What Was Your Experience with a Low Cost Spay/neuter Clinic?

It really just depends. Sometimes they are low-cost because they are not necessarily taking all the precautions that your regular vet may take. Sometimes those costs are higher because they include pre-anesthetic bloodwork, IV catheters and fluids, monitoring equipment, better pain medications, etc. Where I work, those things are standard and included in the price. Not having those things in place allows them to keep costs down, and people may elect to opt out of them (although I don't understand someone who would decline pain medication for their pet after a surgery like that!). I'm not saying your pet won't do fine, because the majority of pets being spayed/neutered are young and healthy, but I would take that into account. Some places do a better job than others, but sometimes, low cost comes from having high volume. You might want to ask about what steps do they take to ensure your pets safety, what they offer for pain control, and what you can do in case there is some kind of complication afterwards. I do know that they are offering a valuable service and there is a huge need for it. I would rather see a pet get spayed/neutered than not. It's just that I've seen some still operate at an acceptable level, and some really cut corners - jeopardizing your pet's health and well-being in the process. But lots of people use them and they are popular because sometimes that's what they can afford. Maybe another option would be to go to another vet hospital, but one whose costs are less, without compromising safety. Or see if your vet accepts vouchers, like a SNAP certificate, that will allow you to still have it done there.

You could check with your vet and see if he volunteers at any low cost clinics or if he can recommend one that has experienced vets. You can also check with the veterinary board for your state, they can tell you if any of the low cost clinics have a higher than normal level of complaints. Honestly, I would be far less concerned with a neuter than with a spay surgery. It is much less invasive and quicker, so less concern about proper anesthesia, etc.

I used the Animal Care League low cost clinic when we had a female cat a few years ago. They treated her really well. And when I was waiting for them to bring her to us at the end of the day, I could see how they were with other animals. Very loving and patient. The clinics in my area are generally shelters. We have a 3 month old kitten that will get fixed by February. She needs her shots first. And I have no problem taking her to the clinic. They made sure I had no questions about post op care.

Our vet happened to honor SNAP certificates so we didn't go anywhere.

http://www.snapus.org/site/PageServer

You might also ask your vet if he'd take a certificate like that, give you payment options, or if he has an opinion on a program local to you.

Banfield clinics have a wellness plan & for $35/ month it covers everything. It's fantastic.

My friend used the one here and they did great.

We used the one in our area for a litter of kittens we found in our garage. They were very good with the pets. They had lots of volunteers who obviously loved animals. The vets were experienced and volunteered two days a month.

The low-cost clinics are usually just fine. The reason their costs can be lower is because the ONLY thing they do is spay/neuter. They can buy the materials needed for that in much larger bulk orders saving themselves (and in turn, you) money.

We are going to an "affordable/low cost vet". In my experience you end up paying at least twice of what you intend to pay - maybe unless you qualify for a low cost spay at the shelter.
Our "low cost" vet charges $69 for a spay for dogs. They charge EVERY SINGLE LITTLE THING extra on top of that: pain shot: $20, oral pain meds for afterwards:$20, cone, antibiotic... on and on. We ended up paying $160 after everything for a totally uncomplicated procedure - which is still cheap, I know some vets charge upwards of $300.
Other than advertising cheaper that it ends up being they are great! They take great care of the animals and are very nice and gentle with our puppy.

Good luck.

We got our dog spayed at the SPCA. I think total we spent like $80 to get her fixed. Our vet friend recommended it too.

There is one in Crandall. It is a pretty nice one and they take excellent care of their animals. They are all pretty snooty, though...the place reeks of the "we are holier than thou, you peons who bring us your animals." But they are very cost effective and hard working and the place is super nice. (The building, I mean.)