How Much Does Dog Bladder Stone Surgery Cost? $975 at Humane Colorado, $1,271 to $1,771 at Anicira, and $4,000 to $8,000 for Texas A&M's Scope Procedures
A vet says your dog has bladder stones and the estimate comes back at several thousand dollars, or a few hundred, depending on who wrote it. The gap is real. Published price lists put open surgery at $975 to $1,771 before add-ons, and scope-based procedures at a Texas teaching hospital at $4,000 to $8,000. This guide lays out what each price list says, what it leaves out and how the totals add up.
What the surgery is called on a price list
Bladder stone removal by open surgery is called a cystotomy. The vet opens the bladder, removes the stones and closes it again. That is the line item to look for. The scope-based alternatives, laser lithotripsy and percutaneous cystolithotomy, are priced separately and are usually offered at referral hospitals.
Nonprofit price lists: $975 to $1,771
Humane Colorado lists "Cystotomy (bladder stone removal) – $975" on its pet surgery page. The page does not say what the fee includes, so ask for an itemized estimate before you rely on it.
Anicira, a nonprofit veterinary group, publishes a "starts at" price of $1,271 in Harrisonburg, Virginia and $1,771 in San Diego for dogs and cats. The same listed procedure costs $500 more in San Diego than in Harrisonburg.
What the Anicira price covers, and what it does not
Both listings include a pre-anesthetic physical exam, pre- and post-operative pain medication, an individualized anesthetic plan, a warming system and vital sign monitoring. Harrisonburg also lists an IV catheter and fluid therapy. San Diego lists a post-op clinic exam if necessary.
Extras are priced separately: pre-anesthetic bloodwork at $130 in Harrisonburg and $160 in San Diego, a microchip at $39 or $43, and a weight-based fee for dogs over 50 pounds of $116 to $215 in Harrisonburg and $121 to $248 in San Diego. X-rays, stone analysis and extended hospitalization are not priced on either page.
Worked totals for a dog over 50 pounds
Adding the listed base price, bloodwork and the weight fee gives these figures, before any X-rays or hospital stay:
- Harrisonburg: $1,271 + $130 + $116 to $215 = $1,517 to $1,616
- San Diego: $1,771 + $160 + $121 to $248 = $2,052 to $2,179
These are our own sums from the published lines, not quotes. A dog under 50 pounds would skip the weight fee. For the cost of the bloodwork line alone, see how much vet bloodwork costs.
Scope-based procedures at Texas A&M: $4,000 to $8,000
Texas A&M's Interventional Radiology and Endoscopy Service publishes 2024 information sheets. Cystoscopic laser lithotripsy costs $4,000 to $5,000 depending on duration. It suits patients with up to four stones, and the sheet says female dogs generally need to weigh more than 5 kg (11 lb) and male dogs more than 8 kg (18 lb).
Percutaneous cystolithotomy costs $6,000 to $8,000. The sheet calls it the preferred option for patients too small for standard lithotripsy or with more than four stones, and says it is not suitable with a urinary tract infection. Both sheets list a 24-hour stay and say pre-operative workup such as labwork and a urine culture can add cost.
The stone analysis and the repeat-bill risk
Texas A&M's sheets say the stones are submitted for analysis after the procedure. The Minnesota Urolith Center states that quantitative stone analysis is provided at no cost, with the clinic paying shipping, so ask whether the clinic is sending it and what it charges to handle it.
Texas A&M's sheets add that stone recurrence is likely without appropriate long-term management, which is a cost point because a second procedure means a second bill. Related costs are covered in what a dog UTI costs to treat.
Questions to ask and how to pay
Ask for an itemized estimate that shows the surgery, anesthesia, bloodwork, imaging, hospital nights, medications and stone analysis on separate lines, and ask which items are quoted as ranges. Pet insurance usually will not pay for a condition that already exists, so read waiting periods and pre-existing conditions before you count on a claim. If you need to spread the bill, compare CareCredit and Scratchpay financing by their real interest terms.
Prices come from Humane Colorado, Anicira (Harrisonburg and San Diego), Texas A&M and the Minnesota Urolith Center, checked October 23, 2026, and may have changed. This article is about costs only and is not veterinary advice; ask your veterinarian which treatment fits your dog.
All content is fact-checked under our editorial standards.