Have you ever had to euthanize a pet for fiancial reasons?

[jenL]

Our cat has been urinating throughout the house, and we learned today that she's pretty sick (diabetes). She can be treated, but it is going to be very expensive. We cannot afford to treat her, and we are heartbroken. We'll be putting her down tomorrow, and I feel like the worst person in the world. She's cuddling next to me as I type this - I'm going to miss her so much.

[Remudamom]

I'm so sorry.

[Perry]

Our cat has been urinating throughout the house, and we learned today that she's pretty sick (diabetes). She can be treated, but it is going to be very expensive. We cannot afford to treat her, and we are heartbroken. We'll be putting her down tomorrow, and I feel like the worst person in the world. She's cuddling next to me as I type this - I'm going to miss her so much.

:grouphug:

 

I'm not an expert on this, but my understanding is that much of feline diabetes is caused by diet. What is she eating? Have you tried her on a low carb diet? My cat wasn't diabetic, but he was overweight and had all sorts of kidney and urinary tract problems on dry food. He hasn't had a single problem since switching him to canned Innova, and his weight is now normal. My vet says he's seen many cases of diabetes cured by diet changes.

 

I hope Hornblower chimes in...

[Lara in Colo]

You really have to weigh the health of the pet with the cost of treatment. It hurts but it is responsible.

 

My cat of 17.5 yrs was put down when I really noticed she was losing a lot of weight. When I took her in they said she could be treated because she PROBABLY had a thyroid issue. But the treatment was expensive and she was almost 18. I had to decide what to do. Was it worth the sacrifice to my family (no clothes and shoes for 6 months) for a cat who was past her prime? I put her down, but I held her the whole time and talked to her and told her I loved her. I still really miss her. She was my best friend and comfort for a lot of years before DH.

 

Lara

[Catwoman]

I've heard that dietary changes can work wonders, too, so please don't give up on your beloved kitty until you've tried some different options!

 

You'll never forgive yourself if you don't explore the possibility that a low-cost treatment might work and then later find out that there was a simple at-home treatment. (I don't know for sure that there is, but I hope there is!) Most vets are very kind and caring, but there are always a few that offer super-expensive treatments as the "only" possibility, so I hope you'll try to find other ways to save your cat. How old is she?

 

Have you posted about your cat in the Ask the Vet social group? (Click on Community in the little bar right above where it says "Parents Forum General Board" and then click on Social Groups, and when you get to that page, click on Uncategorized, and then scroll down to the Ask the Vet group.)

 

:grouphug::grouphug::grouphug:

 

Cat

Edited August 27, 2010 by Catwoman

[hornblower]

Diabetes in a cat is not terribly expensive to treat - once you get it stabilized, that is. Insulin & needles are pretty inexpensive.

 

Perry is right - diet is critical .

http://yourdiabeticcat.com/ has info on the diet & a tight regulation protocol. Sometimes with these changes, the diabetes goes away & you no longer need to do insulin. Partly depends on her #'s now.

 

I wouldn't rush to make a decision. Think about it a bit, join the fourms at yourdiabeticcat & here

http://www.felinediabetes.com/ - there are so many people out there that can help you figure out what the # are and what they mean.

 

"Cat diabetes is a treatable, manageable condition. You can maintain your sanity and your cat's health, all on a reasonable budget." - that's from the feline diabetes page.

 

A couple days won't make a difference to your cat (unless she's highly unstable now) & it may save her life if you decide that you can tackle this after all.

 

 

 

That said, increasingly euth decisions are financial decisions. There are so many things that we can now do for pets that the issue of costs comes up all the time now. A lot of tough decisions for pet owners.

 

:grouphug:

[Barb_]

We did, but it wasn't cost but an imminent cross country move that prompted the decision. She was old and ill and I thought it would be crueler to uproot her and subject her to that. I feel peaceful about the decision now that it's done, but it was a really tough one to make.

 

Barb

[LauraGB]

Oh Jennifer! That is a hard decision. A very hard one. :grouphug:

[Hockey Mom]

I am so sorry you are in this situation. :( I can't offer any advice, other than try what others have suggested.

[Remudamom]

You know, you don't have to take her tomorrow, do you? Could you try diet?

[Tree House Academy]

Well, no. I can't say I have. As a matter of fact, I would have likely put a second mortgage on my house to save my sweet 14 year old cat, Sissy Kitty if I could have. Unfortunately, all the money in the world wouldn't make the cancer leave her stomach and save her life. *sob* She died July 11. :(

[Teachin'Mine]

:grouphug: How old is your cat? Personally, I would try to change the diet first.

