what price love?

Parent Cafe
1

<p>When our income was reduced to zilch recently, during a prolonged strike, I posted that we were still giving our dog the expensive dog food, although we were eating toast and tomato soup. </p>

<p>She after all, is a member of our family & one that gets along with everyone. :slight_smile:
Last weekend, she suddenly became ill ( I suspect the culprit was some nasty food that “someone” had pushed underneath the couch)- and quit eating and drinking.</p>

<p>I had to go out of town for two days, but I made risotto with chicken broth before I left- for my D to feed her. ( the Portland schools were closed because of snow, so she could stay till Monday). She didn’t eat it- and she wouldn’t drink either, but I gave instructions to give her water with an eye dropper.</p>

<p>After the results from blood work came back- the vet suggested I take her to an emergency care clinic. ( very increased liver enzymes- just a couple months ago, they were 60, now they were over 2000)</p>

<p>This was Tuesday-I took her to vet after younger Ds semi final soccer game in the opposite end of town ( they won- their 2nd game this year in the snow- looks like Saturday- the district tournament will be the third)</p>

<p>We had to carry her in, the tests indicated large splenic mass, and inflammatory things in liver, along with small somethings in lungs.
She is old, but actually had been doing pretty well lately- not only is she on good food, but was doing well on initial dose for hypothyroid & takes nutritional supplements.
She still runs and gets her flingy thing ( when feeling better).</p>

<p>But with any older pet- there weren’t any guarantees, & anything would be very expensive. (this is an emergency clinic- that does the surgery & I had to pay $1,200 just to get her assessed and hydrated, though I know the two main vets from working on school committees)</p>

<p>This is where- it gets really hard. It took us a long time to finally get rid of our mini-van, although I surely didn’t love it & it spent a lot of time in the shop. I am not equating our dog with a car- but trying to figure out, how much money to spend on a pet is tough.
We had already said, every pet gets one big outlay. Our older cat, had a sarcoma removed from her nose- which was very expensive, but she lived many years after that.</p>

<p>Our dog however, already had lots spent a couple years ago, when she had to go to the dentist and have a tooth pulled that had abscessed after something had become stuck in her gum.
But we never did spend anything on our 2nd cat, she had seemed to be healthy, until she disappeared one night , and we found her collapsed in the garden bed.</p>

<p>The only pet we have currently ( besides the neighbors cat , who treats our house like his own), is our doggie and while I don’t want her to go through unnecessary pain and agony- I also don’t want to just put her to sleep, if she could recover from surgery.</p>

<p>When I visited her yesterday- she hadn’t been fed, and seemed very lethargic. But when I asked if they could feed her a little, she licked it all up, even off the blanket and then stood up to go outside. My husband visited her last night, and she again had been fed & was wagging her tail and happy to see him.</p>

<p>So I told them to go ahead and schedule the surgery to remove her spleen and to do a biopsy on her liver.
I know recovery will be hard- she is 14 & 1/2 yrs old- but although her liver is inflamed, her heart and lungs are good and it just feels as she still has more life in her.</p>

<p>Am I crazy? We will be paying off our charge card for a **long **time.
( but compared to a Caribbean vacation/big screen tv/tummy tuck- doggie love gives a higher return. IMO anyway)
:D</p>

2

<p>I know how you feel - but would have done the same thing… as long as the quality of life is good, I’ll spend what I have to in order to keep my dog going. So no you are not crazy…</p>

3

<p>emk - If it makes you feel any better, we made the same decision for two of our dogs. Good luck to (insert canine’s name here).</p>

4

<p>Maybe crazy in love. And that’s okay.</p>

<p>This is such a personal decision and you have made the right one for your family. Best of luck your sweet pup.</p>

5

<p>well the vet just called and said they took Sadie ( one of three Sadies currently at this clinic- which is funny to me- I didn’t know it was so popular) to surgery early, since an earlier procedure didn’t take as long as expected.</p>

