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Because they're worth it, that's why.

Kaminoke

Kaminoke

River Valley Reptiles
Hello, folks. I haven't been around here in a long while. My life has spiraled into all kinds of different directions, all of which have been complicated but good so it's no complaint.

Recently my fiancee and I have been dealing with a very emotional pet issue which I feel most people in our lives just don't understand. Our dog, Bacchus, has cancer. Specifically he has transitional cell carcinoma, or bladder cancer. We have spent more than a fair amount of money in vet bills, initially to diagnose the problem and subsequently for his chemotherapy. He is an older dog, and the cancer is advanced, but despite all of this he is really doing great. We know he won't be with us for too much longer, but we are very grateful and very happy to still be able to have him with us.

I'm not here to seek sympathy about his cancer or the bills... Aside from a few occasional "potty" related incidents and issues, Bacchus is happy, energetic, and living pain free, and we took some time to hammer out our budget before the therapy started. You wouldn't even know he was an older dog, much less sick, if it weren't for the fact that a lot of his black hair has turned silvery white. I am very thankful, for he is doing much better and staying with us longer than we expected.

What's really killing me is how so many people who find out that we are spending so much on chemo for our dog instantly decide to give me their unsolicited advice, most of which is anything but supportive. We all know the people who do not feel about pets the same way we do - "Why would you spend that much? It's just a DOG?" or "Why don't you put him to sleep and get another one?" Those comments are very annoying, but some people are just not animal people and I can never expect them to understand how I feel about my animal family members. But the people who ARE animal lovers, or claim to be, are often even more cruel. I cannot begin to tell you how many people have scolded me about how I am being inhumane to my poor, poor dog - how I am obviously making him suffer a great deal because of my selfish desire to be with him, because he is obviously in a lot of pain and should be euthanized. These people usually know nothing more than that I have a dog, the dog has cancer, and he is undergoing chemo. They don't know me. They don't know Bacchus. Most don't even know anything about chemotherapy for dogs. They know nothing else, yet they feel they have enough information to feel it is their duty to tell me what a terrible dog owner I am. And the more I try to explain, the less they listen, and the more infuriated I get with myself for even feeling the need to defend my actions... ugh.

Anyway, I'm sure many of you can relate. Especially with our snakes, there are so many that don't know why we work so hard and there are many more who are quick to judge our actions despite not knowing all of the facts. We bring these animals into our lives, and in doing such we accept that it is our responsibility to provide them the best possible care we are able to. Yes, I'll spend $80 on antibiotic shots for a $2 tree frog. Yes, sometimes my grocery list contains more foods for my cockatiel than for myself. And yes, we are spending a large portion of our income on making Bacchus as comfortable as he can possibly be til the end. Why? Because they're worth every penny.

bacchus-1.jpg
 
AWW...Look at him! Hi. I want you to know I've been where you are. I had a dog with cancer. Sam had lymphoma. He was only 7 when we found out. I had noticed couple lumps on his chest but didn't think anything of it. Sam was going to have a procedure done an I pointed them out to my vet. He knew right away what it was but didn't say anything to us. Just that we should have a biopsy done. So we did that an the test came back positive for lymphoma. I thought that was the end of everything. How could Sam...MY Sam have cancer?? It was very hard to deal with. My vet recommended a specialist that treated cancer's in dogs so went to her. To make a long story short we treated Sam for a while...about 7-8 months then we decided he'd had enough an had to let him go. We didn't know it at the time but I kept track of how much I had spent on his treatments an it was well over $3,000. I, too, had people tell me "You spent how much on a dog??" Or "how could you put him through that?" Because he was worth it. Sam was the best dog EVER an I wanted to do EVERYTHING I could to keep him comfortable. Also to keep him here with me cause I couldn't live without my Sam.

Its been 15 years since I lost Sam. I have 2 dogs now, 3 cats, 10 snakes. People ask "don't you have to many pets?" I'm thinking "whats it to you anyways" Pets are my life. I don't know what I'd do without mine thats for sure. Thanks for reading
 
Only YOU know how much is too much...

...and, with input from your vet, only YOU are qualified to decide when it is more kind to give up the fight. You know your pet better than anyone else could, you know your own financial situation, and most importantly, you know your own heart. You know whether your pet is "just a dog" that can be replaced, or whether he is a member of your family, and valued as such. I think the answer to that question is totally obvious to any of us here!

A true friend should support you in whatever decision you make, whether they really understand your reasoning and feelings - or not. (Unless, of course, it is obvious that you were forcing a pet to live in misery because of your emotional inability to see reality. That does not seem to be the case at all, from your post). Any supposed "friend" who makes the comments you described, is thoughtless, at best, or just cruel and mean spirited, at worst - in my opinion.

I am so sorry you are going through this, even though it happens to all pet lovers eventually. I spent $400 on tests and expenses for my old cat, even though (as I suspected), it didn't really help her - although we didn't know that until the tests were complete. But it did help ME - I knew that I had done my best by her, and that nothing else could reasonably be done. So I was able to accept the inevitable end result without feelings of guilt, anyway. Not much solace - but some.

