Mary Rogers writes:
>I have a dilemma that I would really appreciate your responses on.  I
>have been going to two different vets and one is much less expensive
>than the other (around 50% or more).
 
I did the same thing with two of my original three ferrets ( Slinky and
Bandit).  Dr. Pam Slack (what a fantastic vet and a dear friend ... oh how
I miss her!  You can bet she's dancing with all the ferrets at the bridge!)
did the original diagnosis of Bandit's adrenal tumor.  The cost for her
to do the surgery was quoted at about $1000.  A friend recommended I see
another great vet in my area - Dr. Kawasaki - saying he was much less
expensive.
 
When I first went to see Dr. Kawasaki, I ended up bringing Slinky along to
give Bandit company.  After checking out Bandit and confirming his adrenal
tumor, Dr. Kawasaki asked to take a look at Slinky (for free just so he
would know about all my ferrets).  As he checked her out we talked
generally about their health.  In the process Dr. Kawasaki diagnosed
Slinky's insulinoma!  Blood tests confirmed his diagnosis.  Now I was
facing two surgeries!  Plus Bandit had a tumor on the of his tail.
Although not a problem (benign), Dr. Kawasaki said he would take it off
while Bandit was under anaesthesia.  The quote for the three surgeries
was $400-$500.
 
$1000 for one surgery or $500 for three -- this was a no-brainer.  Dr.
Slack was my regular vet and she remained my regular vet after I had the
surgeries done.  But the cost savings realized by having Dr. Kawasaki do
the surgeries was just too large to pass up.
 
>Then you have to tell one someone else did the surgery... I don't want to
>be unethical or "tick" one of them off!  I know it would be a no brainer
>if knowledge was the issue, but it's not.  Please share with me your
>experiences and thoughts.
 
Dr. Slack never questioned my decision.  She just added this information to
the ferrets' files and went on giving them the best care a fuzzy could ever
hope for.  So I would recommend you go with the less expensive vet for the
surgery.  If you like the way that vet handles your ferrets then consider
using that vet exclusively.  If you still prefer going to your original vet
for non-surgical visits, by all means do so.  And don't feel ashamed when
you detail the results of the surgery to the original vet.  If s/he gets
mad then that vet isn't worth going to anyway (IMHO).
 
Hope this helps!
 
Marc Wilson and the New Tres Amigos (Rocky, Sam and Chloe)
 - remembering the original Tres Amigos (Bandit, Slinky and Rascal) at the
bridge
[Posted in FML issue 3174]