Seen mention lately of high surgery costs and thought I would relate my experience this summer with our Sam and insulinoma surgery. Surgery costs can vary greatly from region to region and from vet to vet. I also think that a vet that performs the surgery often will have lower prices. My basic vet, who I like alot, does basic things and refers out more "complicated" surgeries. She contacted a veterinary specialist practice (surgery, dermatology, allergy, eye clinic, etc.) in town for Sam. Well, insulinoma surgery would cost $700 and likely more. It did not sound like they performed this often, and they did not have high hopes of finding all the tumors, and therefore were not optimistic about the possible results. I'm very happy to have such a specialist practice in town, but didn't feel like I should use them for Sam. So I contacted our wonderful local shelter/club run by Bobbi McCanse to see who they were using these days and as luck would have it they had recently switched to a new vet a bit farther away, but who had ferrets of his own (cuties who run around the clinic), and was really getting good at ferret care. He gives discounts for club members, and his practice has grown dramatically as Bobbi mentioned here recently. The initial visit and surgery (including a needed dental since Sam was under anyway) and removal of stitches together came in under $200!!! And he saved the tumors to show me! Cool! (Well, not so cool for Sam.) As with humans specialist care can often cost significantly more. If clubs can at all work out the above arrangement with a vet, I highly recommend it as beneficial for all. I'm happy to now have 2 vets to rely on. My nearer basic one with whom I have a comfortable, several year relationship (and who accepts all the pages of info I hand her) and who also treats my cats, and my newer, farther one for a backup and for more "specialist" care. To Troy Lynn and anyone else who was interested in Sam's recovery (and who I've neglected to update): He's doing fabulous! No signs of relapse. He got his energy back immediately. I still give him chicken baby food treats with brewers yeast a couple of times a week just in case it starts to creep back. Shelly with Jake, Buck & Sam (SC Ellis-Blackwell) [log in to unmask] [Posted in FML issue 2153]