Vet Bills - Paw Talk

Becki · #1 08-22-2002, 11:37 PM

I've been reading up on ferrets, and it sounds like a good amount of pet ferrets have quite a few medical problems, especially needing adrenal surgury. I know exotic bills are expensive, but my chins don't go to the vet often but do go when they need it. I just don't want to get in too deep. Do any of you have an estimation (however vague...I have NO idea) of the cost of vet bills for the average ferret for say a year, or a lifetime if you've had many ferrets? I hope this doesn't sound too callous, I just don't want to get a ferret and not be able to provide it medical care.

#2 09-16-2002, 08:47 PM

Well it really depends. My first ferret only cost me $25 for the doctors visit and $20 for shots once a year. Then the prices went up. Now its about $40 for a doc visit and $25+ for the shots. If you have more than one, that can get pricey, but you could always stagger their shots by a couple months, so you are not paying too much at once.

Now emergency care is pricey. When Fermi had his stroke it cost me almost $100 all together for the emergency vet to tell me he had a 15% chance of living the night, so I put him to sleep. I was in the office less than 20 minutes.

Bruno is pretty healthy, so I don't expect needing to take him to the doc anytime soon, but then Fermi was healthy too and then all of a sudden he had a stroke.

If you are lucky, doc bills will be less than $70 a year per ferret. I spend more on my own medical care in two months. I would assume anyother pet would be about the same if you took them to get shots every year.

--Kiara

Ravnos · #3 09-16-2002, 09:47 PM

Yearlies for my ferrets only run about 20-30 dollars apiece, but like Kiara said... emergency care is the kicker. When I first found out one of my ferrets had insulinoma she had already lapsed into a hypoglycemic seizure. The emergency care ran about 300 to bring her out of it, and then it was 60 dollars every two of weeks for blood tests and her medication. The bills can run up pretty fast, but in general - with good diet, exercise, and early prevention of known problems, cost benefit analysis is pointless. :hershey:

Rav

Becki · #4 09-16-2002, 11:56 PM

Ok, that's not so bad. I have chins so I know how those emergencies can get you. I just got kinda scared when I was reading so much about adrenal problems and stuff...it sounded pretty common. I guess it's kind of similar to how you hear about chinchillas having teeth problems all the time, but it's not really that common, just talked about alot.