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Pets are expensive, but we love them anyway!
I have 5 cats. Two of them live indoors full-time, while the other three are indoor/outdoor pets. All but one are siblings, (but the oldest one is probably a distant relative).
There for a while, it was smooth sailing in the animal kingdom here. Everybody was healthy, and I was saving up money for a few things that I've wanted for some time. Well, of course that all changed in a heartbeat! One thing led to another, and let me just say, it's going to be a LONG TIME before my paychecks go to something other than bills!
One of my males was straining to urinate late one evening. He did this on purpose because he knew that I'd rather pay $$$$ at the emergency clinic than $$ at my regular vet during normal office hours. So, I rushed him to the clinic where I of course learned that he had a blocked urinary tract. They kept him overnight, drained the crystallized urine, and now he's on Hill's science diet, which is a hell of a lot more expensive than Meow Mix! Thankfully, he seems to be doing well.
In the same week...
My almost 17-yr. old had been sneezing and snotting for some time. So, I got him on some medication for that, which worked. He had also been losing weight, so we had X-rays taken to see what might be amiss. On the X-rays, they found a strange dense area somewhere in his body, but not in his stomach. A CBC was also taken, as was bloodwork for pancreatitis. Surprise! He has pancreatitis also. The vet sold me some Hill's science diet for that, saying that the lowfat food will stop the pancreas from being inflamed.
Well, he liked the food enough, so he isn't starving anymore. However, I had to take him elsewhere for an ultrasound to check on the mystery mass that showed up on the X-ray. So, a little trip out of town for that and the results showed that it was some sediment that the veterinarian wasn't too concerned with. But wait, there's more--The ultrasound revealed a mass in his COLON! (We didn't X-ray the back end of the animal...not that it would have shown up anyway, but still--another surprise)! So, I had to take him back another day for an aspiration of the mass. A few days later I get a call, and it's a small lymphoma tumor. CRAP! NOT what I wanted to hear!!!
The vet said that it's small enough to be considered treatable. I hemmed and hawed for a bit and then made an appointment with an oncologist in yet another town for him to be seen for possible chemotherapy. As for the cat, he's not exactly racing around the house, but he looks content and all his functions are working normally.
There are two ways to look at the situation: Money and love. Some will say that it's a waste of money to put a 17 year old cat through all the poking and prodding at his age, as well as spending $$$$ in a bad economy. Others feel that pets are like our kids and if you have the means, you'll do whatever can be done to keep them comfortable and alive. If I thought that he was really suffering or too sick to enjoy life, I wouldn't bother with all of this, but he rubs my legs and looks at me and I know that he wants to live longer. How much longer is anyone's guess. All I know is that I'm not ready to be a kitty widow right now, and he hasn't given up fighting. For those of you who believe, would you say a prayer for us? I'd really appreciate it!
Has anyone else ever had a pet go through chemo? What was it like?
We haven't gone through quite what you have/are, but my wife and I
definitely understand the moral dilemmas. Two days after our wedding, our
wonderful little dog became, very suddenly, paralyzed in her back end. We
rushed our pain-filled pup to the nearest emergency vet (almost 40
minutes!) where we were told that she might recover on her own... or she
might need really expensive surgery. They gave us some medicine to give her
and we tried to go the less expensive option, but in the next day she got
worse instead of better, so we rushed her back to the emergency vet, where
they kindly charged us for a follow-up rather than the usual emergency fees
and told us our dog's only hope would be an animal neurosurgeon at the
emergency clinic in Pittsburgh, so we rushed her there for expensive
surgery on her back, where a disc had slipped or ruptured.
Did the vet tell you life expectancies with and without chemo? 'Lymphoma'
is a very broad term: in humans at least some types of lymphomas are
relatively passive, you're more likely to die of old age than because of
the tumour; whilst others can be more aggressive. In an elderly cat the
difference matters - essentially it's a question of "is the chemo likely to
do more good than harm?".
Good thoughts and prayers heading your way. My fuzzy friend has been on
Hills CD for the last two years and he's doing fine. Your senior buddy
seems to be in capable hands, both yours and the vets. Quality of life
would be paramount over money in my opinion and it sounds like senior kitty
is still enjoying life. My heart goes out to you and your friends.
For almost a year my spouse would periodically tell me it was time to let
go of my golden retriever. He knew I was deeply attactched to him but I
don't think he will ever understand the depth of what linked us together.
My response to him was always, " I will know when it is time."
I'm sorry, Pimme, about your baby being sick, but I'm glad to see you back
among us. :)
(((Hugs))) Pimme. It's such a hard call. Sending prayers and good
thoughts.