Abbey looks like she's picking up KXLY in Spokane with her satellite dish. But, it's the "Buster Collar", designed to keep her from digging at her stitches. She's pretty miserable right now, some 20 hours out of surgery.
And I hope she will heal. The vet says the mass she removed from Abbey's colon was not firm, like a benign tumor. Instead, it was kind of gelatinous and filled with bumpy cyst-like things.
That leads the vet to think it may be malignant.
And here is my dilemma. Do I pay the $200 for the pathology to find out, or do I let it be? I told them yesterday that I wasn't ready to know. I don't want to think of Abbey as a dog with cancer. I want to think of her as my girl, who is getting better.
If I found out it was malignant, there would be so many things to weigh. She is 13 years old. How will prolonging her suffering help her? I might keep her around longer, but will SHE be happy?
If I do nothing, and it doesn't grow back, then we go on as usual, and we both feel better that she is more comfortable now.
If I do nothing and it DOES grow back, then I can decide at that time what to do.
Is it selfish of me to not want to know? Is it a disservice to Abbey? Is it a disservice to myself?
Or, am I content in my ignorance as she heals from her surgery?
And therein lies my conundrum.
8 comments:
Tough one.. My take? Lola has three growths, one for five years and two for about two years. They could be fatty tumors or something worse. As long as her behavior, appetite and energy level are the same I am leaving well enough alone. Now if she needed to be under for another reason I'd probably check them.
We went to extreme measures recently with our cat...X-rays, blood tests, Spinal tap and MRI and wish we'd left him alone now. Whatever you decide to do is the right thing. In this situation I don't think there is a right or wrong way.
Oh and you can buy a new kind of E collar now. They are more expensive but more comfortable. They look like a big foam doughnut. Your vet may know where you can get one:)
I take a slightly different view than Melissa, but only slightly. I agree with most of what Melissa says.
I, however, lost a dog to cancer and I KNEW that's what it was-- continuing to let her live-- going from 50-plus pounds down to 26 -- all because of my DENIAL that she needed to be put down.
Was she in pain? I don't know. Dogs are pretty stoic. The point of my story is that we are their decision makers on matters like this since they can't really talk.
If I had it to do all over again with Moon I would have put her down much sooner. It was a VERY peaceful departure.
It is a tough one. I just wouldn't want Abbey to experience pain and not be able to really "tell" you about it.
I still feel terrible about my situation with Moon. At the time, I thought I was doing the right thing, PROLONGING HER LIFE. Her last weeks couldn't have been comfortable and I KICK MYSELF for not being able to realize that at the time.
She died in my arms at the Vet's office seconds after the shot. It was the most peaceful passing you can imagine. I should have chosen it much sooner.
No we totally agree. I wrote a blog on this very subject. Did you read it?
What I mean is if they are comfortable leave well enough alone. I really feel like we tortured that cat the last couple of weeks.
I also don't think pain is the only marker of a good life. My thing was if they eat, sleep, pee and poop and still have the same personality as well as don't seem in pain. I don't think Bismark was in pain but he certainly wasn't happy either.
Very thoughtful responses. I thank you very much. Dog grrrrrl, I just bought one of those inflatable donut collars. She's MUCH happier!!!
Yeah those satellite things are pretty awful. I don't know why vets don't tell people about the other kind. I'm glad she's happier, that's what it's all about :)
So you caught the morning show then? :) I'm so sorry you have to go through this. You know what my family's vet told my mom when our cat Mickey was going through kidney failure? She asked him what she should do and he said 'you'll know when it's time.' For Eric, that advice may not have worked, but it's good advice and if you can look at your girl with honesty as this goes on - you'll know. Knowledge is power remember so the more you can arm yourself with as far as her prognosis, the better. Stay strong, Lisa!
Wow this is such a difficult conundrum. A lot of us think of our animals like a member of our family, our children even. I wonder where this idea of euthanasia began? When a relative gets gravely ill, we wouldn't think of it, but somehow, with an animal, it becomes a question. I think its because we don't want to see them suffer and they can't tell us how bad they hurt, and I agree that medical testing can be so traumatic. At least a person can choose and understand why they are being poked and prodded. I'd like to think I'd let my cat die in peace in her time, but if I knew she had cancer, it wouldn't be that easy. I'd think of her pain and suffering, like Eric experienced with his pet.
So when to test...? Sometimes the bliss of not knowing is so wonderful. This will be something that is entirely up to you. I can't honestly say what I'd do if it were my Lexi.
I'm just hoping for you and Abbey and sending lots of energy and well-being.
The stories here have me all weepy, remembering what we went through with our two 18-year-old kitties a little over a year ago. We got the "You'll know when it's time" advice, too, and we absolutely did. Both were going through kidney failure, and with both it was like someone threw a switch. One day they were walking around (in their doddering, older-cats way) and the next they were barely able to function. Alas. We knew.
Both had lost weight. They may have had some pain, who knows? We helped them go when they couldn't be Jenny and Curtiss any more.
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