Hi, everyone,
 
Please forgive the cross posting.
 
When it rains it pours, I guess.
 
Lady Ayeka, our beautiful little blaze girl, has a growth on her underside
near her front legs aspirated  The pathology report was inconclusive, and
she is going to have minor surgery to remove it and have another pathology
done.  If that isn't enough, Nyssa, my extra large silver mitt girl, has
adrenal disease.  She is the fourth ferret (out of eight) to have adrenal
before their fourth birthdays.  Heck, Kerr Avon and Pertwee were before
their second birthdays.  As with Avon and Ryo-Ohki, we're going to monitor
the progress of the disease in Nyssa for a while to make sure that when
Dr. Hudson does her surgery the tumor is large enough to be obvious.
 
I keep asking myself what, if anything, I'm doing wrong or could do
differently.  I never come up with anything.  It is soooo frustrating.
 
One other thought: Pertwee is fine now, but the cost of maintaining his
good health is about $750 a year.  That covers twice daily medication,
quarterly blood work to check his electrolytes, blood glucose, and BUN
level, and, of course, shots.  Our vet bills since September, 1999 are
closing in on $7,500.  That includes five surgeries, two ultrasounds, a
significant number of emergency clinic visits and stays, I have no idea
how much testing and blood work on five different ferrets who have had or
will have surgery, and all the routine normal stuff for all eight, too.
Oh... and we've gotten *very* generous discounts at times.
 
I know most of you have heard this a thousand times before, but for the
newcomers: please, save money for a rainy day for your ferrets.  We have
three (Tenchi, Romana, and Adric) that have *never* had a serious medical
problem, and with any luck they never will.  The thing is, you can't count
on that.  Diseases like adrenal tumors, insulinoma, lymphosarcoma, and
others are way, way too common in our little weasels.  Also, please, think
twice before you let ferret math strike.  Be sure you can really afford to
take on the potential cost of another ferret who will depend on your for
their life.
 
Please keep Nyssa and Ayeka in your thoughts.  I'll post again after their
respective surgeries.
 
Warm fuzzies,
Caity
[Posted in FML issue 3380]