This is a difficult subject and because I have a tremendous amount of
respect for veterinarians, it is difficult for me to say anything that is
not 100 percent supportive.  However, I am going to weigh in with Pam of
Star Ferrets on the matter of surgery costs.
 
I just paid a little over $700 for exploratory surgery, which resulted in
two biopsies of lymph nodes from Esperanza, plus the fees for anesthesia,
pathological analysis, and four days of hospitalization.  The reason I went
to this vet is that his estimate for adrenal surgery on another ferret,
Lucky Charm, came in at $350 (the total bill was more like $450), compared
with an initial phone estimate of $600 to $700 from my previous vet.  I
don't know how it is possible for some of you who live back East to report
surgeries of $150 to $200.  All I can say is you are very fortunate.  Here
in Albuquerque, even three and four years ago, it was not possible for me
to have surgery done on ferrets for less than $500 (including fees for
anesthesia, path reports, antibiotics, and so forth).
 
As a result, even though I love my ferrets and all ferrets dearly, I am
seriously considering never owning another one.  I currently have five --
two of them adopted because they needed homes -- and I am doing all I can
to keep them healthy and get them medical treatment as needed.  But the
reality is that I can't afford to be out more than $1,000 every time two
ferrets become ill within a period of a couple of months.  I sometimes have
the impression that a lot of vets don't appreciate just how much money that
is.  And that's not counting ongoing expenses for vaccinations, checkups,
giardia medication, and the like.  I can make allowances for a few hundred
dollars here and there, but there's no way I can budget for the kind of
financial setbacks I'm experiencing.
 
Pam is right -- it's often the older ferrets and the other ferrets with
health problems that get dropped off at shelters.  I've often told people
who ask me about ferrets that if they think the cost of buying a ferret
at a pet store is high, that's nothing compared to the vet bills down
the road.  That's been true of every ferret I've ever owned, with one
exception -- and that's the one who died suddenly of lymphosarcoma but
who showed no sign of being ill before that.
 
Linda
[Posted in FML issue 2690]