top of the surgery: pre-op bloodwork ($40-$120, often required for pets 5+ years), take-home pain medication ($25-$60), an e-collar or recovery suit ($15-$40), and microchipping ($20-$50, cheapest while the pet is already anesthetized). Those add roughly $100-$200 to a typical bill.
Both. Big dogs need more anesthesia time and a longer incision, which is why a giant-breed spay can cost double a small dog's. Region moves the bill too: major-metro private vets run about 25% above the national average, while small-town and rural vets run about 15% under it.