[Mommysbaby]

I'm so sorry you're having to deal with this. One of my precious kitties I have had for 15 years died today on the way to take her to the vets office. :(

[SailorMom]

So sad :grouphug:

What I've always decided is that if the treatment will be stressful on the animal and needed permanently, I wouldn't do it. Well - I may shove a pill down their throats every day - but beyond that. My dogs and cat hate the vet, it upsets them for the entire day. They also do not do well with any sort of treatment, and I can't exactly explain it to them.

So - if the cure would be upsetting for the cat, and permanent, I would put the cat down.

If it could be stabilized and treated with diet after stabilization - I would keep the cat.

Even at that - if you cannot afford the treatment - you shouldn't be hard on yourself about it. I know if the costs were over $1000, there is probably no way we could do it right now. Even then - I'd have to charge it and make payments.

Crappy decision - but I'm sure you'll figure out what is right for you and your family.

[carolinagirl]

We've paid over $3000 in vet bills this year, probably more towards over $4000 at this point I think, for our 10 yr old miniature schnauzer. There was a point where hubby and I started feeling we weren't sure how much more we'd be able to do. Truthfully though, every time we took him back, we paid. We kept taking him in and kept paying and now he's stable and doing well. We're still possibly facing another $1000 and we'll probably pay it if it comes down to it. So I'm the wrong person to ask. :(

 

I do agree with others though. I'd research what you could do vs what you can't and at least try those options first. I know it's a tough place to be in. We had our new puppy diagnosed with coccidia and she was having loose stools constantly, all over the house, and it's been weeks of treatment because it was a severe infection (yes, this happened during Loki's health crisis). I wasn't sure how much longer I could deal with it all but things turned the corner and though she's still undergoing treatment, the horrible stools are behind us (and the awful messes in the house).

[Joy at Home]

Lot's of good advice here. Just :grouphug::grouphug::grouphug:

[justamouse]

Yes. It was fracking horrid like no one's business. A Fox Terrier. Ran out from the fence into a truck. His back end was mangled and they couldn't even BEGIN to tell me how much it would cost (they started in the thousands and it had already cost me 500 just to tell me that) and I just didn't have the $ back then to spend. I don't know if I would do it now, either, to tell you the truth.

 

I wanted to put him down and the vets gave me such a horrible attitude and not many were open so I had to call my mom who picked up the dog (I had been driving around with the kids and this mangled dog all day from the vet that stablaized him to the animal hosp that might be able to take care of him but they couldn't so I was told to try down there--they might be able to handle something like this) and brought it to my old farm vet who had the good sense to tell me to put the poor dog down. I cried, Dad cried, Mom cried the kids cried. Nightmare for all and I still am resentful to those other vets. I should ahve gone to my old vet right away.

[Cricket]

I hope you are able to find a workable solution. We decided to put a dog down once. She had been hit by a car and someone took her to an animal hospital. Her leg was mangled. The vet said it would have to be amputated and that it would cost over $2000. She was my dh's hunting dog and probably couldn't hunt with only three legs. And we absolutely didn't have the money. The hospital put her down because we couldn't pay. It was very, very sad. I sat out in the parking lot and cried and cried. She was such a sweet dog but we just couldn't do it.

 

:grouphug:

[StephanieZ]

(((hugs)))

 

You are not a bad person. A bad person would let her pet suffer.

 

Everyone has a limit. For some it is $500. For others it is $2000. For others it is $5000. For a very few it is more than that. There is no moral rule that says what the dollar limit is.

 

Just love your cat until she goes. Hold her, love her, say good bye. Cry.

 

(((hugs)))

[Denisemomof4]

oh my, NO!!! But I will come to that point with my horse eventually. I'm so glad to see that Hornblower has responded.

 

I have spent thousands and thousands of dollars on a horse I love and can't ride. He's a REAL brat and nobody in my family likes him, and he's given me two concussions (which I believe happened because he wasn't treated well before he came here but that's another story) but I love him. Horses are very, very expensive, but he'll be my only full grown horse, and I love him. My dh was very much relieved to hear me say that I won't pour money into him anymore, that I want him to be comfortable and keep him as long as I can, but that I won't be spending a ton of money anymore. I love him but he has too many issues now and he's 24, which I guess is old for a horse.

 

I have made it clear that the day he has to be put down, dh needs to be here and I won't be. I could NOT handle seeing him taken away by a backhoe. He will be buried on our property down the road from us.

