Over the years, I have seen posts asking for a the referral of a good Veterinarian in the Asheville/Western N.C. area and have seen the name Lee Bolt of Sweeten Creek Vet Hospital come up repeatedly. I live an hour and half (one way) from Asheville so my local vet has been my go-to guy for years for general check-ups, implants, etc. When my 4-year-old Sassy started developing an enlarged spleen this Spring, he was okay with doing X-rays and an ultrasound but didn't think there was any more he could do. Over 4 months, Sassy gained a full pound as the spleen continued to expand so I go to my Vet with one last appeal. I thought he was going to have a cow when I suggested a splenectomy so I went home with a disk of X-rays and a referral. Long story short, 3 closer Vets later and a lot of wasted time and money, I finally end up on Dr. Bolt's doorstep. It took him about 3 seconds of looking over the disc of X-ray's to look at me and say "guess we'd better rip that sucker out, eh?!" This past Thursday, Sassy had a very successful surgery to remove her "massive" spleen, as well as a nodule that Dr. Bolt found on her pancreas "while shopping around", he called it, after he had the spleen out. The full night and next day post-op care had everyone at the clinic falling in love with my Sassy... 4 techs and 2 front office ladies all had to fuss over her and say good-bye as I was trying to leave the clinic. Every ferret-owned mom and dad that has gone through a surgery like this knows they're NOT cheap, by any stretch of the imagination, but the quality of the surgery, post-op care and follow up contact Sassy has gotten from the amazing folks at Sweeten Creek Vet Hospital has made me feel absolutely no remorse over a single penny of what it cost me. These folks are worth their salt! Sassy's recovery over the past 3-days has been nothing short of miraculous and I commend Dr. Bolt and his knowledgeable and caring staff for work well done!! Don't ever hesitate to continue to recommend this wonderful clinic to anyone who asks. Leslie [Posted in FML 8184]