Still in a dilemma

[dot.haukes]

took Bingo for his results today expecting the vet to be telling me the worst, but apparently Bongo has a couple of discs in his spine that are deteriorating with age and the fragments are causing nerve problems which is why his back leg is numb. So it's old age, but not life thretaneing yet, the vet suggested an injection to reduce the swelling around the discs and then if no improvement an MRI scan. he says that would run into hundreds if not thousands for treatment. that's now the dilemma. Bingo seems sleepy but still dodgy on his legs after 4 hours. he has to give it a week then we go back again. I won't go down the road of spending a lot of money on the inevitable, is that how i should see it?

[dot.haukes]

Oh my lord i made a typo with Bingo's name lol I'm too distracted I'm going cushion shopping and leaving him to sleep off the injection!

[paraffin]

So, dot, for those of us uninitiated, who or what's Bingo? Your dog? Your terrapin, or what? And how old is he?

[Jan1957]

Sorry to hear about Bingo dot. It's horrible when it comes to that time when you have to make a decision. I had to with my little bichon when he had kidney problems and I know what you mean about the money. If you thought he would have a healthy and happy time you would find the money anyhow but if he is not going to have the same quality of life you have to say enough is enough. Don't feel guilty. You have made his life happy until now and that's what you have to remember.

[reefgal]

Veterinary bills are very exspensive and in all honesty if bingos quality of life is poor imo i would not carry on with the treatment. As much as we all love our pets sometimes we have to let go and say goodbye.

[wolf63]

Have you considered taking Bingo to see a chiropractor or whoever manipulated backs for us humans. It may be too dangerous if there are fragments but at least you will have investigated that alternative.

My cats are my children and I love them to bits (as I did my previous cats and dogs) and I would consider making any payment to cure them.

But realistically I don't think that would pay out of money for any operation (even for myself) if there wasn't a good chance of full recovery.

He will probably be wobbly until tomorrow - they take longer to get over it as they get older (my last dog tried to **** his leg and keeled over - I was bad and laughed).

If you trust your vet let him/her guide you. Don't feel bad about thinking of the financial ramifications of any treatment. But Bingo might come back and haunt you!

Best wishes with your decision - don't let anybody make you feel bad about whatever decision you make.

Susan and da Kitties

[Meg]

Sorry to hear about Bingo. My dog had a similar problem last year (slipped disc). I had the operation done (cost �1750.00) She struggled for a few months, which i was told would happen, now she walks 99% normally. I did feel it was worth paying for. I've no pet insurance.

However she now has cancer in her mammary glands and I do feel the operation would impair her quality of life rather than improve it, she's happy and not in any pain.

It's a dilemma that pet owners have to face and make the decision on their babies behalf.

My other dog had a brain tumour and died last month, when she was ill the vet said an MRI scan would determine the extent of the problem but advised against having it done as I am not insured. The quote was �1000.00 +

Good luck to you and Bingo, thinking of you, Wendyxx

[seadogg]

The practice we use has one vet who will let the animal hang on at all costs and another who is very pragmatic about termination.
So you cant always go by what the vet says.
We don't reckon a dog's life simply in years and months and have always let them go when the outlook was bad.
Our lovely friends lie in the garden under rose bushes
Just try not to beat yourself up about it.
Best wishes.

[garner]

Other considerations Dot are not always about money,It's the quality of life that your dog will have.A dogs needs are walks,running, enjoying the smells ect, if he has no interest or cannot do these things, then you know the answer.I know it's an awful postion to be in, but only you can do it.Good luck,will be thinking about you.

[paraffin]

Hi again Dot:

Sorry you didn't see fit to answer my question, I honestly had no idea who Bingo was, I now gather he's your rather elderly dog?

It's at times like these that all of us who are animal lovers have extremely difficult decisions to make and they never get easier because of who's involved.

I've always gone by the maxim that it's the quality of life which is paramount and I've tried to never let any of my pets suffer unnecessarily, no matter how reluctant I may feel about making the toughest of decisions possible.

Wouldn't it be all so much easier if they could make those decisions for themselves? That way it would stop us having to feel so guilty about it all. But, no matter how heart rending it is, we know deep down that delaying the inevitable is only prolonging their pain and suffering.

The best of luck to you and Bingo. Who knows, miracles may happen from time to time?

[dot.haukes]

thanks for that paraffin, i am not a harsh person, i have been in quite a 2an8 over Bingo this last few weeks, i know him better than the vet. Whilst Bingo is eating fine (he's just begged a piece of flapjack off me) and whilst he does not seem to mind that his back leg is not doing what his brain thinks it is, then yes i agree that he is content and not suffering. But in the last 4 weeks he has deteriorated rapidly and after seeing the vet a couple of times I can see he is still deteriorating, i have to take him back at the end of the week, as far as i can tell, by then he will be dragging his back leg not just knuckleing it. Then I shall have to be abit tougher on the vet and decline his offer of an MRI scan.
thanks to all for your support, I have to think of Max too, the whole time we had Bingo at the vet yesterday my son;'s GF said he howled the street down, imagine if Bingo went off and never came back? Crikey, max is a staffy and built like rambo's best dog!

[knobby-rule]

So all it seems is that you are worried about is making a typo in bingo's name and how much money that he will cost you..Err well potty a decent loving pet owner would get there pet insured for things like this you two faced arrogant old hag.

You do not care for your dog you only think about you

[dot.haukes]

yes that's true, i stopped the insurance in 2007 when the insurance company put the premiums up because his epilepsy had cost several hundred pounds in claims and it became too expensive, i do regret it now, but who knew he would fall so ill so soon? he is only 14 on November 16th, i can't get him insured now as his epilepsy escalated and he has so many problems, i should have come to you knobby as obviously you know more about the way it works than i do, iof only he had had less than 5 fits a year, i could have had this all covered tut

[Mogadon]

Dot left a message for you in the other thread hope everything goes ok for your dog

[dot.haukes]

thanks, i read that, Bingo is fast asleep, he;s on phenobarbitol for his epilepsy and because we had thunder today my son gave him 2, he's zzzedin it like a guuden

[lindapinda]

I hope things improve with Bingo,Dot...the worry is great and all we can do for our wee babies is to hope we can be the best for them we can,when it gets really difficult..x