As luck would have it, we're having lectures on orthopedic surgery right now.
 Obviously, I can't add much in the way of experience.  (*Except* that from
my experience in surgery lab I can say unequivocably that orthopedic surgery
is *hard work* compared to soft tissue surgery, at least for me!)  I don't
know what average costs are for orthopedic surgery, but I do know that I sat
in on an appointment here in which the fracture was just below the hip (same
bone as you mentioned, but different place) and the quote was more than $600
if I remember correctly.  There are all sorts of variables -- a little ferret
uses less anesthesia than the chow puppy seen here at U of I, but then again,
I imagine manipulating those tiny bones makes the surgery a little more
difficult.  Dr. Weiss probably knows more about average prices than I do, but
I would venture a guess that $600 isn't really out of line for that kind of a
surgery.  You're paying as much for the expertise of the vet knowing how to
set the fracture properly with pins and wires as you are for the time and
materials, and it's a hard job; worth the money for a vet who knows what
s/he's doing.
 
Complications/risks are associated with what kind of a fracture it is, how
old the ferret is, and where the fracture is exactly.  If it's near the knee,
it could be going through one of the growth plates of the bone.  This is not
such a big problem if your ferret is fully grown, but can cause problems with
growth in that bone if your ferret *isn't* fully grown.  But then again,
generally speaking the younger the animal the quicker the healing, so young
can be good.  If the fracture has lots of pieces, it may be harder to set or
heal.  And there's always *some* risk of infection whenever bone surgery is
done.  But don't fret, these are just the *possible* risks and I've seen lots
of examples of bones healing great after these surgeries and the animals
doing just fine.  If the fracture is really close to the knee, there may be
some chance of arthritis in the future no matter how well the surgery goes,
but usually this can be managed pretty well with drugs and I'm not sure I've
ever heard of a ferret with arthritis (Drs?).  Good luck with your little
guy!  Keep us posted.
 
Laura
 
Laura L'Heureux Kupkee
U. of Illinois Vet Med Class of `96
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[Posted in FML issue 1125]