Quote:
Originally Posted by DETRoadster
Hey Pet lovers, can we have a serious convo here? I'm talking about that thing we never want to think about; saying good-bye.
Bella has been my sidekick and partner in crime for 16 amazing years. She has degenerative disc disease, Cushing's disease, cataracts, is losing her hearing, and spent 5 days in the ER vet recently with her 2nd round of pneumonia in 6 months. On the positive side she doesnt seem to be in pain, she flat out runs down the hall for meal time, enjoys chasing (slowly) the random squirrel, can still dig a massive hole in the sand at the beach, loves car rides, belly rubs, and chasing sticks. She generally still seems to be enjoying life at an admittedly slower pace.
I just shot off a $7,000 credit card payment for her last ER stay, knowing she's got a CT scan scheduled for Monday to try to get to the bottom of the reoccurring pneumonia. Another $2,500. I'm not infinitely wealthy but at the same time cant see myself deciding her time is up just because it's expensive. I always told myself the deciding factor was going to be her quality of life, not mine. So if she's pain free and still enjoying the things she's always enjoyed well then I'll do my part and keep her going.
How do you all approach balancing end of life decisions like this?
|
As I've mentioned elsewhere on this forum, I recently lost my kitty of 18.5 years. We figure she was about 20 years old (arrived at our house as a stray).
We faithfully took our cats to the vet at least once a year for a checkup. Our vet told us a little over a year ago that our kitty was in the early stages of kidney failure, so we had an idea what was coming.
Meanwhile, she gradually lost weight (thyroid meds began) and we modified her diet. She showed signs of arthritis in her joints. Her water intake gradually increased, as expected. I went out of my way to keep her comfortable including her own camp chair with folded beach towel in the backyard. I was always with her when she wanted to go outside. I kept up this routine as long as she looked content and peaceful.
Near the end she started a mournful meow on occasion and stopped eating. We had her put down the next day. Our vet told us we were doing the right thing.
Stay in close touch with your veterinarian. Ours told what signs to look for when it was time. It was still very difficult to do.