[Melinda TX]

:grouphug:

I have not read all the responses.....so I apologize if I repeat anything or miss information.

 

We had exactly that scenario (cat with diabetes) several years ago. Great cat, never made a mess in the house, and suddenly she went downhill. Diagnosed with diabetes. My parents had two cats with diabetes, and I knew first-hand how it affected every thing they did. The insulin had to be a certain time, all the testing, special diets..etc.

 

We knew that even if we could afford it (which we really really couldn't) - our cat's life would never really improve. It would continue to degrade until she was so miserably sick, she would have no quality of life. But really - it came down to the ongoing expense.

 

I explained to our vet the situation and she was very understanding. We even received a sympathy card from the vet's office a short time later.

 

Again, :grouphug::grouphug:

[simka2]

I'm sitting here possibly faceing this myself. Tonight alone is costing $400 dollars, if the pug makes it threw the night it's on to more vets and potential specialists.

 

No, advice...just feeling for you, and wondering what I will face in the morning!

[celticmom]

I have not had acat with diabetes myself but a neighbor had a diabetic cat and I would go over and take care of him when she had to travel. I even carried him with me to my mothers house so he could get his medicine on time on Christmas or Thanksgiving.

[KidsHappen]

:grouphug:

[Renee in NC]

My mom had a diabetic dog that required special food, insulin, testing, etc.

 

I know some have said "not that expensive" but it *is* that expensive. Expensive is relative to the income. We have already decided that we will not be able to do any catastrophic treatments. Due to our current financial situation, just keeping them in food, heartworm preventative, and flea & tick medicine is hard enough. I did pay to have blood work done on one dog last spring to see about his thyroid, but only after my mother insisted that *she* would pay for the thyroid medicine (he didn't have thyroid problems - he just doesn't get much exercise anymore!)

 

:grouphug: to the OP. We would have the cat put down, too. Even special food is beyond our budget.

[MyThreeSons]

:grouphug:

 

But I can see it coming at some point. We are simply not in a position to put a lot of extra money into our pets. I know it will be heartbreaking when the time comes.

[Veronica in VA]

We are dealing with an expensive treatment for our dog right now. She has a rare infection and at a local pharmacy the medicine is $900/month and she will need to be on it for 2-3 months. She had this last summer and we treated her then. She was cured, but now she has it again. Thankfully we found Pet Health Pharmacy. They compound the medicines and it is significantly cheaper. The cost for her medicine is $200/month. Still a lot, but nowhere near what we were facing. Their number is 1-800-742-0516. Another pet pharmacy is Dr. Foster & Smith. You might try either one and see how the price compares to what you would otherwise pay.

 

I understand. If we had to pay the $900/month there is no way we could do it this year.

[ktgrok]

You can see if the vet (or another one nearby) takes Care Credit. Or, depending on the age of the cat adopt it out. If it is a young cat there are usually private rescue groups that will take it in, or sometimes even the veterinarian will allow you to "sign over" the cat and they will treat it and adopt it out. I have seen this situation several times for just the reasons you are listing. Now, if it is a 12 year old cat then I think euthanasia is a reasonable option and one that I would think was the humane thing to do rather than let her suffer without medication, which i see too often. Good for you for facing this and making a hard decision.

[Lindy]

9 years ago, we put down our diabetic cat. Very, very hard. It got to be very expensive and with young babies at the time, I just couldn't keep up with her needs. She was miserable. So I guess we did her a service. But it was hard--but necessary. :grouphug:

[JFSinIL]

Yes, when we were in a tiny townhome with twin toddler boys and a three month old baby girl and HAD to move... we could not even show the townhome as it REEKED from the 7-year-old cat piddling in the dining room area. Nothing we did could convince her to use the litterbox (the vet found no ailments, either). No shelter would take a cat over four-years old. In order to sell the townhome we had to have the cat put to sleep. Then we could rip out carpet, etc. down to cement and start over in the dining room to eliminate the stink and sell the house.

 

That is the only pet I have had that did not live out its own natural life with us. It still hurts to think about it. But we had two toddlers crammed in one small room, and the baby in our room, and it was crazy small. We got into a five bedroom 100+ year-old house and had an extra baby to help fill the rooms. And now have a Lab and FOUR cats. All indoor cats...all sharing a large litter box (I clean it twice a day). If any cat starts piddling elsewhere we have the vet check her/him out and it is invariably a UTI.

