This may be long :-)...
 
Occasionally I see people on the list who question how expensive ferrets
are, and how sick all our fuzzies seem to get.  I've been chewing away at
it in the back of my mind, and would kinda like to share my 2 cents worth.
 
Being on the FML has been invaluable to me in many ways in terms of direct
information and support, but it has also helped give me an overall picture
of an average ferrets life expectancy and medical history.  As much as we
might say that people only post when their ferrets get sick and thus we see
a biased picture, it's still true that all living creatures, as they age,
get sick and need medical attention.  Our furbabies will one day die from
*something* and that's natural; rare is the ferret who dies in his sleep
because his heart has worn out.  Most of us make the choice to treat the
treatable until the day comes when no more can be done.  All fuzzies will
one day need medical attention; I, for one, want to be prepared to give it.
 
And that leads to money.  All ferrets come with initial "set-up" costs like
purchase, cage, food, etc.  But I really believe that's only the start.
Regular vaccinations, vitamins, supplements, and as they get older regular
checkups, are part of the lifetime cost of a ferret.  In addition, as they
get older something will break down, just like humans, and some form of
medical intervention will be required- adrenal, insulinoma, etc.  It's even
possible that our fuzzies will eat something they shouldn't or fall off
something they couldn't possibly have climbed onto (no!), and that will
also require a trip or two to the vet.
 
I lost a 3.5 yr old female sweetie in August to liver failure after two
adrenal surgeries.  Total bill for those six months of testing, surgery and
emergency clinics: $2,500.  Was it worth it?  ABSOLUTELY.  But that amount
doesn't even include three years of other costs.  I was lucky that I had
the money; I don't know if I would have it again unless I start stashing it
away now.  Perhaps $2,500 seems high, but looking at how much people pay
over a ferret lifetime for medicines and surgeries I doubt that it is.  I
calculated that over 6 years (a conservative average lifespan), $2,500
comes to about $35 per month per ferret, not including the cost of daily
incidentals like food.  If I start socking it away now, then maybe I'll be
ready to support my babies in their old age.  If their bills come to
less... I guess I can think of it as long-term savings. :-)
 
I guess it also depends on how much you want to treat to how expensive it
is.  One may argue that I would have saved the big bucks by euthenizing my
ferret when she first got sick.... but: euthanize over adrenal?!!  So...
 
This may be alot of rambling to make a simple point: ferrets are expensive.
I believe it, I live it, and I'm saving up $35 per ferret per month to
support my furbaby addiction.  But if you can't afford it, don't pick up
that cute kit from the petstore.  Foster for a shelter (who'll pay the vet
bills), ferretsit for someone, or simply volunteer at a shelter to play
with their fuzzies.
 
And if you're rolling off your chair in shock because you've had fuzzies
for ten years and have never had to pay those kind of bills - tell me how
you did it! :-)  But I would still rather save and be safe than very, very
sorry.
 
Ariel
Jasper, Baxter & Kayla
[Posted in FML issue 2474]