# Reasonable Surgery Cost?



## thinkzersize (Jan 15, 2012)

I took one of my rats to the vet yesterday to get a lump/tumor on his abdomen checked out. It looks pretty nasty and is a bit open (=[), but surprisingly doesn't seem to bother him too much. As expected, the vet recommended surgery to remove the lump as soon as possible. The good news is that it is just attached to his skin (rather than in the body cavity), but because it is somewhat of an open wound, she is concerned about him getting an infection. The estimate I was given for surgery costs is between $550-$700, and I just wanted to know if you more experienced folks think that is reasonable?
She seems like a fantastic vet, I chose her because she has an exotic companion mammal certification, and the practice is AAHA accredited. I'm sure surgery would be the best option (my boy is about 1.5 years old, so he should be able to handle it and I'm sure it would improve his quality of life), but it's just a lot of money. I guess I'm just looking for someone to give me a kick in the butt and tell me it's the right thing to do (since my boyfriend and mother think I'm crazy for wanting to spend so much on him =/).


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## clossboss (Mar 22, 2010)

ive never had any surgeries on any of my rats but i think that seems outrageous.....maybe try another place close by and see what they say? hopefully someone else will chime in on this...


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## Jaguar (Nov 15, 2009)

That's really high. It shouldn't be more than $250 for a non invasive tumor removal like that. Are you able to post any pictures of the lump? If a tumor is open and "nasty" looking that is a very, very bad thing as it could be necrotizing... or it's an abscess... $550-700 to remove an abscess...


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## thinkzersize (Jan 15, 2012)

I thought the price seemed high, but this is the first time I've had to have a pet have surgery so I wasn't sure what is considered standard. Do you think I'd be able to call other places to figure out what they charge for surgery?
Pictures aren't the best quality, but I was able to get a couple:
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y202/kookymunky54/IMG_0385.jpg
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y202/kookymunky54/IMG_0381.jpg
I really just want to get this taken care of as soon as possible, because it does not look good =[


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## Kinsey (Jun 14, 2009)

I second the it does not look good.

I personally would stop at nothing to get my rats well in any situation, but it is up to you. Either way something needs to be done fast- that thing is nasty.


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## lilspaz68 (Feb 24, 2007)

The pics make it very hard to see what's going on, whether its a cavity or a necrotizing lump? 

Where are you located? That is a hefty price for most places.


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## thinkzersize (Jan 15, 2012)

It's definitely a lump, sorry the pictures aren't very clear. I'm located in Southern Maine (about 30 minutes south of Portland). I'm thinking of just calling the vet and setting up the surgery appointment so that I can get this taken care of quickly. It's not his fault I chose such an expensive vet, and I'm scared that he'll get worse in the time it takes me to find someone who might charge a more reasonable price.
I'm sorry for being so terribly indecisive, I'm just scared and stressed out because I'm not sure what the right thing is to do.


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## lilspaz68 (Feb 24, 2007)

thinkzersize said:


> It's definitely a lump, sorry the pictures aren't very clear. I'm located in Southern Maine (about 30 minutes south of Portland). I'm thinking of just calling the vet and setting up the surgery appointment so that I can get this taken care of quickly. It's not his fault I chose such an expensive vet, and I'm scared that he'll get worse in the time it takes me to find someone who might charge a more reasonable price.
> I'm sorry for being so terribly indecisive, I'm just scared and stressed out because I'm not sure what the right thing is to do.


if I had the money, I would do just that. Get that bugger off of him, the sooner the better. Later on you can shop around and try to find a more reasonable vet if necessary.


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## Kinsey (Jun 14, 2009)

I agree with lilspaz.

It would be good to get it off sooner rather than later.


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