<p>She apparently is doing well with anesthesia, no internal bleeding, they had to take some of her lipomas out to get to the spleen ( she is a Labrador & has lots of fatty lumps- which they are prone to).So it sounds like things are going better than expected- and it even sounded like it would cost less than projected.</p>

<p>My H is putting my snow tires on- so I hope I can go see her later- I want to bring her something that smells like home.</p>

<p>Since we have snow- this is like when she was 6 months old ( was she that young?) when she was spayed. it barely slowed her down, she pranced around in the snow, but then would rest her incision in the snow. She will be soo happy to see the snow, the neighborhood dogs are just going nuts ;)</p>

6

<p>Glad to hear that things are going well. My dogs have all loved dirty t-shirts when at the vet - take an old one out of the dirty clothes basket so it smells like you (or whomever they like best). Sounds gross but it has worked more than once!!!</p>

7

<p>your income has been reduced to zilch lately and you are spending thousands on surgery for a 14 1/2 year old Lab? Yes, I would say you are crazy… a wonderful warm hearted person no doubt, but crazy. I’m afraid my wife would do the same thing. :(</p>

8

<p>I think you should look at a practical side as well as crass as that may sound. You’ve probably already done it but you should seek out the advice of the vet, a couple of vets if you can, to see what the prognosis is likely to be after the surgery. If there’s a reasonable chance she can recover without a lot of issues and lead a decent life for another year or two that’s one thing. However, if the prognosis isn’t great - it looks as if the recovery would be difficult for the dog, and the quality of life for her afterward doesn’t look good, that’s something else to consider. They might not be able to give you a good idea in which case you might have to just go with your gut.</p>

<p>My previous dog had some health problems and we ended up taking him to several vets and even drove him up to Orange County during one of the firestorms to have an MRI done to the tune of lots of $$$ (but less than if we’d done it in San Diego). It was all for naught since he had a disease that couldn’t be cured. He lived for some more months in a high maintenance mode (he, 80 pound Boxer, couldn’t walk so I carted him around which I didn’t mind) but finally he had so many issues and a very poor prognosis that it was apparent it was time.</p>

<p>I hope it works out okay for you.</p>

<p>Edit - Just cross-posted with you. I’m glad it’s looking better.</p>

9

<p>I should clarify- that while our income was reduced to zilch when my H was on strike- he has been back at work for a couple months- plus- we have an adjustable rate mortgage- every time we think we should make it fixed rate- the interest goes down lower! ( I think this may be the time to do that though) :)</p>

<p>I also did look up online to see about the surgery- while we do use the spleen, at this stage, taking it out seems like the right thing to do.
However- it was a coin toss, on how she would do & yesterday when I talked to the vet- who wasn’t her regular vet, but at the emergency clinic- I didn’t get a clear sense of which way to go- other than he felt, she was pretty old.</p>

<p>it could have been like when my daughter had surgery, when she was a day and a half old- open her up & then just close her again.</p>

<p>Luckily for both of them- they did well in surgery.</p>

10

<p>ek, I’ve been giving my cat daily insulin shots for almost 4 years. When it was her time to go, I was a crying mess because I could not do anything about it. We have a dog, too, who is getting old. I dread the moment we have to make the choice about him. How can you put a price on a faithful companion? Hang in there. Hugs.</p>

11

<p>Ek to each his own on that one. My 13 1/2 year old dog had a major episode a while back. The very high priced overnight urgent care clinic wanted to do a sonogram and some other tests to the tune of a second $1,000. the next day. When I went to see him he was completely back to normal.<br>
I told them to remove the iv, skip the tests and let me take him home. My thought was that if they found something I wasn’t prepared to spend another 3-5 thousand for surgery on an elderly dog.
During the whole episode, all the other family members were convincing me to let him be put down.<br>
He hasn’t had an episode since (knock on wood) but the next time it could be a hard decision.</p>

