One thing I'd like to ask:

If you sincerely care for your pets, keeping them as members of your
families, is the cost of meds or quality care really *that* big of a
deal?

If your pet happens to be an exotic, are you prepared to maybe pay
extra for one of the few vets who has the proper training to give that
pet the best & most knowledgeable care possible? Not all veterinary
schools even *offer* coursework in exotics (for example, Ohio State
used to have an exotics program, but they ditched it a few yrs ago,
for some inexplicable reason).

It seems to me that, if your answer either of those questions was "no",
maybe you shouldn't have an exotic pet. Is it really fair to the ferret
to deny them adequate medical care cos of the cost? Seems to me, that
would be the same as saying, "well, Grandma, I know you really need
your heart meds to stay alive, but the price went up, & well....it's
been nice knowin ya."

Isn't it the same thing?

If one has done their research before getting that particular pet
(whether it be a ferret, dog, cat, iguana, whatever), one should be
prepared for possibly high veterinary/medical bills in the event of
an illness, esp if you know in advance that that species is prone to
developing certain diseases. That's a fact, & it's what a responsible
pet owner prepares for. Denying an animal proper medical care because
of the price is irresponsible. One needs to know that before even
getting that animal.

Sure, we would hope for the best care for the most reasonable price
possible. But whatever the cost, medical care is a necessity. For
ferret owners, we should already be aware that ferret-knowledgable vets
are relatively few & far between, & it's entirely possible that they
had to do extra work to become that knowledgable. Personally, I'd
rather pay the price for a good vet, than risk improper care just to
save a few bucks. I'd gladly pay my vet 2ce what he charges now, if
that's what I needed to do to get the best care possible for my
ferrets. And I doubt, even if he were to decide to do that, he'd be
driving a Jag. He has student loans to pay off, plus a wife & 3 kids
all under the age of 5 (the kids, not the wife).

That's just my take on all this. It seems to be a rather unimportant
thing to be arguing about. If one truly cares about one's pets, the
cost of their medical care should not be the most important
consideration.

Lin, Oberon, Max, Puck, & Ivan
~ Missing my angel Ariel - 20 April 2000 - 20 January 2007. Wait for
me, my Baby Girl. I miss you so much. ~

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email me at: kay tee en eye el at double-u owe aich dot ar ar dot see
owe em
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[Posted in FML 5554]