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How far would you go for a pet?

Polished

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I just wondered how far people are prepared to go to save their pet. I've got a friend who owned an adorable Moodle dog who developed diabetes. They paid a large sum of money to get it's cataracts done and through her dedication in managing the diabetes the dog lived a very healthy couple of years before becoming seriously ill. At this point the money being spent on the dog started to really escalate - vet visits, expensive treatments, culminating in a specialist saying he thought there was still hope for the dog (who was in a very weakened state). He operated on the dog (over $15,000) and two days later she died of bowel complications from the diabetes. My friend was so upset by the dog's death, I know people are attached to their animals but she seemed to take it to a next level. A few weeks on she is still upset about the dog's passing but it is easing and she is upset over the enormous amount of money spent (and the issues to do with not having put the dog through the final operation) that have strained the family's finances. I was wondering all the way through whether I should have spoken up and gently expressed that it might be time to let the dog go but somehow rightly or wrongly I couldn't take her hope away. Anyone have any perspectives or experiences with this issue.
 

distracts

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Yeah at a certain point you just have to let go. It's one thing to spend a couple thousand dollars if you're going to get a few more good years with a good quality of life - and it's another thing entirely to spend that (or more) if you're just prolonging a miserable half-life and if there's not even a very big chance of that. I think the same with people - health care costs might not be so out of control if people knew when to let go. Once you hit old age, you're going to die of something sooner or later, and there's really no reason to spend so much money staving off the inevitable for just a little longer. I understand the urge but at some point rationality needs to kick in.
 

missy

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I would go as far as I could go if the quality of life is still there. When my cat Billy developed diabetes we went to so many vet appointments to find what would properly control his diabetes and he lived for many good years with diabetes (which was a huge percentage of a cat's life btw since their lifespan is much shorter than ours so even 5 years is a huge amount). Then he developed heart issues and other health issues as older pets do and we did the best we could by him then as well. When he became too sick and started suffering we mercifully put him down. We didn't want him suffering and when no hope for quality of life was left it was time. My heart still breaks and he left us too soon but he knew he was very much loved and we knew he loved us too. One day we will join him at Rainbow Bridge.

When another of our cats developed cancer we spent thousands to save him and he went on to have a few more good years which again was worth it IMO as that is a good amount of life to a cat. We didn't give the money a second thought. This was our family member. Not just a "pet". I think people who view pets as just pets and not family probably are not the best pet owners but that is just my opinion and honestly with so many animals in need of good homes any loving home is better than being on the streets homeless but still there are different levels of good homes. And if I was a cat or dog I would want a human owner who would do whatever they could to save my life if I would have a good quality of life left.

In 1974 when our boxer dog developed a serious health issue my parents moved mountains to give him as much (good quality) of life he could get. They had him undergo an operation which was revolutionary and experimental at the time and it only bought him a few more months but they had to do what they could and they didn't know what the outcome would be but they had to take every opportunity they could to do their very best by him. Just as they would do if one of us became very ill. They wouldn't throw in the towel saying it was too expensive to save us just as they wouldn't say it was too expensive to try and save our dog.

At the time I remember the operation was an exorbitant cost and this was 1974 so this was a huge amount then. However we all loved our dog so much there was no price tag to put on that love. My parents loved him the way they loved us, their daughters. He was a son to them. And that is how we feel about all our animals. We love them and their is no price tag on that love.



Polished|1440492916|3918884 said:
I just wondered how far people are prepared to go to save their pet. I've got a friend who owned an adorable Moodle dog who developed diabetes. They paid a large sum of money to get it's cataracts done and through her dedication in managing the diabetes the dog lived a very healthy couple of years before becoming seriously ill. At this point the money being spent on the dog started to really escalate - vet visits, expensive treatments, culminating in a specialist saying he thought there was still hope for the dog (who was in a very weakened state). He operated on the dog (over $15,000) and two days later she died of bowel complications from the diabetes. My friend was so upset by the dog's death, I know people are attached to their animals but she seemed to take it to a next level. A few weeks on she is still upset about the dog's passing but it is easing and she is upset over the enormous amount of money spent (and the issues to do with not having put the dog through the final operation) that have strained the family's finances. I was wondering all the way through whether I should have spoken up and gently expressed that it might be time to let the dog go but somehow rightly or wrongly I couldn't take her hope away. Anyone have any perspectives or experiences with this issue.