12

<p>emeraldkity, I’m happy to hear your dog is doing better. I hope you have many more happy times together. I tend to be practical with money, but I’ve not yet been at this particular crossroad. Our dog is 8, and has been generally healthy. I was shocked, however, at the way veterinary clinics are run here, which is mostly as a money mill. I like to think this is not true of most places. I started to take our dog to the animal hospital run by the ASPCA here, and have been very happily impressed by the quality of care (and the prices!) It’s a non-profit teaching hospital, so they don’t tend to recommend pricey procedures that aren’t completely necessary. This was in marked contrast to the first private practice I took her to when she was a puppy. (They tried to charge me $25 to clip her nails without asking me if I wanted it done.) If there is one of these ASPCA affiliated hospitals near you, it might be worth looking into.</p>

13

<p>ek4 - my heart went out to you when I read this. I hope the vet’s office can be a bit compassionate when it comes to the bill. I have a sort of interesting story. A year ago, I got some really, really bad news one night that was likely to impact my financial situation. The dog had an appointment at the vet the next morning, early. I looked like hell when I went in, and I basically spilled the beans to the vet (first adult I’d seen since getting the news), who, when she asked how things were going, didn’t expect verbal vomit (honestly, neither did I… it just came out). Anyway, over the year, things turned out not so bad as I’d portrayed them that morning, and our dog was seen by other vets when I had to take her in. I kept thinking I needed to profusely apologize to this vet for my breakdown in the exam room, but never saw her… until this fall when our dog developed two inter-digital cysts, the second one within 24 hours of finishing antibiotics for the first one. So in a period of three weeks, I had the dog in the office four times, I think. The first time for the initial exam, the second and third times for quick follow up, and the fourth time for the recurrence on the other paw. She did not charge me for the 2nd-4th visits! I was shocked, and all I kept thinking was this poor woman must vividly remember my breakdown a year ago, and because I never clarified the outcome with her, she feels sorry for me. Granted, I’ve had other visits in the meantime that I’ve paid full price for with the other docs (and did so on the first visit of the first inter-digital cyst), but for subsequent visits she just said, “I’m not going to charge you today for the visit since it’s really just a follow up.” Of course, I did have to pay money for the medications.</p>

<p>I’m still trying to figure out if (or how) I should apologize for the incident a year ago.</p>

14

<p>Our lab mutt had high liver enzymes after about age 12.5. We gave her these huge pills for liver function which really helped. If the biopsy comes back good and the liver issues are just age related, the vets may suggest these pills. They were on the expensive side, maybe $2 per pill (sorry I can’t remember the name). She lived to 13.5.</p>

<p>We have to put down elderly dogs in the past couple of years. Their quality of life was our main concern. The problem with the labs is their big heart. They will always wag their tail and be glad to see you. They will always be up for a mild game of fetch. They are so focused on their people that they won’t let you know what is too much for them. Our ancient dog used to slowly drag herself up the stairs each night because she wasn’t going to miss sleeping with my daughter.</p>

<p>In hindsight: I waited too long on 2 of the 3 dogs. When the time comes, it will be the hardest decision. I hope the news from the vet is good.</p>

15

<p>We had one who was sick at about age 10, we did not know what was wrong, but he looked really sick right before Christmas, $200 at a time we got up to a $1500 bill (10 years ago) on Christmas Eve. He had surgery, had a perfed intestine & perfed baldder from eating wood.</p>

<p>He was never quite the same, but lived another year. I am not sure what I would do if faced with that decision at the outgo. The problem with the vet is that it is $200 or $400 at a time and by the time you’ve already spend $800 you feel dumb & evil saying stop.</p>

<p>We’re on dog #7 so have had to face our share of when to put down the old one, the one who made it to 16 was pretty easy to determine and one who got really sick (probably cancer) whilst we were on vacation was very sad, we got back at night and had to wait until morning to put him down. The vet came out to the car to do it so we did not have to even move him :(</p>

