Post Your Pet
- Thread starter walnut_sl
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Burren
Silver Baronet of the Realm
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Koushirou
Log Wizard
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Called the vet and explained the situation from this morning. Some of the tests had come back, but nothing showed anything that could give an answer. The options at this point were try to take her over an hour away to a specialist ER and see if they can figure out what's going on or let her go. The vet called ahead to the ER to go over everything with them and see what their course of action would be if I brought her in. At the minimum, she'd go under $5-6k worth of tests for something that both vets have referred to as "a mystery." There's no guarantee they're going to find out what's wrong, most likely they'll have to hospitalize her, which means there's a chance she just passes while I'm not even there and I'd never forgive myself. Not to mention, all the pain and stress she'll be under just getting her into her carrier, driving her all the way out there, going through all the tests. I hate thinking this way, but I've already spent about $2k on her just this year with the issues she's been having, from the cold, to the broken tooth, then the uveitis, now this. Between the divorce and the job loss last year, I'm already struggling financially. If they knew what was going on and said, hey it's $5k to fix, then fine, I'll figure it out somehow. Shit, I'd even put my worthless tits on here if I had to. But I don't know if I can afford to throw thousands of dollars are possibly still have no idea what's going on, or whatever treatment costs if they do figure it out. And in the meantime, she's still going to be in all this pain. I don't know what the right thing to do is.
Sludig
Potato del Grande
- 11,766
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We are no stranger to big animal expenses. 6k last year on a dog with rare fungal thing. 5k a decade ago on a young shepherd. Many smaller 1k surgeries. So no stranger to paying out.
That said, no matter how much you love them, people tend to put too much morality into it like choosing to put down a parent. It's just not and at some point you have to be objective about the facts you have to work with. My wife is guilty of trying to wait too long and just having an animal in pain longer than need be.
There's a million what ifs, maybe a different doc figures it out. Just as easily they won't. From everything you've stated, the pragmatic 3rd party observation would be it's painful but best to let the cat go.
As you said it there was a reasonable level of promise of spend x to fix, it's a calculus to make. But when it's thousands just to search for a diagnosis much less if a cure even possible, and being realistic about your finances, the whole time the cat is suffering. The choice seems clear even if upsetting, but you can't find yourself 5-6k in debt facing another several k on top of that or a dead cat plus the bill. You could take a fraction of that money and rescue 2-3 new kitties and give them great lives as well.
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Koushirou
Log Wizard
- 5,909
- 15,909
Not going to make a decision today. Vet asked if I just wanted to try a steroid combo. I know this route usually just kind of buys a couple better days before it just goes to shit again. But maybe it can buy enough time for the rest of the blood work to come back. Maybe one of those results will give more info. But if not, or if the steroids just...don't do anything, then yeah, will probably have to let her go. She's miserable. I don't want her in pain. Will see how things are in the morning. She managed to get herself up and to the box and was able to pee, so hopefully she's at least more comfortable now. While I was out of the room, she also managed to move herself under my desk into one of her usual spots. I'm not going to try and move her again. If she wants to just stay there, then I'll just sleep in here with her tonight. Pretty sure I know what the result will be, though...
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Cutlery
Kill All the White People
- 8,160
- 25,939
There comes a point where you're gonna hate yourself no matter what you do, so you gotta try to take the emotions out of it.
My dog was losing bladder control and her back legs were getting so bad she couldn't move or squat or climb stairs or even just be happy. Her tail had been tucked for months. Was she alive and alert and healthy? Yeah. But there's a serious quality of life issue involved with the other shit, and it really was the right thing to do. Would I have loved to have kept her and struggled thru for another year? Absolutely. I would carry her up and down the stairs until I was physically incapable of carrying her if I had the choice. But that's not really the point. Objectively, ending her suffering in a comfortable environment and letting her go was the right thing to do, even if it was the hardest thing I've ever done in my life, and even if I've regretted it every day. I still regret it - but it was still the right thing to do.
It is possible to do everything right and still lose. And that's what end of life for an animal you care for is. You do everything you can, everything you should, and you still lose your best friend. No real way around it.
The good news is that you get to have a new bond with another animal. Just don't be like me and panic buy one and now you're stuck with a retarded snuffalupagus malligator.
My dog was losing bladder control and her back legs were getting so bad she couldn't move or squat or climb stairs or even just be happy. Her tail had been tucked for months. Was she alive and alert and healthy? Yeah. But there's a serious quality of life issue involved with the other shit, and it really was the right thing to do. Would I have loved to have kept her and struggled thru for another year? Absolutely. I would carry her up and down the stairs until I was physically incapable of carrying her if I had the choice. But that's not really the point. Objectively, ending her suffering in a comfortable environment and letting her go was the right thing to do, even if it was the hardest thing I've ever done in my life, and even if I've regretted it every day. I still regret it - but it was still the right thing to do.
It is possible to do everything right and still lose. And that's what end of life for an animal you care for is. You do everything you can, everything you should, and you still lose your best friend. No real way around it.
The good news is that you get to have a new bond with another animal. Just don't be like me and panic buy one and now you're stuck with a retarded snuffalupagus malligator.
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Sucks about the pet =/ Coworker just lost her dog a few days ago that I was really fond of and played with and even had sleep near me a few times. Wish I had gone back to see it a few more times before it passed.
Also inb4
Izo
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