[littlebug42]

We were recently faced with this. My 14 year old kitty had seriously gone downhill in the last year. When his quality of life began to deteriorate with his other problems, I made an appointment with the vet, knowing that we could not afford treatment for him. When I got there, the vet looked at him and said he had liver failure and that he would not survive the lengthy treatment so I had him euthanized. My dh and I have been known to pay for vet treatment without question in the past including very expensive surgery on a rescued bird but we could not sacrifice the needs of our children for my cat, however beloved he was. Only you really know your situation and can make this decision. It hurts, I know, but you have to put your family first. :grouphug:

[Dobela]

Yes. Not diabetes but another cat illness that woud require daily meds, lots of attention, and so on. Then my dog several years later. Sometimes I just have to say that an animal is just that- an animal. Even when we love them and they feel like they are part of us, God made them to be different and to play a different role in our lives. My dh and I were talking about this the other day - if one of our son's 3 cats became ill and the vet bills became such that they were a financial strain, we would put the animal down rather than sacrifice something else our family needed.

[jenL]

Thank you to everyone for your support and responses. I cannot tell you how much I appreciate them, especially from those of you who know where we are at.

 

I wish I could say I was in a place financially to maintain the insulin, diet, etc. but we just aren't in a place where we can do it. The cost of the long-term maintanance is too much right now. Plus, we now may have to rip up two rooms of carpet (which we cannot afford) because of all the places in which she's urinated.

 

I always said I would be one of those pet owners who would do whatever it took to save my animals, and we've done that in the past, even going into debt for them. Dh vowed after those experiences that we would not do it again.

 

With 2 children who really need clothing right now, an unstable job market, expenses we know are coming up, and the holidays around the corner, we had to make a decision. I HATE that we're doing this... HATE it passionately, but I feel as if we don't have any other choice.

[Abigail4476]

jenl--I'm sorry--that's very difficult. I remember one of my cats being put down when I was a kid because he was injured and my parents couldn't afford the cost of treatment. My mother cried all the way to the vet and back--and she didn't cry often. :sad:

 

A last ditch effort might be to ask the vet if there are any places that could try to adopt out your "special needs" kitty to new owners. I see them up for adoption all the time around here--and sometimes it's the vet's office that puts them up. Some people will foster them until they find new owners who can afford the care.

[Mejane]

No, but I've watched relatives put themselves in huge debt treating them. Sometimes not treating is the responsible choice. :grouphug:

[Donna A.]

Our cat has been urinating throughout the house, and we learned today that she's pretty sick (diabetes). She can be treated, but it is going to be very expensive. We cannot afford to treat her, and we are heartbroken. We'll be putting her down tomorrow, and I feel like the worst person in the world. She's cuddling next to me as I type this - I'm going to miss her so much.

 

I've not read all the replies, but yes, I have. I had to put my dog of 14 years down while dh was in Korea, I was alone on the far side of the world (military post 1500 miles from home/family/friends), a 3yo and a newborn, we were losing our house back home because it hasn't sold after many months and dh didn't have any rank yet (thus, no money, and we were on food stamps and WIC), and my dad was dying. My dog's health had started failing noticeably since we moved to that place just a few months prior, to the point where she had difficulty getting up and lying down, and I didn't even have enough money to take her to the vet to find out what was wrong, let alone get treatment. My choice at that point was to either take care of the dog, or take care of the girls and I. It was one of the hardest decisions I ever had to make, and one of the hardest days of my life. I know I did the right thing at the time, though. (I did NOT take the girls with me to have it done, though.)

 

(((HUGS)))

[Lovedtodeath]

Well... people are more important than animals. Healthy animals are put down every day because there are just too many of them. I base my decisions on these things.

[TravelingChris]

I just have to correct the idea here. Most of you are not talking about euthanizing a healthy or mildly sick animal who needs some treatment. You are talking about injured or very sick animals who need lots of treatment that is very expensive. I think that is a very different ethical dilemma. SO while I haven't done this since none of my animals ever had issues that cost over a 1000 dollars in total and we have the income, I really don't think you should feel guilty. Yes, see if someone will take the cat but I think in these economic times, it is improbable. Maybe to feel a bit better, take the cost of jest a few days treatment and give it as a donation to an animal rescue group or shelter. YOu would then just be taking a little tiny bit of the cost of treatment for a very sick pet and helping save healthy ones.

