Vet Estimate - Am I being charged too much??

Question
I found a lump on the back of my ferrets ear. I took her into the vet and was given an estimate of charges for removal of the lump. My questions are:

1. Is it common practice to just remove the lump without doing some sort of biopsy first? (They are going to have it tested after removal)

2. Is this the usual price for this sort of procedure?

3. The vet requested that a ultrasound is done at the same time as the lump is removed. She said this is because of my ferrets age. Is it necessary to for Coco to have this ultrasound?

Here is the estimate:

Blood sample collection        - $13.22
CBC                                 - $48.00
Presurgical (full)                 - $75.00
Anesthesia (20KG)              - $83.72
Pulse Oximeter Monitor        -$9.72
Fluid Therapy Subcutaneous -$33.04
Laser Surgery                    - $30.00
Surgical pack (Minor)            - $15.20
Operating Room Supplies     - $10.18
Ultrasound - Abdomen        - $96.90
Histopathology Single         - $120.00
Lab Courier                      - $9.25
Hospitalization Full Day      - $18.36
SC/IM Injection                - $18.24
Metacam Injectable          - $7.78

TOTAL INC. TAX - $644.60

Thanks for any help!

Here is my ferret, Coco Chanel's info:

1) How old the ferret is

5 years old.

2) Any illness history and preexisting maladies

Has never had any problems before in her life.

3) What food the ferret gets

hard food - 8 in 1 Ultra-Blend Select Complete Nutrition Ferret Diet
Ferretone (every second day)
Plain chicken that I cook myself
Egg Yolk (once to twice a week)
Whiskas Temptations (as a treat about once a week or twice)
Avocado (once a month)
Peanut Butter (as a treat every so often)
She also eats anything I am eating. But just a little.

4) What the ferret's last poop looked like

Normal. Sometimes can be a little runny.

5) What sort of environment he/she lives in.

She has free run of my house. She has many beds and hiding spots around my basement suite. I try to always keep a light on in the house for her so if I am not home she isn't in complete darkness. She goes outside sometimes in the summer.

Answer
Hello Amy and Coco,

I just want to thank you for being so thorough. It is a very big help to me. That being said, unfortunately, I don't have a lot of information to give you. I don't have the basis of comparison, because I have never had to deal with this specific problem. I was under the impression that a biopsy would be run before the removal of a tumor, but I think I could understand why they are going to remove the lump and then biopsy it. If they are worried that a lump is indicative of a further problem, then that would make sense that they want to remove it without worrying about the biopsy first. Also, even if the biopsy came back negative, there is the worry that, at some point, the lump could become cancerous and that would be a reason for the removal right now.

A reason for the ultrasound would be to make sure that the lump isn't malignant. Also, there could be reason for your vet to believe that maybe there are further lumps and that may be why they want to ultrasound your baby.

My advice to you is, if you are uncomfortable with the opinion of your current vet, then you can always get a second opinion. If there is another ferret vet in your area, you could always give them a call and see if their prices are any different. It will be difficult for them to give you an idea without seeing your little girl, but if you wanted, they could probably give a vague ballpark estimate.

I hope this helps, and if you need anything else, please don't hesitate to ask. Feel free to keep me updated!

Sincerely,
Emilee Andrews

P.S.
I would just like to add that ferrets are obligate carnivores, which means they are only equipped to digest protein, which means meat and eggs. They can't digest or draw nutrition from anything else. I just wanted to add that so you would make sure to, if you really must give other things to Coco, to just be mindful of how much you're giving. I really would advise against anything else but meat and egg products. Also, you should feed your ferret a food that has about 36% protein, 20-22% fat and no more than 3% fiber. Also, taurine should be in there somewhere. Here is a chart listing some of the foods that people feed their ferrets:

http://www.mdferretpaws.org/care/food_treats.html

I would stay above a nine in the ranking if I were you. Another thing you want to look for in the food is that at least 3 of the first 5 ingredients are from meat products (and not fish). Also, stay away from foods with corn or corn products listed in the first three to five ingredients.

If you are feeding a food that doesn't quite go up to par as far as quality, you should switch her food . You need to make the change gradually because ferrets imprint on their food at a young age and they don't recognize anything else as food. Also, you're going to want to do it gradually to be easier on her tummy. You will probably see looser stool than normal for a few days. Just keep an eye on that and make sure she is staying hydrated. If it lasts for more than a week or if she gets dehydrated or stops eating, you should have her checked out by a qualified ferret vet. You should start out with about 85% old food and 15% new food. Keep that ratio for a few days and then put 75% old food and 25% new food and continue that for a few days and so on. You could even mix a couple high quality foods if you wanted to, just in case your normal food changes formula and your little girl won't eat it!

I say all of that because, as you can see from the chart, 8-in-1 Ultra isn't the greatest rated food out there. 8-in-1 Ultimate is, according to the chart, the best food out there! Just a little food for thought :-)!