Not long ago Skittles, a guinea pig owned by Scott Mitchell and his family, came down with a bad eye infection. After a trip to the veterinarian, Skittles’ owners faced two basic choices: Euthanasia, to prevent suffering, or removal of the eye, says Mitchell, the managing director at SDR Ventures LLC, a middle-market investment bank in Greenwood Village, Colo. His family chose surgery, and after the almost $1,000 procedure Skittles was back home and happy.