I can tell by your post that you are strong in your conviction, and that you will make the decisions that are the best for you and your pet, no matter what unthinking "friends" and relatives say. For that I applaud you. At least you can rest assured that you will feel better in the end than if you listen to any loudmouths trying to change your mind. And your pet will have the best and longest time spent with you that is possible, given the circumstances.

Good luck - my thoughts are with you!
 
Thank you both very much. I would consider most of the people who have given me such a hard time "acquaintances" rather than friends... if they were my true friends I'd slap some sense into them hard. Some of my friends don't understand the decisions I make, but they don't give me a hard time about it and ask intelligent questions so that they can make an informed opinion. I knew that there would be several great people on here that would understand, and I just wanted to hear your wonderful voices.

Kathy, your thoughts mirror mine exactly. Which decision is right or wrong is not always very clear, but no one knows better than the pet's family. Jackson and I sat down for a few days and talked about this before making our decision. It was a hard one, especially since there was a good chance that the therapy would have no affect. Luckily it did - I've never been so happy to see a dog have a good, strong, "fire-hose" pee as Jackson calls it. He has finished his first rounds of chemotherapy, and most likely will not be receiving anything else from here on other than his oral medications. So for now we're just going to love him as much as we can and continuously invade his privacy to make sure he's getting everything out. He doesn't like it when people watch him do his business - but too bad! I wanna see that pee! Our new neighbors must think we're weird - whenever they walk by when he's out they see me crouching down staring at his crotch.

But yeah, whenever family members start to question the amount of money we've put into this, I remind them that I'm the girl that spent $2500 that I barely scraped together on a ferret that ended up dying anyway, and I still have no regrets about that. So if they think they can talk me out of this, they are S-O-L!
 
I'll just pull this out again - third times a charm

It's Just a Dog

From time to time people tell me, "Lighten up, it's just a dog," or, "That's a lot of money for just a dog." They don't understand the distance traveled, the time spent or the costs involved for "just a dog."

Some of my proudest moments have come about with "just a dog."

Many hours have passed and my only company was "just a dog," but I did not once feel slighted.

Some of my saddest moments have been brought about by "just a dog," and, in those days of darkness, the gentle touch of "just a dog" gave me comfort and reason to overcome the day.

If you, too, think it's "just a dog," then you will probably understand phases like "just a friend," "just a sunrise," or "just a promise."

"Just a dog" brings into my life the very essence of friendship, trust, and pure unbridled joy.

"Just a dog" brings out the compassion and patience that makes me a better person.

Because of "just a dog" I will rise early, take long walks and look longingly to the future.

So for me, and folks like me, it's not "just a dog" but an embodiment of all the hopes and dreams of the future, the fond memories of the past and the pure joy of the moment.

"Just a dog" brings out what's good in me and diverts my thoughts away from myself and the worries of the day.

I hope that someday they can understand that it's not "just a dog" but the thing that gives me humanity and keeps me from being "just a human."

So the next time you hear the phrase "just a dog." just smile...because they "just don't understand."

- Anonymous
Click to expand...

I think everyone here appreciates seeing other people who care so much for their pets

Sharon
 
I'm sorry but I have to jump in with a situation that just happened tonight at the vet hospital where I work.

We had a client walk in with her limping dog. The dog had been limping for a week but she had been too busy to bring her in to the vet. She thought it was lyme disease. Lyme disease would have been cheaper. We X-rayed the dog and found out she had a torn ligament and needed cruciate surgery.

Okay some of you are already doing the numbers in your head as you read. Cruciate surgery is not cheap!

Then the lady told us why she couldn't get her dog to the vet. She'd been in and out of the hospital with her 17 year old daughter all week long. Her daughter has bone cancer and its starting to affect her lungs. The dog was HER dog. She called from the hospital during the exam to find out what was going on with her dog.

I felt like I had been punched in the gut! I felt so bad for what this lady was going through. I don't even want to know what they are paying for hospital bills for their daughter and then this happens!

Is the dog worth the surgery????? Hell yeah!

Devon
 
Yes - excellent! I have seen that little essay before, and I still like it.

I suggest you print it out and hand it to anyone who "doesn't have a clue". Probably won't help them understand, but might give them a LITTLE taste of your perspective.
 
That is awful! As pet owners it should always be our goal to be able to afford veterinary care if something happens, but we all know that just cannot always be the case... Jackson and I are very fortunate to be able to afford (ie, finance) this treatment, but if circumstances were different we would have had to forgo the chemo. There are organizations like IMOM.org and a few others out there to help people out in such situations (I'd point them in that direction if you can), but still... it wouldn't be fair to call someone a bad pet owner just because they cannot afford the care needed in an emergency; there are just far too many circumstances that can arise, such as in that situation. We can plan and save and do everything "right," but we still cannot predict the unpredictable.
 
When I was a vet tech, I assisted with chemo on a lovely little kelpie who I'll never forget. The chemo 'only' bought him a few more months, and we knew that from the beginning, but he was full of joy right up until the last day.

