City guides
Low-Cost Vet in Houston, TX: Published Clinic Prices (October 2026)
- Written by the CheaperVetGuide team
- 6 min read
- Prices checked
- How we verify prices
Your dog's rabies tag runs out next month. Or the new kitten needs her first round of shots. You call a regular clinic, hear the exam fee alone, and start wondering what the shelter clinics across town charge.
Good news: several Houston groups post their prices online. We read each one's own page on October 26, 2026 and pulled the numbers into one table. No guesses. If a group doesn't list a price, we say so.
This page covers cost and logistics only. Which shots or surgery your pet needs is a call for a licensed vet, not for us.
Where to look in Houston
Harris County Pets (county shelter clinic). The wellness clinic sits at 612 Canino Rd, on the north side, close to I-45 and the Hardy Toll Road. It has a licensed vet on staff, and you don't have to be a county resident to use it. There's a limit of two pets per household per day. Book online or call 281-999-3191 and press 1. Hours are weekdays 8 to 5, closed noon to 1. Clinic page ยท fee page
Houston SPCA Veterinary Clinic. It's at 900 Portway Drive and open Thursday through Sunday only, 9 to 5:30. Booking ahead is the main route; walk-ins go on a short waitlist. Every visit starts with an exam. It treats some common illnesses but not injured or very sick pets, and it doesn't do spay or neuter. Clinic page
SNAP (Spay-Neuter Assistance Program), Durham Drive. A nonprofit that focuses on spay/neuter plus shots and prevention. Surgery is weekdays by appointment, for healthy pets 3 months or older weighing 3 to 120 lb. A $25 deposit holds a surgery slot, and you'll need a rabies certificate or vet record (a tag alone doesn't count). Houston clinic page ยท price list
Houston Humane Society Veterinary Clinic. Now at 3100 W. Fuqua St. Shots are walk-in, Monday to Saturday 9 to 4, and staff ask you to get there before 3:30. A full vet exam needs an appointment. Spay and neuter also need an appointment and a $50 card prepayment that goes toward the bill. Dog and cat services ยท spay/neuter page
BARC (City of Houston animal shelter) Wellness Center. At 3200 Carr St, by appointment only. It covers prevention (shots, microchips, parasite products) and can't treat owned pets that are sick or hurt. When we checked, its dog and cat service pages said they were being rebuilt after pricing changed on October 1, and they point you to the booking links to see the current menu. So we list BARC's prices as not published below. FAQ ยท cat wellness page
Price table (cited)
All prices come from each group's own website, retrieved October 26, 2026. "Not published" means we couldn't find it on that group's page. Call before you go.
| Service | Harris County Pets | Houston SPCA | SNAP Houston | Houston Humane Society |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Exam or office fee | not published | $35 wellness exam; $20 tech exam for boosters | $20 office visit (waived with a package) | $35 office visit for shots; $70 vet exam |
| Rabies (dog or cat) | $10 (select days) | $20 (1-yr) | $28 | $17 |
| Dog distemper/parvo combo | not published | $20 (DAPP) | $20 | $25 (DA2LPPC) |
| Cat FVRCP | not published | $20 (HCP) | $20 | $22 |
| Bordetella | not published | $25 | $30 | $24 (oral) |
| Microchip | $15 | $35 | $27 | $31 ($20 with another service) |
| Heartworm test | not published | $30 | $35 | $31 |
| Cat spay / neuter | not published | not offered | $110 / $95 | $100 / $95 |
| Dog spay / neuter | not published | not offered | $180โ$375 / $170โ$340 by weight | $165 / $150 |
Where the numbers came from: Harris County Pets, the fees page. Houston SPCA, its clinic page. SNAP, its Houston price list, which says prices took effect December 9, 2024. Houston Humane Society, the dog and cat services page and the spay/neuter page.
What to bring and expect
- Leash or carrier. Every clinic here asks for dogs on a leash and cats in a carrier.
- Old records. SNAP wants a rabies certificate or vet record before surgery. Houston SPCA asks you to bring whatever medical paperwork you have.
- How you pay matters.
- Houston SPCA takes cards only (no cash or checks) and offers Scratchpay plans.
- Harris County Pets takes cash or card, no checks, and no bills larger than $20.
- Houston Humane Society takes cards and cash, no checks.
- SNAP takes the major cards, CareCredit and cash.
- Time. SNAP says surgery check-in can take over an hour. Dog drop-off starts at 7:05 AM and cats at 8:00.
- City rules. If you live inside Houston city limits, BARC says the city code requires dogs and cats 4 months and older to be registered, rabies-vaccinated every year and microchipped.
If the clinics are full or you don't qualify
Shelter clinics book up and some don't treat sick pets. A few next steps:
- Look at vet payment plans and financing before you say yes to a big bill.
- Ask any clinic for an itemized estimate so you can compare.
- If it's urgent, our emergency vet bill playbook walks through the money side.
- For surgery, see low-cost spay and neuter by state. BARC's FAQ also names two partner groups, Houston PetSet and The Empty Shelter Project, that help with free spay/neuter.
- Shopping around for shots? Our vaccine clinic guide has a checklist that works anywhere.
FAQ
Can you see a low-cost vet in Houston with no insurance? Yes. None of the clinics above ask about pet insurance. You pay at the visit, and their posted prices are the starting point.
Which of these are open on weekends? Houston SPCA runs Thursday to Sunday. Houston Humane Society's shot clinic opens Saturdays. Harris County Pets and BARC's posted hours or booking are weekday or appointment based, so check before you drive.
Do these clinics treat a sick pet? Some do, some don't. Houston SPCA says it now treats several common illnesses but not injured or very ill pets. BARC's center can't treat owned sick or injured pets. Houston Humane Society books sick-pet exams at $70.
Is there a free option? We didn't find free routine care posted on these pages. Shelters sometimes run free pop-up events, so check their pages and social posts. For surgery, BARC points to Houston PetSet and The Empty Shelter Project.
Why do two pages show different prices for the same clinic? Sites lag behind price changes. When pages disagree, the clinic's desk has the final word. That's why we name the exact page for every figure.
We last checked these prices on October 26, 2026 and plan to recheck them within 90 days. Prices change, so call to confirm. Spot a figure that's out of date? Send us a correction.
Sources (retrieved 2026-10-26)
- Harris County Pets, "Pet Clinic" โ https://www.countypets.com/clinic
- Harris County Pets, "Fees & Fines" โ https://www.countypets.com/Fees-Fines
- Houston SPCA, "Houston SPCA Veterinary Clinic" โ https://houstonspca.org/clinic/
- SNAP, "Houston" clinic page โ https://snapus.org/houston/
- SNAP, "Price List Houston" โ https://snapus.org/price-list-houston/
- Houston Humane Society, "Animal Clinic Services" (dog and cat services) โ https://www.houstonhumane.org/clinic/animal-services
- Houston Humane Society, "Spay/Neuter" โ https://www.houstonhumane.org/clinic/spay-neuter
- Houston Humane Society, "Clinic Services Test Page" (cited only to show the price mismatch) โ https://www.houstonhumane.org/clinic/clinic-services-test-page
- City of Houston BARC, "Frequently Asked Questions" โ https://houstontx.gov/barc/BARC_FAQ.html
- City of Houston BARC, "Cat Wellness" โ https://houstontx.gov/barc/catwellness.html