16

<p>* I’ve been giving my cat daily insulin shots for almost 4 years*</p>

<p>I know how that is - it is hard being the one they run away from.
Our feline matriarch died a few years ago at 22. For the last 4 years of her life; I had been giving her subcutaneous fluids every day. She was a sweet cat, but that still put me on her *&^% list. :eek: It made a difference though-she did really well, especially when I changed vets and found a clinic that specialized in cats, when our previous clinic told me I needed to put her down.
She went on special meds to increase red blood cells ( can’t remember the name, they give it to HIV patients) and she did well for about 9 months after that.</p>

<p>When she arrived at our doorstep, I could have never predicted that I would be taking care of her decades later ( but then I wouldn’t have predicted I would be using the family bed or prolonged nursing either). However- our calico cat- Agatha, was a big help raising our kids. For instance with our youngest- who had night terrors as well as regular tantrums from sensory overload, would scream inconsolably, Agatha would actually go to her and calm her down. ( while everyone else ran the other way)</p>

<p>Sadie was terrified of Agatha at first. Though as a Labrador retriever, she was quite a bit bigger, she wouldn’t go into the kitchen- when the cat was standing in the middle, just waiting for her to walk by.</p>

<p>Agatha also stood guard in the yard. While she would lie in the middle of the sidewalk to get pets from a passerby, if any unleashed dog even though about coming into the yard, she would stand up and glare at them & they would change their mind. It was really fascinating.</p>

<p>I think that my attachment to our pets, perhaps was influenced by our pets when I was younger. When I was about nine we had a puppy for a few days or maybe a week, but then my mother decided it was too much. We got a cockapoo a couple years after that, and when I was 13, after harassing my parents for months, I got a spaniel mix who I named Bozo. He was a “spirited” dog, but I couldn’t take him with me when I moved out when I was 17/18, but I still had a brother and sister at home, who took care of him. So I was very upset when my mother called up to say she had put both of our dogs to sleep, the cockapoo because she had lumps and Bozo, because he had gotten a chicken bone stuck in his throat. I Was SO Mad.</p>

<p>It would have been nice, if I had even known she was taking them to the vet. :frowning:
My mom likes to do what other people are doing, not only does she always ask where I bought something ( even when most of my stuff is used), but since we adopted Sadie she has gone through two dogs- each one a quite expensive and high maintenance purebred- but she would constantly complain about the dog- never take it to the vet or for training and eventually gave it back to breeder. I tried to explain to her- research helps- think about why you want a dog- first.
That’s why Sadie has been a perfect dog-. She is big and black so she " scares" the heck out of people who equate big & black with " killer" ( I originally got her, so my oldest could walk to the corner store by herself </p>

<p>Mom should really have gotten an older dog that had already been trained; she didn’t understand that puppies grow up & they need guidance.
She just wanted them to sit next to her while she watched tv.
(she was the same way about babies- as long as they were lumps & all they wanted was to be held- she liked them- but once they started expressing opinions, as mine did quite early! she avoided them)</p>

<p>I don’t know whether there are “dog” people & “cat” people, but it is interesting to observe peoples relationship with their pets (or lack of pets).</p>

<p>In the likelihood, that Sadie isn’t around when D#2 goes off to college next fall, I can see myself getting another dog, she has been such a great companion over the years- and it has been hard, since she couldn’t be out with me - when I am out in the woods all day. Last year when I started going back to school, I even took her with me. I could park right outside the classroom & I took her out at breaks- she was very sad, when I decided it was getting too cold for her to sit in the car and wait.</p>

17

<p>ek, you’d be shocked, but the cat did not mind her daily shots! She was a very gentle kitty, our family angel. I think she made the connection between the shots and the way she felt afterwards, and welcomed her treatment with loud purring. She never ran away from me or hid at the sight of a needle. I did not expect such a reaction form a cat! The kitten that we have now… I do not think I can handle giving her shots :)</p>

<p>I hope your dog is recovering well.</p>