Polished, how would she have felt if they didn't do their very best to try to save him. They would have been forever questioning that decision. It is always better to have tried. To do your very best because any chance is better than no chance. No second guessing here. They did their very best for their beloved family member and that was all they could do. They can be at peace with their decision. It was the right one IMO. I am so sorry for their loss.
 

MishB

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Financially, we would go a long way.

However I would never consider treatment to prolong an animal's life if it meant pain, suffering and fear to them.
 

kmarla

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This is such a difficult question to answer because there are many variables involved. How much we love our precious pets cannot always be measured by how far we will go to try to save them. Sometimes the right answer is to do everything you can, and sometimes it is to lovingly let them go. I have made both these decisions over the years and they're never easy. We lost our beautiful little Biewer Yorkie last year and it was devastating. She had just turned three, so had a long life ahead of her. She started having seizures six months before passing away. Seizure Medications weren't working, and none of the tests were giving us an answer. We had an MRI and it showed severe hydrocephalus. The solution was to have surgery to place a VP (ventricular peritoneal) shunt in her brain. After much consideration we made the decision to have the surgery hoping she would live a normal life. Sadly she had a brain bleed during surgery. It seemed she was doing well initially, but she deteriorated rapidly over the following three weeks and we had to let her go. We would have lost her soon without the surgery, but we had to take the risk hoping for a good outcome. It was terrible when we lost her and of course you begin to second guess yourself. I won't mention the cost of the surgery except to say that we could afford it. Friends and family told us they were supportive of whatever decision we made, surgery or euthanasia, and that was very helpful and comforting. I think the hardest part of these decisions is trying to be objective. Are you doing this for your loved pet or are you doing it for yourself? The best thing to do as a friend is to offer comfort and support and lots of hugs never hurt.
 

packrat

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I'll risk the tomatoes that will be flung from afar. I'd not mortgage my house. I'd not sell a kidney. I'd not go get a second full time job-and not a part time job either. I love my kitties and my dog. I'm not going to go into debt for them. Not saying I wouldn't run out into traffic of Opilio ran in front of a car. I'm just not going to have to sell my house and move my family into a 500 sq ft apt to prolong my cats life. I do not believe animals/pets are disposable, however, I do not equate them w/humans. Well, some humans.
 

Asscherhalo_lover

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I'm also one for only extending life if there is a reasonable quality of life and I can afford. I do have insurance for my dog which goes up to 15k a year in coverage with 80% reimbursement for any vet bills (surgeries, chemo, therapy, rx) and I would gladly reach that but beyond that much treatment if my dog was in pain I would let him go. With that said I expect the same for myself. Even though I am still young I have seen many relatives have long drawn out and painful battles with cancer, I would not want this for myself. I wouldn't want it for my dog.
 

jordyonbass

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To be honest - a lot further than I do for myself. One of our little feline monsters recently got into a fight and had a badly swollen paw, cost me $200 in needles at the vet. He's also going back for some testing for feline AIDS which will be another $100 for the. To put it into perspective, when I accidentally cut the tip of my thumb partially off I used about 80 cents worth of plasters and secured it back down. Never even went to the doctor :roll:

I agree that there is a point where you do have to let it go as they deteriorate, unfortunately our little furry family members don't quite have the same life span as the rest of us and I feel that some people may forget that at times.
 

kgizo

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It's a quality of life decision best left to the owner and vet. I've had experiences all over the board. One dog was given 1-3 mo and had 36 great months. Another dog was given 2-4 yrs and only made it 3 weeks. I treat it like any other expense and as long as it doesn't mean going into debt I spend it.
 

momhappy

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For me, it's not as much about the money as it is the overall quality of life.
We had family members that spent thousands of dollars after a sudden broken leg led to a bone cancer diagnosis of their 8 yr old overweight lab. They fixed the broken leg and did some cancer treatment, but the dog was never the same (the only time it would get up, was to go to the bathroom or eat). He lived only about another 4 months until he finally died. Had that been my dog, at his age and with his poor prognosis, I would not have fixed the broken leg and done the other treatments.
 

House Cat

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Whatever I can afford without interfering with my pet's quality of life.

I know a woman who is a doctor and a waterfowl hunter. She has a beautiful Labrador Retriever who used to hunt with her. He gave her 13+ years of good hunting, but when he retired, he got seriously ill. She paid over $40,000 for his surgery and said, "he gave me the best years of his life, it is my duty to give him my best now." Of course, she was able to afford this amount and it seemed that she didn't blink and eye to it.

I like the way she thinks.
 

