Message Number: SG11475 | New FHL Archives Search
From: Caitlyn Martin
Date: 2004-11-19 22:00:32 UTC
Subject: Re: [ferrethealth] Tuffy update grim
To: ferrethealth@smartgroups.com
Message-ID: <20041119220032.15139.qmail@web50807.mail.yahoo.com>

Hi, Carol, and everyone else,

--- Lavisferrt@cs.com wrote:

> Refured for more surgerys up to
> 1000.00 where do you drawl the line after 500.00
> already.

$1,000 has been widely reported to be the *AVERAGE*
cost of a major illness in a ferret. I sure would
spend $1,000 if it would save one of mine.

Where do you draw the line? I don't know. I spent
almost $8,000 on Pertwee during his lifetime, which is
almost as much as the other 10 ferrets I have or have
had over the past seven years. (No, not all at once.)
I have no regrets about the money spent on Pertwee. I
had five and a half very good years with him. Even
after going through hell before his second birthday he
was still my most wired and insane weasel and was like
no other ferret I have ever known. He made it very
clear how much he appreciated me.

> What shots do they want to give to releave the
> infulmitions?

That depends on the cause. Metastasis from an adrenal
carcinoma is very rare indeed and may be difficult if
not impossible to treat.

> What do we do to help him in this
> situation when it starts getting rough? Until its
> time to say good by when he is in too much pain?

You're not in a situation to have to think that way
yet. It sounds like your vet believes a curative
surgery is possible. Let him/her do what they can to
save your ferret and go after the cause of the
problem.

> Why do 5 year old ferrets wind up getting cancer
> seems kind of young?

Why do 37 year old women get cancer? It seemed young
to me when it happened to me. I'm still here because
I got proper medical treatment in a timely manner back
then. Pertwee lived as long as he did because he got
timely treatment, including three surgeries, when he
needed it. My ferrets are part of my family. I don't
do less for them than I do for myself.

FWIW, Pertwee's first carcinoma was in his left
adrenal gland. It came out when he was a year and a
half old. Compared to that five doesn't seem so
young.

Good luck to you and to Tuffy! Please don't give up
on him until your vet tells you that there isn't any
hope.

All the best,
Caity

__________________________________________________
Do You Yahoo!?
Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around
http://mail.yahoo.com