 

I am so sorry you are going through this.:grouphug:

[Nakia]

I'm so sorry Jennifer. We had a cat euthanized several weeks ago and it was painful. He had diabetes too, but we didn't know it until he developed a really bad infection, and we had to take him into the vet, where he very quickly went downhill. We chose to have him euthanized because we simply could not keep him inside (he was really the neighborhood cat who refused to stay indoors), feed him special food, and give him the meds everyday. You have to do what you have to do. Again, I am so sorry. It is never easy to make these decisions. :grouphug:

[MamaHappy]

To answer your question, yes I have and I would do it again. We put a cat down a few years because she got hit by a car (and lived) but to fix her would have been at least $1000, if not more. To spend that much money on a pet is so unrealistic for us. i love our animals with all my heart but we have our limits....we absolutely will not go indo debt for them and we won't depelete our savings. It is always such a tough situation, my heart really goes out to you!! :Grouphug:

[weaver_67579]

and would be hard pressed to say I would. We have put a lot of money into our pets-including treatments worth $thousands (I am thinking particularly of my Dalmatian that had multiple antibiotic resistant e-coli urinary tract infection) It took several cycles of very expensive human drugs. We had debt for a while over that one. Since Christmas, We have lost 3 of our beloved dogs-all very old and with chronic health problems. At one time I had 3 dogs and 2 cats on perscription food plus several meds to boot. I will not have things done that will not likely improve their quality of life or give a reasonalble chance of success-especially in a very old or ill pet(for instance-kidney transplant), but I would certainly deal with a chronic illness-even if it was fairly costly. I have had several pets live quality years with chronic health issues. I would even be willing to work part time stocking shelves at night to pay it off. I would be happy to not buy any new clothes/shoes for a long time (Goodwill it would be), not eat out....if that is what it took. I believe that when we get a pet-it is our responsibility to do what we can for them-for life.

 

As for the nay-sayers. I never said I believe pets are more important than my kids. I never said I would not provide necessities for my family and care for my pets in style. I said I would be willing to scrimp, buy used, have some debt and do without any extras to fulill my obligation to my pets-who I consider part of my family.

 

However, even though I have lost 3 dogs and a cat in the last 2 years, I will not be getting any new pets right now. The economy is lousy, DH hates his job, my remaining pets are also old and will likely start requiring more costly care and with DD 1-I just don't have the time necessary to do a good job with a new dog in particular. I would also recommend that others that cannot afford to provide care for chronic problems, emergencies such as broken legs not get new pets. Something always comes up where they cost us $$$. I had wanted to go to Vet school and this is a major reason why I chose not to. I would have no part in euthanizing some animal that had a treatable chronic condition but could likely live a decent quality of life for some time-or had some more acute problem that had a good likelihood of cure but the owner could/would not pay.

 

Disclaimer-

This is how I make my pet decisions and I wouldn't dream of making them for someone else-including the OP. I do not condemn her for her decision to euthanize. I would just not likely make the same decision.

[jenL]

I would also recommend that others that cannot afford to provide care for chronic problems, emergencies such as broken legs not get new pets. Something always comes up where they cost us $$$. I had wanted to go to Vet school and this is a major reason why I chose not to. I would have no part in euthanizing some animal that had a treatable chronic condition but could likely live a decent quality of life for some time-or had some more acute problem that had a good likelihood of cure but the owner could/would not pay.

 

Disclaimer-

This is how I make my pet decisions and I wouldn't dream of making them for someone else-including the OP. I do not condemn her for her decision to euthanize. I would just not likely make the same decision.

 

Thank you for the disclaimer, and I can completely understand how you would make a different decision.

 

When I first read this, I bristled, thinking you were implying no one should get pets unless they can afford them. We COULD afford them when we first got them. I've always had pets who were family members to me, and they've always lived a LONG time. Our financial situation has changed... believe me, I would have kept my cat alive if I could have afforded to do so. We had to set a limit to protect the means of our family - the people in it.

 

After reading your post a few times, I realized you said NEW pets, and I calmed down. :) The boys have already asked if we can get another pet, and we resoundedly said, "NO, not now". In our opinion, it would be completely irresponsible to take in even a fish right now due to the costs. Thank you for underlining NEW to clarify.

[Lovedtodeath]

As for the nay-sayers. I never said I believe pets are more important than my kids. I never said I would not provide necessities for my family and care for my pets in style. I said I would be willing to scrimp, buy used, have some debt and do without any extras to fulill my obligation to my pets-who I consider part of my family.

That is where we disagree. They are animals, not family members.

I would also recommend that others that cannot afford to provide care for chronic problems, emergencies such as broken legs not get new pets. Something always comes up where they cost us $$$. I completely and totally emphatically agree with that!!! I had wanted to go to Vet school and this is a major reason why I chose not to. I would have no part in euthanizing some animal that had a treatable chronic condition but could likely live a decent quality of life for some time-or had some more acute problem that had a good likelihood of cure but the owner could/would not pay.

