I recently heard from a ferret owner in Texas who rescued a poor lost or
abandoned ferret from starvation and heat exhaustion last August.  They had
her spayed (she was also in season apparently) and took her into their home.
 
9 months later she's starting to lose hair on her back.  They took her to
their vet who said she has an adrenal tumor, and that surgery is iffy
because she's small (1.5 pounds) and will cost over $500.  He suggested they
keep her comfortable and happy, and if she starts to worsen they should have
her put down.
 
I replied that to my knowledge, adrenal surgery has a high success rate in
ferrets, and advised them to get a second opinion.  I also told them I
thought $500 was rather high; when Bud had his adrenal surgery, the total
cost was $360, and that included extra procedures and tests because of
complications, and is in Canadian dollars as well; a proportional cost
should be lower in US dollars.
 
I advised them to get a second opinion from a ferret knowledgable vet in
their area, and told them I'd try to get information about vets in their
area.  So, does anyone know of a good ferret vet in or near Dallas who
charges reasonable prices?  I realize price is not an issue for some people,
but for others it is, and if a lower price will save a ferret's life then
it's important to know about it.
 
Please include my regular email address on any replies, as I don't often
have time to read the mailing list (although I'll be scanning for answers
for the next while).  Thanks in advance for any help.
 
--
John Rosloot, Caregiver to Cassidy and Sammy
With loving memories of my dear departed Buddy
Technical analyst, Dept. of Computer Science, University of Regina
Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada
http://www.cs.uregina.ca/~john/ferrets
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[Posted in FML issue 2298]