Pet expenses for end of life?

[scfr]

Kudos to you for preparing in advance with the sinking funds to cover the expenses, if that is the route you choose to take.

I would do (and have done) as you will do ... continue being a great pet parent and make the decision based not on finances but on what you think is best for your dear dog.

[myrdale]

My only advice (and it is hard to do) is take emotion out of the decision making process.

The dog is a cherished member of you're family. You have loved it for many years, and it loves you just as much.

The life span for a dog is say 20 years maximum.

The dog is 17 years old.

The money you spend is not a guarantee of 3 more years.

The best years of the dogs life are long behind it.

In my opinion I would have the dog put down.

To give you some understanding on my point of view, I grew up on a small farm in the country, next to a highway. Old dogs were seldom a problem for us. We did manage to have a particular dog for about 15 years. Physically he was healthy and could run 5 miles with you, but mentally there were problems. He developed storm phobias. He'd run off for a week at a time, only to get a phone call from a gas station a couple miles up the road that he came into the store and they couldn't get him out. Other than a politician, he never bit anyone.

But at the time my Father was in the end phases of prostate cancer, and my Mother couldn't handle the dog any more. So at her request, I took the dog out in the field with me, dug a hole, gave him some canned food, and then shot him in the head with a .22 rifle at point blank range while he was eating. Instantaneous lights out.

I cried hard for having to put the dog down then I did at my Fathers funeral the next week. I'd had 6 months to prepare for the inevitable outcome of Dad's condition, and less than an hour for Mom's request of resolving the dog.

Also along a similar line, if you read on of my other post, you'll realize I very recently spend a pile of money on a 19 year old truck with 318,000 miles. I did it out of love hoping to get a few more years out of it. After paying for the repairs, I resolved myself that I was not going to spend another dime. That the next major repair would be it. Be it 6 months or 5 years. Dishearteningly, it was 2 weeks later, and the transmission started goofing up. I traded it in two days later and am now in a new truck. While I don't regret spending the money, I wish I had not. While I want to (and could) go buy my old truck back, I am not.

[sblatner]

Five years ago, our five year old dog had a ruptured disc. We paid $8k to fix him. He is now over ten years old and I don't know if I would pay it again. I could say no I would not but we can afford it so if it came down to it, I might do it just because I wouldn't be ready for him to go. If he was 17, I would not do it.

Years ago, we had a cat with a huge tumor on her side. In May of that year, the vet did a needle biopsy which came back inconclusive. The vet called me right before I left for the airport for my first trip to Vegas with five high school friends. She said they could do x-rays, etc., and I said no. The cat was eleven years old. I felt like I signed her death sentence. She lived another eight good months and then we put her down. It was time.

[LivingAlmostLarge]

Five years ago, our five year old dog had a ruptured disc. We paid $8k to fix him. He is now over ten years old and I don't know if I would pay it again. I could say no I would not but we can afford it so if it came down to it, I might do it just because I wouldn't be ready for him to go. If he was 17, I would not do it.

Years ago, we had a cat with a huge tumor on her side. In May of that year, the vet did a needle biopsy which came back inconclusive. The vet called me right before I left for the airport for my first trip to Vegas with five high school friends. She said they could do x-rays, etc., and I said no. The cat was eleven years old. I felt like I signed her death sentence. She lived another eight good months and then we put her down. It was time.

$8k over 5 years is $1600/year so not a terrible deal. Every year he lives longer the better the investment in his care. I think it really does make a difference if it's a injury for a young dog versus an older one. I have two different friends who had jack russell terriers. Both of them paid for ACL surgery on their jacks. Those dogs are prone to it with the crazy jumping. But both dogs had it happen before age 3. Then their dogs lived another 12 years (16 and 14). Different families same injury different dogs.They said they knew a lot of other families with jack who had the same thing happen. Very expensive surgery, but so young to put a dog down for ACL.

[HundredK]

Awww, all these stories! Heartbreaking, but it's good to know this is a group of such loving pet owners. So we did decide to go forward with the tests... they did a whole panel of bloodwork, tested for all the parasites, full body xray scan, and then a full ultrasound of her intestinal system. And the answer is? Nothing obviously wrong with her... her insides look fabulous for a 17 year old dog. So they basically had us throw a lot of meds at her because she was CLEARLY very sick. The first bunch of meds made things worse and I thought for sure she wouldn't live through the night, so we stopped all those meds and reached out to the vet again. And then they switched her to antibiotics that seem to have brought her back to life a little bit. I still don't know what we're going to do moving forward. I guess I don't regret spending the couple thousand dollars we just did, but I wish it had given a definite answer. I'm also super worried about whether she will decline again rapidly when the course of antibiotics is done (I know, theoretically she shouldn't, but it makes me nervous not even knowing what the problem is). Sigh. These things are so hard to deal with.