Surgery price for a ferret with Ferret Adrenal Disease??
My 3 year old ferret's tail is balding along with his massive weight loss and excessive sleeping more than average. and it keeps getting worse, im afriad he has Ferret Adrenal Disease, though i am not sure. I am going to take him to the vet as soon as i get money this week. but i was just wondering, has anyone ever had a ferret with this before? and if so how much was surgery???
The price of the surgery depends on many things, one of them being your location.
One of my ferrets has had abdominal surgery, for a different reason, but the cost should not vary that much, since the procedure is the same.
Mine cost me almost $800, everything included.
Don't panic just yet, it might not even be adrenal disease. Have him checked out and discuss your options with your vet.
Money is an issue for most of us. You may want to check into CareCredit. Just make sure your vet accepts that.
I applied for their card and got approved for $4500 right off the bat. Depending on what kind of deal they give you you may be able to repay the surgery cost INTEREST FREE, if you pay it back within the agreed upon time frame.
Good luck to you and your fert. I hope all turns out well.
The price of the surgery depends on many things, one of them being your location.
One of my ferrets has had abdominal surgery, for a different reason, but the cost should not vary that much, since the procedure is the same.
Mine cost me almost $800, everything included.
Don't panic just yet, it might not even be adrenal disease. Have him checked out and discuss your options with your vet.
Money is an issue for most of us. You may want to check into CareCredit. Just make sure your vet accepts that.
I applied for their card and got approved for $4500 right off the bat. Depending on what kind of deal they give you you may be able to repay the surgery cost INTEREST FREE, if you pay it back within the agreed upon time frame.
Good luck to you and your fert. I hope all turns out well.
References :
Ya know if it is a female and it is in heat, it will not come out of heat and die unless you mate her. True story and this is what it sounds like.
References :
That definitely sounds like adrenal disease. The previous poster is right about the price, it's usually from 600- 1200 dollars depending on the vet you have. However, depending on the progression of the disease and the age and healthiness of your ferret, surgery may not even be the best option. There are medicines (lupron) and implants (melitonin) that he can be put on as well. Talk to your vet!
References :
I agree–sounds very adrenal. I encourage you to get to the vet ASAP! There is a possible complication with male ferrets with adrenal disease where the prostate enlarges and prevents urination, and then eventually, the bladder explodes. Keep an eye on his "ease of urination"–does he go in and pee right away? Probably no worries on this yet. Does he go in, and then leave, then go in again, then leave, then go in again and finally pee? Probably having some difficulty with urination, and he needs to get in as fast as possible.
Another note: My vet specifically advised me on this possible complication when my male ferret had an adrenal tumor. If the ferret actually cannot urinate and you have to rush him to the emergency vet, do NOT let them just put the ferret down. The ferret can easily accept a catheter, or even a syringe to remove the urine, to keep him going until the morning when he can see an actual ferret vet. The ER Vets in my area don't know much about ferrets yet, so I was given these instructions to tell the ER Vet, just in case.
I've been through 2 different adrenal surgeries personally. One was about $450, on a 3 year old ferret with no complications. I was quoted $800 from a different vet for the same surgery. The second was about $1200, on a 5 year old ferret who also had IBS (we tested for it during this surgery) and insulinomas (we also removed those during this surgery).
My vet offers credit themselves. They were very understanding with my last two surgeries–the $1200 adrenal, and then two weeks later, and emergency bowel obstruction removal. Two surgeries within two weeks! They set up a 4-month payment plan for me. If you vet does not offer credit, look into CareCredit, or check into possible local options (such as a local shelter) that might be willing to help you out with a small loan.
Let them know that you're concerned about cost when you go in. This is actually how I found my favorite vet–my previous vet mentioned that they were very good, and might offer the surgery at a lower cost, so suggested I consult with them. Ferret shelters are another good place to ask about low-cost surgeries that are still high-quality. You might even ask them what vet they go to–my current vet sees all of a local shelter's ferrets, so has a lot of experience, too.
There is ferret health insurance out there, but the general agreement is that it isn't worth it. Most don't fully cover yearly fees, and they don't have good surgery options. In the end, you're better off putting the money into a savings account.
Both of my ferrets recovered well, and are now healthy and happy! The first ferret didn't grow her hair back for an entire season (which is normal, actually), but immediately lost a lot of her aggressiveness, and her vulva's swelling decreased immensely (it was so severe that her vulva will always be slightly swollen in appearance). The second ferret had significant hair growth within a week, and immediate cessation of his other symptoms–high aggressiveness, and a tendency to try to "mount" his female cagemates, to their dismay. His hair was almost completely grown back before his stitches were even removed!
The way my vet charges is to give you a base fee–cost of surgery in general (like anesthesia and all), then the cost of removing the adrenal. My vet also "pokes around" if the ferret is still doing well after removing the adrenal, and if any other issues are found–like insulinomas, intestinal blockages, whatever–she deals with them right away if she has my permission. It adds to the total cost, but means that you don't need a second surgery–two surgeries is more expensive than one that does procedures, and two surgeries is harder on the ferret than one that does both. It all depends on how the ferret is doing, however.
There are other options besides surgery, however. Lupron and melatonin are two treatments off of the top of my head; ask your vet for more suggestions. Not all ferrets are good candidates for medication, however.
Also, not all ferrets are good candidates for surgery. The older your ferret, and the sicker the ferret is when surgery occurs, the less likely that the ferret will recover well from surgery. At a certain point, surgery probably won't help, and end-of-life care is actually the best option. Only your vet can really advise you in this. There are too many things that a vet can see from things like blood work and from just seeing the ferret to know what's going on.
References :