I think I’ve made it pretty clear how much my dog means to me, but I’m coming to the realization that she is almost 11 years old. Ridiculously old for her breed and, hence, prone to be a crabby little beast somedays.
Aside from moodiness, her teeth are getting soft, her hips are tightening up, her back is starting to sway and she has a rather weird bump on the side of her ribs (which I had checkd out and it’s just a fatty tumor, but it still looks weird). All of the above, I have been informed, could be fixed for the low, low price $6500.
You should have seen the look on the face of the vet when I told her there was no chance in hell I would do this to my dog. She reacted like I just said I was going to throw my grandmother in a ditch. Luckily, this is not my normal vet and my normal vet is a much more sane and rational human being. It didn’t make this conversation any less uncomfortable or unconfrontational.
I love my baby girl, but no freakin’ way. First, the recovery. She’s too old to be going through that kind of treatment and the recovery would take forever. Secondly, I work. I have to work and not working to take care of the puppy who eats $50 a week worth of food is not an option. Third, there’s no guarantee that that much treatment at her age wouldn’t kill her.
Then there’s the money.
Let me make it very clear that I’m not opposed to paying for the best for my pumpkin pie. I’ve paid more than enough over the course of her life. In fact, in the first year of her life, I paid $400 for general vet bills including shots and spaying, An additional $500 to remove a gland causing cherry eye in her left eye, then another $500 to do the same in her right. Because she is a giant breed, she grew exponentially and tore a ligament in her knee (another $900), so I think you get the picture.
But there’s more, aside from the jumping out of the second story window incident, Sailor Man and I were out of country when she developed a near-fatal case of bloat at the kennel. The kennel rushed her to a vet who performed emergency surgery which saved her life. When we returned to the country we had a very sick little girl and a $2000 vet bill waiting for us. I didn’t even blink and happily paid them every cent.
But when we get to this point in Salome’s life, I have to put on the brakes. She’s like 80 years old in human years and at that age, I’m less inclined to go to super-human efforts for the simple fact that you can’t cure old age.
I discovered on Slate.com an excellent article on the subject matter. I had no idea that yearly shots were such a scam.
In the meantime, I’ve forked out $100 on an orthopedic dog bed for the slobber monster to be more comfortable.
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October 28, 2007 at 5:09 pm
Emma
Yep. I’m right there with you. My cat (now living with my parents due to Al’s allergies) is 13 years old. Since the beginning of time, he has flipped out whenever I would take him to the vet…to the point that I would have to give him kitty valium a couple of hours before each visit. And, even then, he would wig out to the point that the vet tech would have to use the falcon gloves and someone in the examination room would inevitably end up bleeding. Now that he’s in his senior years, I just can’t see drugging him and putting his through that stress for annual shots he doesn’t need because he NEVER goes outside.
The dog…oh yeah…she’s a money pit. Frontline, Heartguard, annual vet visits and shots, microchip, x-rays after she chewed up a digital thermometer and we couldn’t find the battery, good quality/healthy food and treats, hiring a dog sitter, etc. The list goes on and on. But lines have to be drawn…especially once the animal becomes a senior citizen.
Spoil ’em rotten while their here and miss ’em like hell when they’re gone.
October 28, 2007 at 7:05 pm
inmate1972
wow, making me gratefull for just one dog..
October 31, 2007 at 5:46 pm
andrea_frets
I have a giant breed too and at the age of 5, almost six, he was diagnosed with bone cancer. Because he was healthy and happy, we went through with the ridiculously expensive treatment. Almost a year and half later he is still alive and happy. Would I do it again? Probably. I think it is a very personal decision and depends on the age of the animal, the cost, the quality of life, etc. Don’t let a veterinarian pressure you into doing something with which you are uncomfortable. He/she is your companion and you know best what is right for her. I hope your puppy does well!
November 2, 2007 at 11:46 am
Gabby Female
Ahhh… With mogwai comes much responsibility. These are tough decisions to make. We own a Newfoundland who has had several large vet bills as well, to include an $1,000 MRI. He has a degenerated disc and had stress-induced epilepsy for the first three years of his life. While living in Europe, we had to hire sitters willing to stay in our apartment and walk both of our dogs throughout the day. …not an easy task, since the Newf knew he was big and would plop down and refuse to move if he didn’t want to go home. Our poor lab mix (who is completely opposite with his eager to please attitude) would just look apologetically at the sitter we were able to convince to do the well-paid job. We love, love, love our Newf, an we often have the “How much would / could we spend on him?” conversation. My thoughts are with you. PS ~ I love your blog and how you express your thoughts, ideas and opinions. Writing for a living would work for you.
November 2, 2007 at 12:14 pm
inmate1972
Newfies!! Love ’em! Sailor Man wants one soooo badly but I am allergic to dogs (I know, I know) and I just can’t have the hair in the house.
If you haven’t before, you should check out the water rescue dog events they do at the Mystic Maritime museum. All Newfies all the time.