This decision STINKS

Several months ago, my stepson's 2 pets died. They were degus, which is a little rodent similar to a rabbit/guinea pig cross. Anyhow, he was really sad. We waited a few months and finally last week he decided to get a ferret.

All the kids quickly became attached to the little ferret. She is a lot of fun. Anyhow, part of the purchase price included the initial vet check to make sure everything was fine and dandy.

Well, she is not. Basically, she has a grape sized cyst in her neck. The vet withdrew some of the fluid and he has never seen anything like it---and he is a ferret expert. The cyst is full of skin cells, which makes no sense. We have several different options, none of which are cheap to do. And it may turn out that she has cancer and won't live long.

So, I called the pet store & they have offered to exchange her for another ferret. They would then send her back to the company they purchased her from. We feel quite certain that they will put her to sleep. They will not help with any vet costs if we decide to pursue surgury, etc.

What would you do?

We could exchange her, but all the kids AND MY HUSBAND are so attached to her. And not knowing what becomes of her will be difficult. Then again, if we invest the money for surgery, she may end up dying anyhow. And that would break everyone's heart. But, then again, they may remove the cyst and then everything would be fine. We would just be out a few hundred bucks that we really can't afford.

We are going to talk to Cody tonight and let him help with the decision. After all it is his ferret. And then we will take it from there. Either way, something has to be decided tomorrow. Either she goes back to the store or we schedule surgery to have the cyst removed and biopsied.