From:
DBRN2@AOL.COM
Date: 2004-10-23 10:16:38 UTC
Subject: surgery cost for insulinoma in mid atlantic area
To: ferrethealth@smartgroups.com
Message-ID: <6531825.1098526598755.JavaMail.root@thallium.smartgroups.com>
Greetings, I have a 5-6 year old female ferret who currently needs insulino=
ma surgery again. She has previously had 3 surgeries including insulinoma =
surgery about 2.5 years ago, and 2 adrenalectomies (each performed separate=
ly) about 2 years ago. The cost of ferret surgery in this area has gone thr=
ough the roof as of late. Current quote from her original surgeon for this =
latest surgery is about $1500-$2000, which is totally beyond our means due =
to some very serious health problems my husband is experiencing that have r=
esulted in an almost total collapse of our income. Each of her previous su=
rgeries were between $1100 and $1500 each, and we were able to cover them a=
bout 50% with the assistance of pet insurance. Dana is now over her max li=
fetime benefit for insulinomas, so they won't cover any additional amounts.=
I've been calling around for the past week, trying to locate a vet with s=
ome level of ferret experience who can do this surgery at a more reasonable=
price but have gotten nowhere in a hurry. =
Does anyone know where I can find an experienced ferret spec surgeon who wi=
ll do the surgery and workup for about $700, as this is the absolute max we=
can afford? Even this amount will create a significant financial hardship=
, but we love our girl and really want to do our best for her. I'm very di=
sheartened that the ferret vet we have gone to for over 10 years has gotten=
so expensive that we are unable to afford treatment for our babies. We've=
spent about $30k in the past 5 years at his office on vet bills for our fe=
rrets and cats. We live in NJ and have been traveling back to our home stat=
e of MD for all animal health care needs but this is probably the end of th=
e line for us as there's no sense in going there just for routine care if w=
e can't afford to have the specialized care they need addressed through the=
same facility.
Anyone who's had this surgery done in the last 6 months or so in the $700 p=
rice in the mid atlantic, could you please contact me at dbrn2@aol.com. =
Thanks very much for any and all assistance. =
Dana's mom
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