OoohShiny

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packrat|1440507189|3918926 said:
I'll risk the tomatoes that will be flung from afar. I'd not mortgage my house. I'd not sell a kidney. I'd not go get a second full time job-and not a part time job either. I love my kitties and my dog. I'm not going to go into debt for them. Not saying I wouldn't run out into traffic of Opilio ran in front of a car. I'm just not going to have to sell my house and move my family into a 500 sq ft apt to prolong my cats life. I do not believe animals/pets are disposable, however, I do not equate them w/humans. Well, some humans.

I agree with this.

When times are difficult, I always try to draw strength from the wisdom of a greater man than I:

"A life is like a garden. Perfect moments can be had, but not preserved, except in memory. LLAP" - Leonard Nimoy
 

missy

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House Cat|1440511164|3918952 said:
Whatever I can afford without interfering with my pet's quality of life.

I know a woman who is a doctor and a waterfowl hunter. She has a beautiful Labrador Retriever who used to hunt with her. He gave her 13+ years of good hunting, but when he retired, he got seriously ill. She paid over $40,000 for his surgery and said, "he gave me the best years of his life, it is my duty to give him my best now." Of course, she was able to afford this amount and it seemed that she didn't blink and eye to it.

I like the way she thinks.

Me too! :appl: :appl: :appl:



OoohShiny|1440511411|3918955 said:
packrat|1440507189|3918926 said:
I'll risk the tomatoes that will be flung from afar. I'd not mortgage my house. I'd not sell a kidney. I'd not go get a second full time job-and not a part time job either. I love my kitties and my dog. I'm not going to go into debt for them. Not saying I wouldn't run out into traffic of Opilio ran in front of a car. I'm just not going to have to sell my house and move my family into a 500 sq ft apt to prolong my cats life. I do not believe animals/pets are disposable, however, I do not equate them w/humans. Well, some humans.

I agree with this.

When times are difficult, I always try to draw strength from the wisdom of a greater man than I:

"A life is like a garden. Perfect moments can be had, but not preserved, except in memory. LLAP" - Leonard Nimoy


I prefer this quote for this situation.

The greatness of a nation can be judged by the way its animals are treated.

Mahatma Gandhi
 

NewEnglandLady

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I am willing to go as for my dogs as I am for my human children. We are fortunate that we've never needed to go into debt for our animals, but Byron, our first newf, was terminally ill for 5 years and his care was very expensive. What was more difficult for me personally was the level of care he required in his final years (daily baths, tracking down hard-to-find medications, appointments with specialists that are thousands of miles away, etc.). When it was finally time to let go, we knew that we'd done absolutely everything possible...Byron's neurologist even cried when it was time to let go and he was the most stone-faced man I'd ever met.

I am absolutely grateful for every single day I had with Byron--that dog truly made me a better person. We had to put him down earlier this year and I miss him every day--I still cry about once a week.

Our second newf, Bo, is currently undergoing treatment for his cancer. We will fight for him for as long as we can. His cancer is aggressive and his treatment is expensive, but we'll buy as much time with him as possible. We have worked with some amazing oncologists around the nation and convinced our local oncologist to try some experimental radiation treatment which has worked very well for Bo. He's happy and is as healthy as he can be given his condition and I'm thankful for every day we have with him.

Polished, to answer your original question as to whether you should have spoken up about the amount of money being spent/when it was time to "let go", I think it was better that you didn't say anything.

My personal opinion when it comes to deeply personal decisions like this is "if somebody wants my opinion, they'll ask". Between Byron's illness and now Bo's cancer, I have heard dozens of times that we should put them down or that what we're spending is an insane amount of money (always followed by "on a dog"). I generally try to be tactful and state that we are doing what we feel is best for OUR dog, but I have admittedly flown off the handle a couple of times. It's just a very sensitive and difficult topic, so I think it's smart to steer clear.
 

Calliecake

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House Cat|1440511164|3918952 said:
Whatever I can afford without interfering with my pet's quality of life.

I know a woman who is a doctor and a waterfowl hunter. She has a beautiful Labrador Retriever who used to hunt with her. He gave her 13+ years of good hunting, but when he retired, he got seriously ill. She paid over $40,000 for his surgery and said, "he gave me the best years of his life, it is my duty to give him my best now." Of course, she was able to afford this amount and it seemed that she didn't blink and eye to it.

I like the way she thinks.


