Letters to the Editor
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The expenses of older pets
We had 2 cats. One is 16 years old, he's got hyperthyroid condition and sneezes all the time. When he started dropping weight, we took him to a vet and after spending around $400 bucks, learned of this condition. The Vet also suggested that we put him on an antihistimine because they didn't see anything from his head x-rays they took that would be causing him to sneeze.
It was rough for us to pay this money out, but we did it.
Our other cat, 14 years old, who was our "baby" before my son came along, all of the sudden was found lethargic laying on the floor one night. we took him to an emergency vet and the first thing we are greeted with was a consent form and the request for a deposit of $300 for them to start diagnosing him.
After hearing that he seemed to be blind (possibly from a stroke) and we could send him for an MRI and do IV fluids overnight and "see what happens".
After discussing with the family, we decided that putting him to sleep was the best thing in his interest as a loving pet that we would not be able to give quality of life back to.
The vet told me that we made the right decision after he was gone. I honestly believe she wanted to tell us that he wasn't going to get better, but couldn't because they don't make the kind of money on putting a dying animal to sleep versus putting them through tons of expensive tests.
Should we unnaturally extend our pet's lifespan for our comfort over theirs?
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My final word of advice to pet owners.
Don't talk about what you can or can't, or will or won't, spend on your pet's medical condition. And certainly don't do it in Salon's letters section. Believe me, it's a no-win situation.
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I paid $1200 for a dead cat
Two years ago, my seven-year old cat developed acute anemia of unknown origin. After five vet visits, a transfusion, a heavy dose of vitamin K, and lots of testing, poking, and prodding, I had to put him down. The good people at Dove-Lewis Animal Hospital in Portland, OR were good enough to lay out all of the pricing options for me in advance, with multiple recommendations for treatment. I made it clear that I couldn't afford the best treatment possible. The vet replied with the best practical advice I could have received at that time: You might pay $25,000 and still have nothing but a dead cat to show for it.
So instead I paid $1200 for a dead cat. It wasn't the best investment I've ever made, and it certainly didn't come at a time when I could afford it, but at least it eradicated any potential guilt I might have felt about not doing everything possible to save him.
After a few months of going petless, I adopted two awesome kittens from the Humane Society, and they've done an excellent job of charming the pants off of everyone who meets them.
And then, right around his first birthday, one of them suddenly became paralyzed from the waist down. The vet said that it was likely that he had a heart condition that had caused him to throw a clot, which was cutting off the blood supply to his back half. If it remained there, his muscles would have atrophied, and his kidneys would have shut down. All of this would have taken several days, and it would have been extremely painful.
The vet recommended an $850 echocardiogram as the first step in diagnosing what the problem was exactly, with additional office visits and treatments being almost certainly necessary. The vet was also unwilling to begin any sort of treatment without having that EKG done first.
Still dealing with the vet bills from my first dead cat, I wasn't willing or able to rack up more for what could very well have been my second one in a year. I asked what the alternative was. He told me to give the cat half of a baby aspirin and wait three days to see if it helped him throw the clot. If not, I'd probably have to put him down.
Well, 10 months later, the cat is still around, and he's healthier than ever. Aside from that initial vet visit, it's cost me about $4 in baby aspirin to keep his blood slightly thinned, to help prevent clots. And even if he doesn't wind up leading the longest life, I'm pretty sure that it's a happier one than it would have been if the vet's office wound up being his second home.
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How much you care is a measure of YOU..
not the cat. Cats, dogs, homeless people, gays, Iraqis, detainees...
Some people care, and some don't.
Of course not everybody has the same ability to pay... but that's no measure of a pet or homeless person, either.
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how much is too much? Ask questions.
It depends on the likely outcomes, I think.
Is the treatment likely to give the pet many more years of a happy life, or just a few more weeks or months of misery?
We had a cat who had a urinary blockage... he was about 7 yo at the time, he was otherwise healthy. So we went for the treatment (at that time nowhere near $1,300 but that's inflation for you). And then he was on a special diet for the rest of his life.
When he was 22 yo, he got into kidney failure. The vet suggested "keeping him here" for iv fluids at a cost of $600/day. Um, my question was, will this help him recover? No, she said, this will give you time to "let go."
My response: why should he suffer pain for my emotional well-being?
I said goodbye to him that day. It wasn't about the money but it was about the pain and suffering. Nevertheless, I did feel that the vet was manipulating me for the $$. Big guilt trip that I didn't buy into.
So, anyone facing a pet health issue, ask questions about the likely outcomes and what can be gained from the proposed treatment program.
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Jeanette D.
What kind of answer to your question did you expect?
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metaphors
Every day I think about the health of my 3 aging kitties, & wonder how long it will be before I'm finally forced to say goodbye. Yes, I've spent a fair amount on them over the years due to a variety of illnesses & swallowed items, & I'll continue to do so as need be. But...
The biggest emotional hurdle will be the day that I'm forced to put down my oldest cat. She's now 18, & belonged to my mother who passed away 5 years ago. Since this cat is the last tangeble connection I have with my mom, she's become a symbolic metaphor for the close connection I shared with her while she was alive. My mom's personality is reflected in the sweetness of her gentle nature having raised her, & it gives me comfort 5 years later. But just as I watched my frail mom battle her heart disease, I now watch her frail kitty battle her kidney disease...& it will be hard to let her go.