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 Posted: Tue Feb 22, 2011 8:21 am
I was raised in a family that has always had pets. A cat slept in my crib, and his name was my first word. I've had rabbits, guinea pigs, mice, hamsters, anoles (little green lizards), an iguana, a cockatoo, zebra finches, dogs, cats, dozens and dozens of fish... and many, many more. Well over a hundred, if you include the fish. Well over fifty, if you don't.
It still isn't easy when one dies.
My diabetic dog got sick quickly over the Halloween weekend last year. On that Monday, we were told that he had a tumor blocking his bile duct. We could get rid of the tumor, but the diabetes made it unlikely that he would recover. It would have only bought him three months, anyway. We put him down.
Two weeks ago, one of my cats ate for the first time since September. He'd been extremely sick, and we pumped over a thousand dollars and dozens of medications into him. We'd been feeding him through a feeding tube for months. It had been a roller coaster ride, and there had been many weeks where we weren't sure he would make it. He went from 12 pounds to 6. Since he was now getting better, my mother and I felt that maybe everything would be better now with all our animals.
But then yesterday, I noticed a very large lump on the ankle of our 12 year old, 100 pound black lab mix. It was on his bad leg, the one that he'd had major surgery on just last year after he tore his ACL. At the vet, we found out that it's a "mast cell tumor." It could be a Grade 1 (relatively benign), but it's equally likely to be a Grade 2 or 3 (extremely malignant). We don't want to put him through surgery, so we were advised to wait. It could decrease on its own over time, and he could live out the last of his year(s) without it heavily affecting his life. (For a dog his size, being 12 years old makes him almost 90 in so-called "human years.") We don't want him to suffer, but he will either way.
I know there are some people who find the amount of affection and money we spend to keep our animals alive and healthy is a waste, but I just can't stand anything suffering. It's been a hard winter on us, for many reasons in addition to the sickness and death of our pets, and this just really hit hard yesterday.
Are you the kind of person who would do anything to save a pet, or are you the kind who feels that a pet is just an animal... it's not worth it to spend that much time and energy on it?
What would you do?
D: Should I just stop having pets? I've reasonably had enough for a lifetime.
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Posted: Tue Feb 22, 2011 9:14 am
I've spent a lot of money at the vet, and I have lost a lot of animals over the years.
I don't usually get too sad when I lose an animal though. I mean, I'm obviously not happy about it, and some losses are very difficult. But I usually get rescues, and since my house and wallet are only so big, I can only have so many animals at a time. That means that if one dies, I see it as a spot opening up for another animal in need of a home. That makes me feel like some good is coming from the loss.
If I were in your situation I would probably follow the vet's advice and wait. And I would probably get a rescue animal after the dog did pass away if I could afford it.
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Posted: Tue Feb 22, 2011 5:18 pm
That's a great way to look at it.
My two cats are rescue animals-- one was a "highway cat" and the other was abandoned in the middle of the city.
The dog is actually my older brother's, but he hasn't been around for a long time. He's been home to visit maybe four times in five years-- but Ducati still adores him. We haven't been able to get a hold of him since we found out about the tumor. We're worried about how he'll react...
As much as I'd love another animal, at the moment, it's really up to my single mother who I live with; and she's wary about getting another dog, even after losing one and now possibly two in just a couple of months.
The way I see it, we have four options:
o1. Put him down now, before it gets bad. Whether it's two months (Grade 3) or two years (Grade 1), it'll eventually kill him.
o2. Wait and see. If it's very benign, it might reduce size on its own and not bother him until he dies of other causes.
o3. Remove the tumor by surgery but not get a biopsy. Doesn't matter if it's Grade 1 or 3, we won't put an extremely old dog through chemo and radiation.
o4: Remove by surgery and get a biopsy. Wouldn't we want to know for the sake of knowing?
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Posted: Tue Feb 22, 2011 5:33 pm
I had a dog who had a tumor on his back. We also pumped lots of money into him. As time went on he got senile and passed, living to be almost 16 years old.
I just got a black lab puppy about a year ago.. Just a few months ago he was hit by a car. Nothing we could do to save him.
Two of my cats who were strays we saved ran away, a month apart from each other. We spent loads of money nursing them back to health.
I have lots of animals and it always sucks losing one.
Even if your animal might not make it, you should try.
Well, thats just what I think anyways.
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Posted: Wed Feb 23, 2011 6:32 pm
In my experience, if he's that far gone I would just put him down. As heartless as that seems I personally can't justify spending thousands of dollars on veterinarian bills just to temporarily prolong the life of a pet that has lived the full length of its life, simply for the sake of sentimental attachments. I mean, I have five birds, and I love them all to pieces (my ringneck especially), and to see them suffer would tug on my heartstrings constantly, so if it were me I would want the suffering to be merely temporary, so putting the pet down would be the best option because at least your pet isn't suffering any longer.
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Posted: Wed Feb 23, 2011 6:52 pm
As long as you have the time and resources, I don't think you should stop owning pets.
As for your dog, I'm very sorry. I'm the type that will spend as much money as I can on an animal if I reasonably feel like it's worth it for that animal. For example, I went through a huge amount of time rehabbing a kitten with neurological deficits and abscesses on his head and chest (seriously, I had to do CPR on the little guy twice because he stroked out on me). But my old, half blind dog that came down with a fast moving staph infection got put down because she would have gone through way too much pain with little likelihood of recovery.
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Posted: Sat Feb 26, 2011 4:02 pm
Just an update, we haven't made a decision yet.