+100. Call me the crazy dog lady who loves her dog as she would a child. That being said, I could not bear to see my dog suffer terrible pain. Thank goodness her vet and I are on the same page regarding her health and her quality of life. I do everything possible to see that she has a good happy life and hope she is with us for a very long time. I also know it will take me a very long time to deal with losing her when that day cones. I know it will be hurt my husband and I for years and years. She is our cherished family member.
 

aljdewey

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I think that this is incredibly personal to each pet owner, and I'd never presume to second guess anyone's choices because I wouldn't want mine second-guessed.

When my dog Nicky needed $2,200 surgery after having gotten into discarded corn cobs, it never even crossed my mind to do anything other than proceed with surgery. It was my job to take care of him, and I did it gladly.

When he was diagnosed as terminally ill with inoperable liver cancer a few years later, I made his healthcare decisions with the same criteria I'd make for my own healthcare. How do I want to spend the coda of my life? Would prolonged but possibly lesser quality time be more important to me, or would shortened but hopefully better quality time win?

There is no single right answer to that question that can apply to all. It's extremely individual and personal. In my individual situation, I couldn't choose to put him through extreme measures. I took him home, and my husband and I loved and spoiled him as much as we possibly could. We were grateful he got to see a final winter (he LOVED snow) and spend a last Christmas with him. During those seven months from diagnosis until we lost him, he had maybe a handful of subdued days but otherwise was largely his exuberant self until that last weekend. He frolicked and played right up through Saturday, and then stopped eating Sunday and we let him go on Wednesday.

I will say that no matter what you do (or how much you know your choice is right in the moment you make it), I don't think one can avoid second-guessing for a period afterward. In the initial weeks of loss, it was hard not to wonder if we'd made the right choice for him and for us. With more distance now 2.5 years later, I emphatically know we did right by him.

A friend of mine had a terminally sick dog for a long time, and though we chose different paths, I'm equally and unequivocably certain that she made the right choice for her and her dog.
 

SMC

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I'd weigh the length of the treatment and the expected longevity post-treatment before deciding. I agree with everyone who emphasized quality of life. I don't think there's a point in pursuing aggressive treatment if my dog will be in pain for the rest of her life.

Fortunately, we have pet insurance so cost won't factor into our decisions.

Man, it is really hard for me to think about the end of my dog's life.
 

lyra

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I choose quality of the pet's life over all else. I'm clinical though. Thankfully we've never had to make that kind of choice. We talk about it often, and make sure we're on the same page about what lengths we'd go to and at what stage. If the dog is geriatric, we probably wouldn't choose to prolong their life. It all depends, and we have to make sensible choices and not be ruled strictly by emotion.

In the meantime though, our dogs see the vet often for maintenance and check-ups. We try to practice preventative care where possible.
 

TooPatient

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Agree with Missy and Ali (and so many others).

Quality of life is what I look at. What would I want for me? Is the discomfort of the treatment worth whatever benefit it offers?

I lost my 20 year old dog just a few months ago. Had her for all but her first few months. I had dreaded the the day. Had nightmares where I made a choice to put her down or have surgery done and mid day through when it was too late to change, regretted it.

When the time came, we had no income and little savings but it was clear there was no treatment. I sat with her all night trying to decide what next. Hoping she would get better as she had before and we would have more months of her happy energetic love. It didn't happen. I KNEW what I needed to do.

Despite the tough finances, I called and had a vet come to us. She was afraid of cars in her last year's and I would not let her die in fear. We decided she needed to be cremated after. I found a very good place and had a private cremation and got a laser cut paw print remembrance stone.

It meant no car payment. No electricity payment. Overdrafted us with no income to correct.

Would I do it again? In a second. I have no regrets. We did all we could and she was comfortable.
 

Kaleigh

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I know with Casper, we did what we could. But when the quality of life wasn't going to be there, and he lived to be 17 I was ok to let him go and not suffer. I cried my eyes out for days, he was woven into the fabric of our lives. But seeing him suffer, it was a not brainer.

My first dog Maddie got Lupus. I spent 6K to save her, she was young. It was the vet, that said let her go..

I think most of us do all we can within reason.. I know we always mourn a pets passing.

I think there is a time where you don't do the fight if the outlook isn't promising...

Kills me that my Charlie is 4. She was born the day Casper passed. She is my heart and I know losing her down the raod will break my heart. But that's what happens...
 

