grumpy
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
- Joined
- Jul 1, 2004
- Messages
- 1,321
Two years ago I started a thread on the subject of spending a significant amount on medical treatment for our cat, Pyewacket:
I am facing a spending decision where my head is telling me one thing and my heart is telling me the opposite.
Our pet cat, Pyewacket, is 13 years old and has been on medication for a hyperactive thyroid for 2 years. Over that time we have reached a level of mutual comfort where he accepts the twice a day administration of his pill by me or my wife with a minimum of fuss. The cat is not particularly friendly or affectionate even toward us and has always reacted very negatively to strangers. Despite this, we love the cat and greatly enjoy his company and antics. Prior to his requiring medication we were able to leave him in the house with food and water when we traveled and just have a neighbor come in every few days. Last year we tried leaving him with my daughter, who no longer lives with us, but who grew up with Pye. He would not allow her to give him his pill no matter what she tried. He was very aggressive toward her when she tried. Since then we have tried to board him with two different vets. The first one called us while we were away for permission to sedate him. Last week we tried boarding him at another animal hospital. When we went to pick him up after four days there they told us that they were unable to medicate him and that they would not accept him for boarding in the future due to the "danger he presented to the safety of their staff". They even asked us to get him out of the cage ourselves and into his carrier! The vet also told us that he was so stressed in that environment that it was cruel to keep him there.
The vet told us that there was a treatment available for his thyroid condition involving the use of radiation to destroy the benign thyroid tumor that causes the prodution of excess throid hormone. After the treatment he would not need any medication, so we could leave him at home while we travel with just a pet sitter to give him food and water and clean the litter box. He is perfectly happy staying home by himself. The problem is that this treatment costs $1250!!!
I am really struggling with this decision. The alternative is euthanizing poor Pye before our next trip at the end of June. This seems pretty drastic but with anyone else but us, he cannot be handled and I cannot see foregoing travel for as long as he lives. On the one hand, based on my long standing LBYM lifestyle, I cannot see spending that kind of money on a cat. On the other hand, we can afford that amount with no real long term impact on our overall finances. Right now I am leaning toward having the treatment done and the cost be damned. We love the cat and would miss him terribly. But this voice in the back of my head keeps saying: "are you crazy? that's money that could go into a grandkid's college fund" or some other equally important use.
I value the opinions and experiences of those on this board. What would you do?
Here is the final chapter in this thread:
Pyewacket died in his sleep last night. We took him to the Vet during the afternoon because over the previous week he had lost weight, stopped eating, was having difficulty walking and was clearly not doing well. The Vet did lab tests that showed his kidneys were functioning at only 25%. X-rays showed one lung mostly obstructed and several likely tumors elsewhere. He was given pain meds and treatment to ease his breathing. He will be cremated and his ashes will be spread in an apple orchard.
He had two good years since the radiation treatment cured his hyperthyroid condition, (the subject of the original thread. During that time he was mostly healthy, much more affectionate and friendly and seemed to enjoy his life (what's not to enjoy; he owned the house?) and we certainly enjoyed his quirky personality and his companionship. On balance I would say that the expenditure for the treatment was worthwhile.
We will miss him. Thanks to all of you who posted on the original thread.
Grumpy
I am facing a spending decision where my head is telling me one thing and my heart is telling me the opposite.
Our pet cat, Pyewacket, is 13 years old and has been on medication for a hyperactive thyroid for 2 years. Over that time we have reached a level of mutual comfort where he accepts the twice a day administration of his pill by me or my wife with a minimum of fuss. The cat is not particularly friendly or affectionate even toward us and has always reacted very negatively to strangers. Despite this, we love the cat and greatly enjoy his company and antics. Prior to his requiring medication we were able to leave him in the house with food and water when we traveled and just have a neighbor come in every few days. Last year we tried leaving him with my daughter, who no longer lives with us, but who grew up with Pye. He would not allow her to give him his pill no matter what she tried. He was very aggressive toward her when she tried. Since then we have tried to board him with two different vets. The first one called us while we were away for permission to sedate him. Last week we tried boarding him at another animal hospital. When we went to pick him up after four days there they told us that they were unable to medicate him and that they would not accept him for boarding in the future due to the "danger he presented to the safety of their staff". They even asked us to get him out of the cage ourselves and into his carrier! The vet also told us that he was so stressed in that environment that it was cruel to keep him there.
The vet told us that there was a treatment available for his thyroid condition involving the use of radiation to destroy the benign thyroid tumor that causes the prodution of excess throid hormone. After the treatment he would not need any medication, so we could leave him at home while we travel with just a pet sitter to give him food and water and clean the litter box. He is perfectly happy staying home by himself. The problem is that this treatment costs $1250!!!
I am really struggling with this decision. The alternative is euthanizing poor Pye before our next trip at the end of June. This seems pretty drastic but with anyone else but us, he cannot be handled and I cannot see foregoing travel for as long as he lives. On the one hand, based on my long standing LBYM lifestyle, I cannot see spending that kind of money on a cat. On the other hand, we can afford that amount with no real long term impact on our overall finances. Right now I am leaning toward having the treatment done and the cost be damned. We love the cat and would miss him terribly. But this voice in the back of my head keeps saying: "are you crazy? that's money that could go into a grandkid's college fund" or some other equally important use.
I value the opinions and experiences of those on this board. What would you do?
Here is the final chapter in this thread:
Pyewacket died in his sleep last night. We took him to the Vet during the afternoon because over the previous week he had lost weight, stopped eating, was having difficulty walking and was clearly not doing well. The Vet did lab tests that showed his kidneys were functioning at only 25%. X-rays showed one lung mostly obstructed and several likely tumors elsewhere. He was given pain meds and treatment to ease his breathing. He will be cremated and his ashes will be spread in an apple orchard.
He had two good years since the radiation treatment cured his hyperthyroid condition, (the subject of the original thread. During that time he was mostly healthy, much more affectionate and friendly and seemed to enjoy his life (what's not to enjoy; he owned the house?) and we certainly enjoyed his quirky personality and his companionship. On balance I would say that the expenditure for the treatment was worthwhile.
We will miss him. Thanks to all of you who posted on the original thread.
Grumpy
Pets add so much to our lives, but it's so painful when they leave us.