As old as he is, Ducati is still very lively. He has a hearty appetite and will still steal socks to tease and play with us. He's just not acting like it's the end of his life...
But that doesn't mean it couldn't go south real fast.
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Posted: Sat Feb 26, 2011 4:24 pm
Sink your teeth into forever...I'm so sorry about the pets that died. Just last year on Labor Day we had to get my cat put down.... :l
I think it's a good thing that you did your best to keep them all healthy! And to me, being an animal lover, if you didn't... it would basically say you'd want them to suffer. (Like an animal abuser) So I for one am glad you did so.. 3nodding
My kitty... we got him as an early Christmas gift from my brother's teacher cause our other cat, Bandit, had just died. (Bandit was really old though. He was like... 16.)
So the gifted kitty (we named him Rocky) lived with us since he was 6 months to 3 or 4 years....
Then in September he started showing signs that he was sick. He wouldn't eat, he avoided everyone, he was puking a ton. We waited a week until I had enough of it... Then yelled at my parents to take him to the vet... I knew it had to be something serious ._.
My dad came home with no cat. :l he said Rocky had a type of kidney cancer, and his kidneys were the size of baseballs.
The vet said there was nothing they could do. and that it was stage 4.... and we had him put down.
I guess in the beginning I had survivors guilt... cause I was saying things to myself like "Why did I watch him suffer for a WEEK?!" "If only I had said something sooner, maybe he'd still be alive"
Then the weirdest thing... my dad's friend's dog had puppies that same day. And we got one.. we named it after Bandit and Rocky and named him Rockit.
*ahem*
Anyway, just know that they'll always be with you... waiting until the day they can be with you again. (: ...Sunlight burns, children surrender.
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Posted: Sat Feb 26, 2011 4:32 pm
--Untoten Kase-- Sink your teeth into forever...I'm so sorry about the pets that died. Just last year on Labor Day we had to get my cat put down.... :l
I think it's a good thing that you did your best to keep them all healthy! And to me, being an animal lover, if you didn't... it would basically say you'd want them to suffer. (Like an animal abuser) So I for one am glad you did so.. 3nodding
My kitty... we got him as an early Christmas gift from my brother's teacher cause our other cat, Bandit, had just died. (Bandit was really old though. He was like... 16.)
So the gifted kitty (we named him Rocky) lived with us since he was 6 months to 3 or 4 years....
Then in September he started showing signs that he was sick. He wouldn't eat, he avoided everyone, he was puking a ton. We waited a week until I had enough of it... Then yelled at my parents to take him to the vet... I knew it had to be something serious ._.
My dad came home with no cat. :l he said Rocky had a type of kidney cancer, and his kidneys were the size of baseballs.
The vet said there was nothing they could do. and that it was stage 4.... and we had him put down.
I guess in the beginning I had survivors guilt... cause I was saying things to myself like "Why did I watch him suffer for a WEEK?!" "If only I had said something sooner, maybe he'd still be alive"
Then the weirdest thing... my dad's friend's dog had puppies that same day. And we got one.. we named it after Bandit and Rocky and named him Rockit.
*ahem*
Anyway, just know that they'll always be with you... waiting until the day they can be with you again. (: ...Sunlight burns, children surrender. <3 Thank you. I'm sorry about your animals but am happy you got a new dog. Btw, Ducati (the one with the tumor), Auggie (put down last November), and Murphy and Connor.
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Posted: Sat Feb 26, 2011 4:39 pm
Let Me Live --Untoten Kase-- Sink your teeth into forever...I'm so sorry about the pets that died. Just last year on Labor Day we had to get my cat put down.... :l
I think it's a good thing that you did your best to keep them all healthy! And to me, being an animal lover, if you didn't... it would basically say you'd want them to suffer. (Like an animal abuser) So I for one am glad you did so.. 3nodding
My kitty... we got him as an early Christmas gift from my brother's teacher cause our other cat, Bandit, had just died. (Bandit was really old though. He was like... 16.)
So the gifted kitty (we named him Rocky) lived with us since he was 6 months to 3 or 4 years....
Then in September he started showing signs that he was sick. He wouldn't eat, he avoided everyone, he was puking a ton. We waited a week until I had enough of it... Then yelled at my parents to take him to the vet... I knew it had to be something serious ._.
My dad came home with no cat. :l he said Rocky had a type of kidney cancer, and his kidneys were the size of baseballs.
The vet said there was nothing they could do. and that it was stage 4.... and we had him put down.
I guess in the beginning I had survivors guilt... cause I was saying things to myself like "Why did I watch him suffer for a WEEK?!" "If only I had said something sooner, maybe he'd still be alive"
Then the weirdest thing... my dad's friend's dog had puppies that same day. And we got one.. we named it after Bandit and Rocky and named him Rockit.
*ahem*
Anyway, just know that they'll always be with you... waiting until the day they can be with you again. (: ...Sunlight burns, children surrender. <3 Thank you. I'm sorry about your animals but am happy you got a new dog. Btw, Ducati (the one with the tumor), Auggie (put down last November), and Murphy and Connor. ...Sunlight burns, children surrender.
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Posted: Sat Feb 26, 2011 4:51 pm
Im so sorry for your losses and hardships. Your dog for the moment is acting lively, yes? I believe you should listen to your doctor as of the moment and wait. If it shrinks then you'll all be very happy I'm sure, including your dog who doesn't sound to be suffering much from what I've read. If it grows and/or your dog gets worse, I'd consult your vet and reconsider putting the poor guy down. Good luck to you and your family~
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