Our "Schnoodle" Lucy was 13 in June. If the 7-yr rule applies, she gets around mighty good for a 91 yr-old female... begs to go with us on our nightly 3-4 mile walks. We DO have to help her with tasks requiring the ability to jump... getting up on the bed or sofa. We happily help her to do that.
But she has begun to have some of the other "old dog" problems: Growths inside and outside her body.
Our Vet has identified two "squamous-cell carcinomas" on her chest. She also has MANY warts beginning to form on her body that the Vet says is normal for poodles. And she now has a fatty growth starting to expand on her flank that could be benign or malignant. At this point, I don't even want to know which.
Is it sane to spend a fortune on an old dog to correct problems like these? (We're by no means wealthy.) And if you do try to intervene to help, how long before a similar problem recurs?
This is a smart dog. She's the lowest-maintenance dog I've ever owned, and I've owned some mighty good dogs. We've often made trips in our car rather than fly just because we wanted to comfortably bring her along.
We're now realizing at some point in the not-too-distant future we'll have to make a horrible decision.
When does her quality of life degrade to the point where she'd want us to let her go?
Again, we all take on the responsibility of pet ownership knowing, in 10-15 years, (if we're lucky), we'll face a heartbreaking loss. And the loss is more crushing when you have to say, "Yes, let her go".
We're almost there.
And even the thought of it brings tears to my eyes.
9 comments:
I have a friend whose daughter, who has insufficient funds to live on her own, spent thousands on her pet bird, a cockatiel.
Do I think that's a wise decision?
No.
You take care of your animal, and then you take care of your animal.
There's a need to be realistic. If you could get things truly fixed and return Lucy to normal function for even a year, then perhaps some large expenditure would be justified. The reality is that she is 13, has some identified tumors, and any surgery or treatment is going to be debilitating. You are going to end up spending a lot of money to watch her suffer. (There's an argument to be made that we aren't doing elderly people any favors either.)
Having been through this with out dog a couple of years ago, what we chose was to enjoy the good days left and when the day came when our dog was clearly in pain, we knew, and we took her to the vet. It was a gentle death.
It might be gentle for them, ASM.
We, however, will suffer for a LONG time.
But I agree totally with your thoughts.
And Ed, we too have seen people go more than a little crazy and emotional about their pets.
But I sometimes wish we had the 10K or so required to clone our "Loose Goose".
We wont encounter her likes again.
I feel that way about Cali, and she's just hit 10, still seems like a puppy.
WRT dogs and cats - this is the truth. We only have them with us for a while but they have us for all of their lives. I tend to believe in "Rainbow Bridge" because it makes me feel better. I do agree with the quote attributed to Mark Twain: "If dogs aren't allowed into heaven, I'm not going".
Agree with ASM, as much as I hate to say it.
I had a cat that I adored and faced this problem. I decided to let her go not because of the cost but the prediction as to whether it'd let her continue to live a good life. Before that I'd have said I'd never pay a thousand dollars on a pet. I would have. I'd go, in your case, by the prognosis. Does this give a chance for a full life or does it extend suffering?
We're trying "Snake Oil", Rain.
A friend recommended liquid iodine. She has personal experience with it; has been CA free for five years, and feels iodine supplements have been a part of her remission.
It was cheap... and can't hurt.
I have lived with Standard Poodles my whole life. Almost all of them did develop a growth or two (sometimes more). Only 1 dog's growths out of 6 was cancerous. In addition to the iodine, apply some coconut oil to the growth. We saw many of them disappear after applying this constantly for a few months.
Letting one of these magnificent creatures go is the most gut wrenching thing I have ever done. I will still cry for any of them if I think about it too long. Animals bring something to our lives that human cannot. Their unwavering loyalty, unconditional love and so much laughter and joy. As much as it hurts to let them go, I wouldn't trade anything in the world for the time I was able to spend with them.
God bless and kiss that dog every hour.
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