OoohShiny

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missy|1440511585|3918956 said:
OoohShiny|1440511411|3918955 said:
packrat|1440507189|3918926 said:
I'll risk the tomatoes that will be flung from afar. I'd not mortgage my house. I'd not sell a kidney. I'd not go get a second full time job-and not a part time job either. I love my kitties and my dog. I'm not going to go into debt for them. Not saying I wouldn't run out into traffic of Opilio ran in front of a car. I'm just not going to have to sell my house and move my family into a 500 sq ft apt to prolong my cats life. I do not believe animals/pets are disposable, however, I do not equate them w/humans. Well, some humans.

I agree with this.

When times are difficult, I always try to draw strength from the wisdom of a greater man than I:

"A life is like a garden. Perfect moments can be had, but not preserved, except in memory. LLAP" - Leonard Nimoy


I prefer this quote for this situation.

The greatness of a nation can be judged by the way its animals are treated.

Mahatma Gandhi

Of course, but to offer an alternative viewpoint in the name of healthy discussion :) if our furbabies have been fed, watered, had a comfortable home with a loving family and access to good healthcare their whole lives, or at least for the majority of their lives after an unlucky start in life, they certainly have been treated well, and I don't think anyone would wish to prolong the life of any animal (or person) dear to them if it meant they were in pain.

As my mother, father and grandmothers have/still note, we treat our pets better than we treat humans - allowing them to die a quick and painless death by letting them go to sleep in the arms of those who love them. This is in stark contrast to the common western practice of prolonging human life to the longest extent at any cost, even when the person has little quality of life, be it those suffering in old age with a physical or mental degenerative and/or terminal illness, or the practice of resuscitating a newborn child that will surely have suffered oxygen starvation-related brain trauma and be likely to need life-long round-the-clock care for the rest of its life. (I cannot imagine going through such a traumatic event myself and hope that we are lucky enough to have healthy babies if/when we do decide to try for a child, as I simply have no idea what I would do in that situation or even if I would cope. My heart goes out to anyone dealing with this, you have my fullest respect.)

It's as if we can't accept that we all have our time and it must end, as if we have hidden death away as 'not normal' and therefore try to run from it as long as we can because can't deal with it well. The Victorians were a lot more open about death than we are nowadays; when was the last time any of us had a full and frank discussion about death - of friends / family / ourselves? (If you have, I applaud you - I for one have not.)

In an ideal world, money would not be an object and everyone would have equal access to food, water, healthcare, petcare, etc - as it is, one of the side effects of the capitalist system is that some have more and some have less. For those that have a lot less, decisions are often made for them by the fact that they have no way of paying for treatment, be it on themselves, their family or their pets. If we are financially secure enough to spend many thousands on prolonging our nearest and dearest's lives through the power of modern medicine, that is a bonus and we must be grateful for it, but I do think there is something to be said for other, 'more primitive' cultures around the world that do not have access to such life-prolonging treatment, which accept and celebrate our inevitable passing as just part of the process of the life that has been.



I would note that attempting to balance the (cold?) logic I am trying to express with the emotions we all feel is a very difficult thing to do, and even though I like logical thinking as a way of dealing with things (we need a Spock smiley!) my heart often overrules my head. I am a complete contradiction in many ways!

I hope all the above does not come across as deliberately argumentative or callous - our love for our friends, family and pets is indisputable - and I certainly am not trying to infer it is 'wrong' to think with our hearts, just that head and heart can contradict!
 

TooPatient

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Shiny -- You make several interesting points. I have to go cook lunch, but wanted to say I think you made several important points but probably the biggest is that we run from death.

It is not a pleasant thing to think about, but we spend so much time avoiding talking about it that many people aren't prepared. I have been approached by several people in the last few months who are going to lose a pet soon and had no idea what to do or what choices they may have or where to cremate or anything. No one else would talk with them about these things. It is like they are off limits.

Same with people. We discuss it often in our home. I have lost too many friends and family of all ages and can't ignore the subject. Even DH doesn't like to discuss. He has learned from my talking about losses that we need to discuss so that helps. We now discuss what treatments we would want, how far to let doctors go, when to resuscitate, when not, etc.

People seem shocked if I mention something so basic as preparing a will. The entire topic of death and everything surrounding it is just off limits it seems.

So sad. It is inevitable. What is not inevitable is being unprepared and confused at an already difficult time.



Anyway.... Back to lunch prep.
 

missy

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Hi ooohshiny, I don't think your post is argumentative or callous at all and I appreciate your comments.

My point is that my dh and I (and my sister and her family and my mom and dad as we are all on the same page here) will do whatever we can in terms of caring for our animals because to us they *are* part of the family. They are not less worthy of medical care if there is medical care that exists that can give them extended quality of life. Period.