The chemo was not some hideous ordeal he had to go through. He showed up at our clinic happy to see us, sat calmly for his treatment, recieved lots of love from the whole staff, and wagged his way out the door. If we took out the nail trimmers he hid and shook in fear, so it was 100% clear that the chemo was not traumatic for him.

His family was absolutely right to choose that treatment route for him, and you know what's best for Bacchus too. I hope you have some more wonderful moments with him before it's time.
 
Yesterday my dog had an ultrasound because of a Prostatitis. It's most likely Prostate cancer - but then again you can't be sure without a biopsy. And in all honesty - of all the things I thought about in the last 18 hours - chemotherapy never crossed my mind. I watched my mom go through Chemotherapy and probably would be too scared to put my dog through THAT. However, I had no idea that chemotherapy for pets/dogs is that much different. So thank you for your post, I am going to look into that now.

Spike is 11 years old and you wouldn't even guess close if you'd see him. He still acts like a puppy and besides his little grey goatie mustache and a bit cloudy eyes doesn't show any signs of advanced age. Dunno what we'd do without him, he's the best dog we've had.

So I understand EXACTLY what you're going through with Bacchus. If people would tell me that I'm insane for spending money on a sick dog I'd probably ... pull out my husbands shotgun :uzi:
I hope Bacchus has some happy days and you get to show him how much he means to you for a little while longer
 
Thank you both for your posts! Bacchus is cuddling next to me right now enjoying a good belly rub. I wouldn't trade that for anything.

Stefanie, your Spike sounds kind of like Bacchus. He's old and sick, but you wouldn't know it. He thinks he's still a puppy - just mention the words "ride in car" and he goes berserk.

Bacchus LOVES going to the vet. He is the only dog I've ever had that has no fear of the vet whatsoever. He's excited to go on a ride, but when we get close to the vet he gets super excited because he realizes where he's going. Sure, they might stick him with a needle or something, but he gets to meet some other dogs in the waiting room, and the vets and vet techs all love him and give him attention and yummies. He loves it.

And yes, chemotherapy is a lot different on animals than it is on people. As my vet put it, with people, you are trying to prolong their life by decades. With dogs and cats, you don't even start with decades, so chemo for them is chosen if it can improve their quality of life, and maybe give you a little extra time. Dogs and cats generally don't get sick from chemo the way people do. Bacchus threw up once a few days after one session, and that was the extent of his side effects. And even though it's primarily a cosmetic concern, they don't tend to lose any hair, except for some of the curly haired breeds (and cats can lose their whiskers). Your vet can give you the best information about what treatments could help him out. I don't know where you are in MS, but if you're within driving distance of Memphis, I can make some great recommendations. There aren't many veterinary oncologists in the area.
 
After posting that, early last week my cat suddenly got sick. They told me he might not make it and would cost up to $1000. I told them to do what they had to do. My baby passed that night. I don't regret paying for his chance. I just miss my boy.
 
My animals have gotten me through some of the roughest times in my life, have always been there for me, have never let me down.

Spend whatever I can afford to keep them happy and healthy? It's not even a choice. Anyone who looks down on you for choosing treat your dog's medical problems is someone who doesn't know the comfort that an animal can bring. Animals are not disposable pets...they are family and get treated as such.
 
Oh no Sharon, I'm so sorry for your loss. Do you know what he died of?!

And I agree with Lisa 100%, it's so true. Spike's like my older child and a brother to my youngsters. He will leave a big empty spot one day...

Kaminoke: sadly I'm nowhere near Memphis, but much further south, closer to the gulf. The vet I took Spike to for the Prostatitis doesn't impress me that much, I'm going to look around and find another one I think /sigh. But thanks so much for caring!
 
He had a urinary obstruction. By the time I realized he was sick and took him to the vet it was too late. He was only eight. its still feels so surreal that he's gone
 
Reminds me of when my mom was talking to someone about a bill, a $30 BILL! And she was telling them she would be a little late on it. The other woman asked "May I ask why?" And my mother said "Well, one of our dogs had an amputation this past month. And it costed about 1,000 dollars." The woman the guts to say, in a snotty way, "Why didn't you just put the dog to sleep!"

I got angry at that one. I love my little three legged dog, I just got a tattoo in her honor.
 
I found a drop off cat at my school when I was only nine years old. I took her home and she became the family pet. Well when I was in junior high school she developed kitty breast cancer. She did well with chemo for the first year. I was a sophomore in high school when she turned for the worse and we all had to say goodbye. Losing Sammy was so difficult, she was my kitty cat mother. Just last fall I had to say goodbye to my tabby, Dune. He was my second Sammy. Dune got sick quickly and didn't respond to the medication we somehow found within our budget. I am proud to say I did everything I could for them and I know they'll be waiting for me, or come back to me in the guise of another furry friend.

Since this is a corn snake site: I have a chronic regurger that I will care for as long as she holds out. I've had one snake die in my hand already, that's where Nimue will expire as well.
 
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