 

Disclaimer-

This is how I make my pet decisions and I wouldn't dream of making them for someone else-including the OP. I do not condemn her for her decision to euthanize. I would just not likely make the same decision.

Thank you so much for the disclaimer.:)

[weaver_67579]

Thank you for the disclaimer, and I can completely understand how you would make a different decision.

 

When I first read this, I bristled, thinking you were implying no one should get pets unless they can afford them. We COULD afford them when we first got them. I've always had pets who were family members to me, and they've always lived a LONG time. Our financial situation has changed... believe me, I would have kept my cat alive if I could have afforded to do so. We had to set a limit to protect the means of our family - the people in it.

 

After reading your post a few times, I realized you said NEW pets, and I calmed down. :) The boys have already asked if we can get another pet, and we resoundedly said, "NO, not now". In our opinion, it would be completely irresponsible to take in even a fish right now due to the costs. Thank you for underlining NEW to clarify.

 

and pray that I never have to. I have been lucky to have very long-lived and mostly healthy pets over the years and the means to care for them well. The losses of the old timers have been hard on us, but I will admit that the last year has had some finincial strain over their care as well. I do not miss that. I do understand that circumstances can and do change and sometimes we don't have the choices we once may have.

 

Maybe I will be smarter in the future and not choose to have a whole load of pets at about the same age.....Fun when they are young-not when they are old. I have a friend that gets a new dog every 5 years. She only ever has one old one at a time-maybe I'll go with that plan once babykins is a bit older. I don't think Buddy the dog at 12 1/2 and with severe arthritis in his back would really like a young dog around anyway.

[Guest petcaremere]

So sorry to hear this, Jen. I'm a writer working on an article on the high cost of pet health care, and I may contact you. 

[AimeeM]

As another poster related - expensive is relative to income.

We put our beloved GSD down recently. Not exactly for financial reasons... but kind of, I guess. We had already spent a lot of money on what was considered the most rigorous treatment available for what they THOUGHT he had; unfortunately it turned out it wasn't that (or not solely), and he declined to the point where he wasn't safe to keep in the house (no bowel or bladder control), and our neighborhood wasn't conducive to keeping him outside. We were told at that point that our only option was an exploratory surgery, but the vet felt it was likely we would find something that she couldn't fix - that he was likely too far "gone" to save. So, we could have have opted for that, but it would have been a very pricey procedure just to ultimately have to put him down anyway (and he was miserable). Had we been told there was a greater chance than not we could save him? We would have done it without hesitation, as he was only 3 years old and any cost would have been worth it if we could have had a healthy furry friend for another 7-10 years. When we did put him down, the way it happened proved how very sick he had been and that we had made the right decision.

 

Only you can make this decision. I do know that you can't have a cat urinating in the house - that isn't healthy for the cat OR the people in the house. I would listen to the wise ladies on the board and put it off for a month, if you can, in favor of at least trying the diet? I don't think I could have made our decision without at first trying the many things we did, but I'm not in your situation exactly.

 

*hugs*

[ktgrok]

Our cat has been urinating throughout the house, and we learned today that she's pretty sick (diabetes). She can be treated, but it is going to be very expensive. We cannot afford to treat her, and we are heartbroken. We'll be putting her down tomorrow, and I feel like the worst person in the world. She's cuddling next to me as I type this - I'm going to miss her so much.

I'm a vet tech, and I can tell you you are doing nothing wrong. Diabetes care IS expensive, and when you think of all the pets sitting in shelters, one can look at it as a lot of money to save one cat, when a fraction of that money might save several cats. In other words, if it helps, donate some money, what you can afford, to a shelter or rescue. You will be losing a life, but also saving a life. Some kind of karmic balance. 

 

Hugs, it IS hard. 

[Momling]

In a way, any time we euthanize a sick pet, we do it for financial reasons... Weighing quality of life and prognosis vs cost of treatment.

 

We euthanized our almost 2 yr old dog last year and I regret waiting so long. We thought surgery and chemotherapy would keep her going for longer. We should have put her down immediately. The additional three months cost $5000 and caused unnecessary suffering.

 

 

Edited to add --- ack! I didn't realize it was an old thread. Oh well.

[Mom22ns]

This is a very old thread. 

[Moxie]

This is an old thread bumped by someone trying to write an article. Walk away, folks!!