Of course I am not saying (and no one here is saying) that one wants to extend the life of their pets if that life will be full of pain and misery. That would be horrible. To be clear I am not nor have ever said that. Just as I would not want my life or my dh's life extended if we were going to be suffering with an incurable condition where there would be no quality of life.

What I am (and some others here are) saying is that if we can give our animals medical treatment to help whatever disease they have thereby extending their life in a good and meaningful way we would. Cost is not important as long as we can do it. Just like if g-d forbid a human member of our family became sick and needed medical treatment. Money would not be something we would consider as their life is worth more than dollars. That's all I am trying to say. Life (good quality of life) is more valuable than money.


ETA: My dh and I have had discussions re death and in fact have all the papers in place should one of us become sick. We have each other's power of attorneys etc and know each other's wishes. Neither of us have any interest in pursuing life just for life's sake. Quality of life is what matters. For us and for our animals.
 

amc80

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It would depend on the age and general health of the pet. Our bulldog had to have surgery for kidney stones. She was maybe 4 at the time and in good health. Our other bulldog's stomach flipped. She was about 9, and life expectancy for bulldogs is around 7 years. We were told that there was a 50% chance of her stomach re-flipping if we did the surgery. We ended up having her put down.

My cat, Zack, had a surgery as a kitten when we found a huge lump on his neck. If he had the same issue today (at 8), I'm not sure what we would do.

We both love our pets, but we clearly understand that (to us) they are just pets. I've had friends who go to extreme lengths to keep pets alive (multiple, expensive daily medications...or, in another case, a cat was paralyzed and couldn't control its bladder or bowels). If that's what someone wants to do, fine, but it's not the choice we would make.
 

NewEnglandLady

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I feel that there is no "wrong" answer when it comes to something as personal as the decision to put your pet down. Or how far to go to save him/her. Every family has to make the very difficult decision as to how much is too much and I know that for me it was extremely painful and full of guilt traps.

I think the worst thing you can do when somebody has made such a heart-wrenching decision is to question it.
 

momhappy

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Since someone brought up pet insurance, I wondered if others have it? Is it expensive? Is it worth it?
 

jordyonbass

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momhappy|1440533106|3919109 said:
Since someone brought up pet insurance, I wondered if others have it? Is it expensive? Is it worth it?

I am not sure what it is like in the US, but here it is hardly worth it. The companies I used to work for had it as an option on their home insurance policies, I am unsure of the premiums (probably minimal) but the maximum someone could claim was only $450. Although it's technically $500, there is a $50 fee that would apply to making a claim for vet costs. Plus you can't claim for illness, disease or degenerative problems. Only physical injuries.
If there is some kind of event where the pet gets injured and the house gets damaged, then the fee gets waved as it will be covered under the larger fee for the claim on the property. But the payout is still a maximum of $500.
 

TooPatient

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momhappy|1440533106|3919109 said:
Since someone brought up pet insurance, I wondered if others have it? Is it expensive? Is it worth it?

Depends on the policy. Some have so many exclusions they aren't worth it. Some are expensive enough you are better off just doing a savings account to cover.
 

chemgirl

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momhappy|1440533106|3919109 said:
Since someone brought up pet insurance, I wondered if others have it? Is it expensive? Is it worth it?

We have a policy on our cats that's roughly $20 per month per cat. It pays 80% of medical expenses to a maximum of $15,000 per year. So far, between two of our cats the insurance has paid out over 10k.

DJ had a tumor in her ear that was originally identified as melanoma via biopsy. We didn't know what we wanted to do, so we opted for an X-ray to see if everything else looked OK at first glance. It did, so we requested a referral to the local vet school for more testing. They found that the tumor wasn't cancerous after all so we had a dermatologist remove it. She was out of sorts for about a week, but it's almost 4 years later and she's doing great.

Our boy kitty Reezy has epilepsy and we spent a fortune in emergency vet visits, and MRI etc. Luckily insurance covered most of it. The epilepsy is controlled by medication and it's been over a year since his last seizure.

So yeah, I think pet insurance can be worth it. I also believe that quality of life is a big factor. If our guys were in poor health overall, or had a poke prognosis I'm not sure how far we would have gone with treatment. I feel pretty lucky that the decisions were fairly straightforward for us.
 

dk168

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For me, the pet's quality of life is of paramount importance.

If they lose their ability to enjoy life to the full, e.g. not being to walk far, can't eat or see properly, and unable to control their bowels and bladders, then I believe it is kinder to let them go, than to prolong their lives.

DK :))
 
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