Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Mar 29, 2016 23:14:43 GMT
My 15 year baby has been loosing weight so I took her for bloodwork. Hyperthyroid. Starting medicine this week. Her SDMA kidney level is starting to elevate but everything else looks fine. So we are going to watch this. I am thankful that treatment looks like it will give me a few more years with her. BTW they said that they could do radiation on the thyroid but it would be $2000-$3000.  |
|
val2525
Chaos Manager
Posts: 31,577 
|
Post by val2525 on Mar 29, 2016 23:46:30 GMT
Ouch on the radiation. I hope the meds work! (((mup & jazzy))))
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Mar 30, 2016 0:00:08 GMT
No way I am spending $2000 on a 15 year old cat. I know when Zoey dislocated her knee cap they wanted to do a $6k procedure. What I want to know is, who has the money for these types of things for an animal?
|
|
|
|
Post by denise15601 on Mar 30, 2016 0:03:16 GMT
(((jazzy & mup & family))
|
|
|
|
Post by Desire on Mar 30, 2016 0:57:17 GMT
I wonder if pet insurance would cover all of this if you had previously taken it?
I always look at it and then say, no we'll take our chances. But we never had anything big like that come up with any of them.
|
|
|
|
Post by chapeaunoir on Mar 30, 2016 0:58:16 GMT
I have friends who just spent about that, maybe more, on their 15 year old cat. Peaches had been in perfect health and something happened. Their kids are grown and gone so maybe there was something there in it (cat grew up with the kids, etc.). My biggest concern is would it be worth it for the animal (if I had the money, that is). I'm glad you did NOT have to make that decision!
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Mar 30, 2016 1:30:39 GMT
Our previous neighbors never had kids and they spent a fortune on their animals. I actually get it that some people can and do. But if I had to make that decision I would have done what I could to keep her comfortable for as long as I could. $6000 for a knee surgury and $2000 for the cat would pay for a semester of community college. I have to make a choice and kids are first.
Denise: I know the vets office offers the yearly plan, but it wouldnt have covered any of this.
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Mar 30, 2016 2:23:26 GMT
I don't have kids so if I had the money I'd absolutely spend it on an old cat, DEPENDING on what the treatment was. My concern would be making the cat too uncomfortable for too long.
(((Jazzy))) Mup, what treatment are you going with? Pills?
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Mar 30, 2016 3:05:18 GMT
We are. She did mention that they have a special food for this condition but none of the other cats could eat it and if she gets even 1 bite of any other type of food it could cause her levels to upset. That cat eats people food whenever she can get her paws on it and her favorite thing to eat is beef jerky. So I cant imagine a special diet is feasible for her.
She actually thinks she is a dog. She goes outside with the dogs and pees in the yard, then comes back inside. She loves steak, roast, chicken, etc. Not that I feed it to her, but she has been known to belly up to a plate left out to long.
|
|
|
|
Post by zoesam on Mar 30, 2016 4:33:46 GMT
Honestly Mup, people like DH & myself, without kids, do & can. We have paid OOP for chemo for inoperable Lymphoma on Samantha, which bought her another year of quality of life. We paid OOP for laryngeal paralysis surgery for our Zoe, which was well worth it, as it made her daily life more comfortable. It's not even a decision for us, if it helps their quality of life, it happens. Our pets ARE our family. I wish everyone could do it. I know some have harder decisions to make. My blinds lady told me a horrible story with a happy ending where they just prayed for their dog who was hit by a car, to get better :-(. She does walk again though & it's been 3 years.
Unfortunately pet insurance tends to be more for routine stuff (that you don't really need ins for), they have HUGE exclusion lists, that usually exclude all the serious stuff. Last time I checked anyway. Maybe things have changed.
I hope the medication helps a lot & extends her life & quality of life! I wish the best for Jazzy.
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Mar 30, 2016 5:03:56 GMT
So sorry you're in this tough spot. DH and I have spent a bundle on medical care for our older cats, up until it was clear that they were starting to suffer and wouldn't get any better. If we had kids, we might not have spent quite as much on them, but it's hard to say. Bottom line is your financial decisions are your business alone and no one elses.
Hyperthyroidism is fairly common in older cats. I hope the meds help her.
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Mar 30, 2016 23:17:09 GMT
Sounds like pills are the way to go then, Mup. It'd be impossible to put any of my cats on a special diet too. I think you could only do it if you had just one indoor-only animal.
(((Jazzy)))
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Mar 31, 2016 0:10:02 GMT
Sorry I made it sound like I was judging how much people spent on animals. If I didnt have kids at home I probably would too! I am just mostly shocked at how much animal care costs now a days.
I am thankful that this is something I can do fairly inexpensively to help prolong her life. She is my baby!
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Apr 1, 2016 3:03:51 GMT
Mup, just out of curiosity, what are the pills called?
|
|
|
|
Post by zoesam on Apr 1, 2016 4:25:52 GMT
ITA Mup. Honestly though, animal care has come a long way in the last 20 years or so. Specialists for every area of medicine, which really didn't used to exist, at least not on a widespread basis. My dogs have had cardiologists, dental specialists & more. Multiple ER's for even communities as small as the Springs, the best anesthesia & monitoring, where it used to be the the dr's "eyes & ears". Ugghh, when we first moved here, I asked a dr about his anesthesia equipment & that was his answer - I ran for the hills. So, I totally get it, as it is very expensive, but the quality of care has risen dramatically, as has the cost that vet's offices spend on the latest & greatest technology to provide that care.
How is she responding to the meds?
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Apr 3, 2016 19:43:51 GMT
She is doing well. I got some cat pill pockets and put the pill in there and she eats them right up with no problems. I am thankful for that!
|
|
|
|
Post by Shirley U Geste on Apr 3, 2016 20:15:02 GMT
Glad she is doing better and is good about taking the pills. That can sometimes be quite the battle.  |
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Apr 3, 2016 20:49:17 GMT
Funny, I stumbled on a thing the other day that said that 60% of pills get stuck in the oesophagus and stay there long enough to cause harm, apart from the discomfort to the cat. Then I saw an ad for those pill pockets. I'd never seen them before!
My great hope is that they eventually put all meds in injection form. I'm sooooo bad with pills.
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Apr 3, 2016 21:10:00 GMT
She is doing well. I got some cat pill pockets and put the pill in there and she eats them right up with no problems. I am thankful for that! I love those things. They usually work for me. If the pill is small you can usually pinch the pp in half and get twice as many out of the pack too. |
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Apr 3, 2016 21:13:34 GMT
Funny, I stumbled on a thing the other day that said that 60% of pills get stuck in the oesophagus and stay there long enough to cause harm, apart from the discomfort to the cat. Then I saw an ad for those pill pockets. I'd never seen them before! My great hope is that they eventually put all meds in injection form. I'm sooooo bad with pills. One vet I had showed me how to syringe water into their mouth after. I'm actually pretty good at pilling but find the liquid hard. I'm always happy when the pp's work. |
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Apr 4, 2016 1:26:13 GMT
I will have to try splitting he pocket in half. They are small pills and she only takes half a pill.
|
|
