Hi, Suzanna, and everyone else:
 
Suzanna wrote:
>I've been reading a lot about the high cost of ferret care and have
>been wondering -- what kind of numbers are we talking here?  I have two
>ferrets about 3 1/2 to 4 years old and am expecting the common diseases
>to pop up.  I understand that many of you are saving up for medical care,
>but I have no idea what kind of costs we're talking about.  Can anyone
>enlighten me?
 
First, the good news.  A friend of my brother's has two 12 years olds who
have *never* had major health problems.  They are really slowing down now,
and he expects to lose them, but it will be from just plain old age.
Saving for ferret medical costs is a really good idea, but you can always
hope that you never have to use the money.
 
Now the bad news: I've been on the FML and TriFL lists for well over two
years now, plus I've had my own ferrets that long.  My advice is to be
ready for several thousand dollars in medical costs.  A nice, simple
adrenal surgery ran me, all told, about $500, and that includes the
diagnostic work before the surgery and post-surgical checkups.  OTOH,
Pertwee's ongoing health problems have cost me about $2,500 so far, and the
latest probable gastrointestinal problem is probably not related to his two
surgeries.  What I've seen on the various lists says that my experiences,
while unusual with such young ferrets, are pretty common in older fuzzies.
 
So... however much you save, the more you have in the bank, the better.  It
*never* hurts to have too much money saved :)
 
All the best,
Caity and the exuberant eight
 
--
Caitlyn Maire Martin
[log in to unmask]
http://www.caitys-world.com
[Posted in FML issue 3103]