As I grab for the worn leash and see the anticipation from the brown glassy eyes, I wonder if this could be the last time I hook her up and take her out to navigate the sights and smells of the neighborhood. She has always jumped when I put on my running shoes, but the past few months I have had to tell her, "NO", knowing that she could injure herself just in the excitement of the "walk prep". Coffee Talk Dog is old. She is working on 12, and for a Labrador, she has had a long, good life. Throughout the past 6 months, she has undergone facial surgery (to look her very best...ok...I'm kidding), foot surgery, a severely sprained "ankle", ear infections, and most recently, fever, blood infection, and a platelet count of 0. We have gone from about $100/year in vet bills for the first 11 years of life, to several thousand.
Last weekend, I truly thought we were going to lose her...I cried and felt just sick to my stomach. How does this "playing God" thing work with a dog you love? How much is too much? At what point are you crossing into crazy?
The new MO for vets is to approach every issue with a list of "things your dog needs that you can chose to forgo". UGH! What is worth doing? Well, I immediately realized that I could wrap her foot for less than $140, avoid a specialist reading the xray (another $100), and put off the ultrasound ($470). I have zero experience with this. When I was growing up, our dogs just lived, and then they died. We didn't have all of these options, or, if we did, we were never exposed to it.
The latest is this: I found a place to do the ultrasound for $300. It showed basically nothing, accept some small cysts which, of course, they would like to do surgery on. The dog has stopped limping and is on a diet of steroids, stomach pills (to counter those), antibiotics, and thyroid meds.
As I write, she lays by me, looking like a doggie cancer patient with her shaved belly, and I struggle to know...what is next? I guess as you gain the experience, you share it. Look around...find the best prices for non-invasive procedures, check the bills, ask lots of questions, then trust that your gut will tell you when enough is enough. I am happy that Lexie Girl is still with us, greeting me as a best friend would...chasing her squirrel friends on the front porch with a little less energy, helping to carry in the groceries, and providing all of us a glimpse of true unconditional love...until the end...
CoffeeTalkMom
