Note: some of my friends, family members, readers and customers have recently lost a pet. This post is dedicated to those animals.
Most of us will face difficult health decisions related to our pets. emergencies come up. Dogs get sick and injured. They do not live as long as us.
There is no way to plan for everything, but I have thought about some of the decisions I may eventually have to make for my dog and my cats.
There are many emotional and ethical sides to animal healthcare and euthanasia. few decisions are simple.
I can’t possibly cover every issue, but I hope you will think about two concepts when it comes to your dog’s healthcare:
Have a conversation with your dog’s vet about euthanasia before your dog is sick or injured.
Think about the amount of money you would realistically spend on a dog’s vet bills.
One of my favorite writers, Jon Katz, has a new book out called “Going Home: finding peace when pets die.” It will offer much support to grieving pet owners, and I am thankful for that. I suggest you read it, regardless of your current pet situation.
I talked to Katz over the phone last month after reading his book. I wanted to ask him for advice on preparing for the loss of a pet. since I am the owner of three healthy, middle-aged pets, what should I be doing now to plan for the difficult decisions I will likely face?
What stuck with me most from our talk was his idea to schedule some time with my dog’s vet now where we openly discuss our personal thoughts and feelings related to euthanasia. This would also be a good time to talk about animal healthcare in general.
In “Going Home,” Katz wrote that vets are typically hesitant to recommend euthanasia. They usually wait for the dog’s owner to bring it up first.
I wouldn’t want Ace’s vet to hesitate for my sake. She should know ahead of time what my thoughts are, and I should understand her side as well.
It’s also ok to question a vet’s suggestions, Katz and I agreed. It’s ok to say no.
The same problems with the human healthcare system exist in the animal healthcare system, Katz said during our interview. Prescriptions and procedures make money, and therefore dog owners need to be careful not to allow a vet’s recommendations to overwhelm their own instincts.
In the animal world, there are a lot of people telling other people what they oughta do, Katz said. but in the end, it’s a personal choice.
Goda råd.
A weekend at the doggy ER
You may remember my mutt Ace became very ill back in March. He was eventually diagnosed with pneumonia, but at the time I had no idea what was wrong. Of course, this happened on a weekend when the only veterinary clinic open in Fargo was the emergency clinic.
I knew it was going to be a fun night when the receptionist required a payment before anyone would even see my dog.
I was very much at the mercy of the veterinarians that weekend. Worse, they were vets I had never met before. now that it’s been several months, I am able to look back at this experience with some perspective.
For one, we live in a small enough town where even at the emergency clinic, the vets are reachable. just as I could sit down with Ace’s usual vet ahead of time and have a conversation about difficult topics, I could probably do the same with the vets at the er clinic. I don’t know if they would actually listen to me or remember me, but at least they might keep something on file.
Second, I had more options than I allowed myself. I did not have to agree to every procedure the vets at the er clinic recommended. A vet printed out an estimate, and I was basically expected to approve or reject it as a whole.
I could’ve picked the estimate apart and said, let’s do this but not this. get him hydrated and get his fever down, I could’ve said, and I will take him to his regular vet on Monday.
I’m not saying I made the wrong choices that weekend. I’m just saying emotions and urgency were playing a large part in my decision making.
No one knew what was wrong with my dog, and I was worried he might die. The vets wanted to rule out poisoning and whether or not something was lodged in his digestive system. There was a sense that everything had to be done immediately.
The grand total for this “experience” was $1,782.78. This is a large amount of money for me. For others, it might not be.
The total cost for Ace’s 24-hour stay at the Red River animal emergency clinic in Fargo was $1,559.18. I also had to pay a flat fee of about $100 just for walking in the door. additional medications and follow-up appointments at his regular vet were another $123.60.
The majority of the cost was bloodwork, IVs, antibiotics, a urinalysis and “hospitalization” – nothing too invasive. Jag kan inte tänka på vad operationen skulle ha kostat.
Jag antar att jag bara använder min erfarenhet som ett exempel för andra. Kostnaderna lägger till snabbt. Allt händer i en oskärpa. Om du inte har alla tillgängliga pengar (kredit är OK) får ditt husdjur inte vård.
Det hjälper till att tänka på dessa frågor – åtminstone lite – i förväg.
Hur mycket pengar är du villig att spendera på hundens veterinärvård?
Jag har fattat beslutet att inte berätta för någon hur man ska få ett husdjur. På samma sätt kommer jag inte att berätta för någon hur man ska dela med ett husdjur. Jag kan inte berätta för någon vad jag ska göra när det gäller hennes hunds sjukvård. Jag kan ge råd om de blir frågade, men det är personliga beslut.
Personligen skulle jag vilja att Josh och jag skulle ha en allvarlig diskussion om hur mycket som är rimligt att spendera på ett djur. Vi har pratat om det kort. Vi är rationella människor. Vi älskar våra djur, men det finns en gräns. Vi har en nödbesparing av en anledning. Vi har kreditlinjer av en anledning. Men det finns gränser.
Skulle jag spendera 1 800 dollar på min hund igen? Ja. Dubbel det? Kanske. Trippel det? antagligen inte.
Skulle jag spendera samma belopp för att rädda en av mina katter? Förmodligen.
Vet jag exakt hur Josh känner för allt detta? Nej, det gör jag inte.
Tyvärr kommer pengar att spela en roll i våra beslut, åtminstone för de flesta av oss. Så jag rekommenderar att du pratar om det här problemet med din partner, dina barn, dina föräldrar, din rumskamrat. Få alla på samma sida. Lämna inte någon ute, inte ens små barn. Det finns ekonomiska gränser, och när brådskande och känslor plötsligt tar över är det lätt att glömma dessa gränser.
Jag skulle vilja ha något skriftligt – ett brev till mitt framtida jag, något att vända mig till i min behovstid. Det kommer att påminna mitt framtida jag om att jag har gett mina husdjur ett bra liv, att det finns ekonomiska och fysiska gränser, att jag har gjort det bästa jag kan.
Och slutligen, låt mig inte eller någon annan berätta vad du ska göra. Det här är personliga val.
Som Katz sa i “Att åka hem” är du den bästa förespråkaren för ditt speciella djur. Ingen känner din hund eller din katt lika bra som du.