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doggie lover
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doggie lover is offline  
Location: Ohio, USA
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18-03-2008, 05:45 AM

HELP! My dog needs surgery. Is 11 years old, too old?

I have been so upset & worried, & want to do the right thing. My Pomeranian, Cinder, is 11 years old, & needs surgery. From the x-rays, it shows she has a mass on or near her spine, which is pinching her nerve. She has weakness in her two front legs, but one leg is worse than the other. She has been, what they call, Knuckling; which is when they turn their paw under. And, sometimes; her bad leg will bend at the knee. It's so terrible to see her like this. Our Vet has her on Predislone, but doesn't think it will help. He does feel that Cinder is too old to make it through this surgery, & that, even if she does make it through, that there will be more ailments to follow because of her age. He also feels that the surgery is too expensive, somewhere around $3000, & that there is no guarantee that it will help her. He also said that the mass may be cancer. I did call a specialist hospital today, & found out the prices of the x-rays alone. A MRI will cost $1,300, & a malagram will cost $800. The consultation is $94. The consultation is to examine Cinder & let us know if surgery is an option, & then they will give me an itemized sheet, with all of the costs & what the total will be. This will include, the MRI or Malagram, anesthesia, the surgery itself, meds, & the days she will have to stay in the hospital. My concern is, should I really put her through all of this? Is 11 years old, too old, to go through all of this? And, $3000 is alot of money, what if she would happen to die on the operating table, or the outcome of the surgery does nothing for her. What should I do? I love her so much & I would do anything to make her well; but, at what cost??? Will the surgery be too much for her??? Will she even live through it??? And what if it's cancer? I won't put her through chemo. Has anyone else been in the same predicament? And, what advice, could anyone please give me???? I really, really have been searching my mind. One part of me says to go through with the surgery, and hope for the best. And, another part of me says, Cinder has had a wonderful life, with all the love a family could give, why put her through all of this? Let her go & be thankful for the years I have had with her. It will be so hard for me to have to let her go, but, I wouldn't want her to suffer any longer. What would you do????
Worried sick,
Patti
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Trixybird
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18-03-2008, 05:57 AM
Hi Patti, having just read your post, my heart goes out to you, what a dilema

Hoping you will get many replies on your post, especially from those who have experienced similar circumstances, (I have not)

Many will have opinions of their own, and past experiences, but at the end of the day Cinder is your girl, and you will make the decision, whatever is best for her, along with the support of your vet.

None of us ever what to experience what you are currently going through, but sadly these are the decisions we are faced with as dog owners

I wish you and Cinder all the best, please keep us updated Tracy x
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doggie lover
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Location: Ohio, USA
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18-03-2008, 06:21 AM
Thanks Tracy. It is so sad when our dogs grow old. We know that one day, they will no longer be with us; but, we never want to see that day. I have had Cinder from a puppy, & she just loves everyone. She's so friendly. And, Cassie, my other dog, thinks she's Cinder's mother. Cassie is really going to miss her. They are inseparable.
Patti~
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chelsea
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18-03-2008, 06:45 AM
Hi Patti so sorry to hear about your Cinder i know its must be so hard for you to decide what to do and i would,nt like to be in your shoes i really feel for you why dont you go on the advice the vet thinks just to help take the worry of you a bit thinking of you xx
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doggie lover
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18-03-2008, 07:01 AM
Chelsea, hi! You know, I agreed with my Vet when I was at his office, after looking at the x-rays. But then, I came home & thought, what if surgery would work? What if it's not as bad as the Vet thinks it is? What if she's stronger than I think she is? What if.....
Boy, it kind of makes your head go around. You know what I mean? There's always.....What if?
And then there's.........What if she doesn't make it through the surgery....What if she goes through all of the needles & cutting on her, & it does nothing to make her any better........Sometimes I think I drive myself crazy. My husband said to me today, "Why are you so hard on yourself?" I told him, because I don't want to make a decision that I might regret later.
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Vicki
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18-03-2008, 07:27 AM
This is so personal, it'll be difficult for any of us to answer directly.

Some years ago I had a Dane who suffered with bloat (twisted gut) and had to have a life saving operation. 6 months later it happened again. I'm afraid I didn't hesitate to have her put to sleep. She was 9 years old - not a bad age for a Dane - and I just couldn't put her through the pain and misery of major surgery a second time.

As for your little dog, sadly, a growth on the spine sounds ominous to me.

If I were in your situation I would follow the advice of the vet. However, that is my personal opinion.

Good luck with your decision - it's one of the hardest you'll ever have to make.

*Hugs* x0x
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Fudgeley
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18-03-2008, 07:33 AM
I`ve never had to make this decision myself. I have read many posts on here though from people who have. One thing that stood out from many of them was the phrase...

" Better a day too soon than a day too late......"

I hope you manage to make a decision, it must be the hardest thing in the world. Sending you some hugs from Fudge in the meantime.
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youngstevie
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18-03-2008, 08:23 AM
Sorry to hear of your dilema, I know what you mean though, our older dog Reah (12 yrs) will be having x rays on her front leg, (again) and with blood test etc., it mounts up, but worse is the decision we the (owner) has to make. It looks like Reah (if what they suspect shows on the X ray) will have to have something done on her front leg again.....if so I have to go to an Orthapedic Surgeon
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Navigator
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18-03-2008, 08:44 AM
Sorry, but this is part of the package. Part of the ups and downs of having and loving a dog. For her sake, please don't love her so much that you keep her in pain.

Nav
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Fliggle
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18-03-2008, 08:45 AM
Such a hard decision to make. We had our last dog go through major surgery over Christmas. She had a lump removed which turned out to be cancerous. She perked up but two weeks later went down hill rapidly. The lump they removed wasn't the only one and another one had formed on the brain. It cost us over a thousand pounds for two weeks and the surgery didn't even buy her that time. So frustrating. The principle we always work on is quality of life. If the dog isn't going to achieve a good quality of life by doing something then don't do it. If they are then it's worth it no matter what.
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