My Doggie Vent!

[KillarneyRose]

What a frustrating day! I took my dog to the vet yesterday morning because he had been moping around and he wee'd in the house a few times. He is prone to bladder stones, so I went and got him x-rayed and, naturally, his bladder was full of them! (this, despite the designer dogfood I feed him that's supposed to prevent stones! ) Of course, now he has to have surgery (this will be his 5th) to remove them and our regular vet said he didn't feel comfortable operating because there is so much scar tissue in his bladder. So as not to belabor the story, I took him to a specialist this morning and he is going to have surgery tomorrow and it is going to cost me between $2,200 and $2,500.

I happened to be on the phone with my sister-in-law and I mentioned this to her and she basically told me I am nuts to spend that kind of money on a 10 year-old dog. She even told me that my in-laws have told her they think my husband and I go overboard with our dogs! I said I didn't think providing adequate healthcare is going overboard.

When I got my pets, I understood that there was responsibility involved. Yes, I could find other uses for the money I'm going to spend on this surgery, but it's not like we're going to go without in order to pay for it. He's a part of the family, my "baby" before my daughters were born. Plus, he depends on us to take care of him and, dammit, that's what I'm trying to do! HOW CAN I NOT??

Okay all, thank you for the chance to vent! I feel much more serene now

[deltaphi94]

KillarneyRose...

I know exactly how you feel. I have a cat who has been part of my family for about 10 years now. My parents took care of her for me when I was in school, and I moved her in with me after my ex and I got married. This meant I had to change her food because we couldn't get the "good stuff," and she stopped eating. I was pregnant at the time, so couple hormones with the thought of my kitty not eating, and I was a total wreck. I said she had to go to the vet, he said she was old and he wanted no part of getting the health problems taken care of.

In the end, she spent a week in the animal hospital, and the vet said it was a miracle she had survived. (Her liver had almost completely shut down.) I'm happy to report, though, that she hasn't had any more emergencies, and she's still going strong.

How some people can be so cold about the pet connection is beyond me.

I hope all works out!

[josh8o]

i feel for you. when you have a 10 year old dog you're more attached to it than ever. my dog lived to be 15 years old. when he was 9 he had to have 4 surgerys because he got cancer. he even spent a week at UC Davis- the best animal hospital in california. anyway, i was just a child, but i understood that he was a part of the family, and the the money is well worth saving your pet.

[xo_sue]

The money is totally worth it- go for it and ignore the comments. A pets love is unconditional and priceless.

Good luck with the surgery and let us know how it comes out!

Sue

[UDZETA]

I would do the same for my pets! I love them like family ( they are my family). You would put out the money for your grandma to have surgery so why not an older pet? So many times people forget that animals have the right to a happy and healthy life. Which we as pet owners take that responsibility and should give to our pets. Well thats my two cents. Zlam-UDZETA

[DGPhoney]

Killarney ,
I hope your dog gets better and recoverys with speed, I totally understand spending that kind of money. Last summer my cat got sick, and since he's an older cat, I spent basically the same amount of money. Adequate healthcare should be the same for animlas as it is for people. Their part of the family as well
~ Hope all is well ~

DGP~Honey~

[volgirl2376]

KillarneyRose,

Dont think twice about doing it - you know he would do it for you. I think all of us who have pets love them as part of our family and there is nothing silly about it! I have been blessed with good health so far with my 2 year old dog (knock on wood) - I even go a little overboard at her yearly check-ups by having her x-rayed - just to be on the safe side - to check to make sure everything is ok and she hasnt swallowed something that could cause a block. I am sure in saying that your dog has given you 10 years of loving memories and I think it shows a lot about your character that you love him enough to make the financial sacrifice! Good luck and keep me posted!!

[dzrose93]

Hey Killarney,

Our miniature schnauzer has problems with bladder stones, too. From what the vet says, it's common in the breed. My mom would never think of not getting Pepper medical attention for them!

Like you, she believes in being a responsible and caring pet owner. Ignore the people who are acting like you're being unreasonable and irrational for taking care of your aging pet! They are the ones who are being unreasonable - and I sincerely hope that none of them have pets of their own!

[aephi alum]

Hope your dog will soon be well.

[aggieAXO]

Tracy,

so sorry to hear about your dog (it is Gatsby rt? not Gus). Unfortunately some of those diets don't work (which one was he on?). There is a technician at my practice that gets stones and every year he has to have sx (surgery) to remove them-nothing he will eat will prevent his stones from forming that is just the way it goes.

I definitely would spend the money-this is a fixible problem and he can live a normal/happy life for many more years to come. If it were something terminal then I might have a different opinion (last night I had a 16 year old lab in with a bleeding spleen that was most likely a malignant tumor and they wanted to put her through extensive sx-I think that is wrong but I had no say in it b/c I was not the referring vet.) So go for it!! My mother thinks I am nuts b/c I spend lots of money on strays-but she isn't the one that has to euthanize them-easy to bitch when you are not the one that has to make that decision and actually carry it out.

Let us know how he does

[KillarneyRose]

Thank you all for your concern for my Gatsby! I had some unexpected good news regarding his bladder stones today. The vet was able to perform a procedure called (and our vocabulary word today is....) urohydropropulsion which basically means he put him under anesthetic and flushed the stones out of his bladder. That means he didn't have to get cut open! Yay! More comfortable for Gatsby, more comfortable for Tracy's checkbook and everyone is feeling pretty good tonight!

Karen, Gatsby is on the Waltham S/O food. The reason it is so hard to keep his bladder stones in check is apparently because sometimes the stones are oxolite and sometimes they're struvite (I no doubt butchered those spellings!). My vet said that the foods that help prevent one actually help encourage the other to form! I guess the S/O is working decently well though, because it's been almost 2 years since his last operation. Gatsby handled everything really well although when the tech took his temperature, I SWEAR he looked up at me and the expression on his face plainly said, "How humiliating!

[SATX*APhi]

Awww, reading this made me want to go out and play with my puppy. (She is no longer a puppy, but she will always be my puppy.)

Tracy, I am glad to hear that your dog is well. My puppy is very important to me and I would do anything for her, so I definitely know why you were willing to do what you did.

[aggieAXO]

So he has both struvite and oxalate stones-yes this can be complicating but I am so glad everything turned out very nicely.

[DGPhoney]

Killarneyr.
I am soo glad things are better for you and your dog I know your dog feels great and I hope your dog continues to get better
DGP~Honey~