I’ve been having a hard couple of days, going back & forth between tears, guilt & worry. The white dog, officially named Kiero after the Spanish phrase “Te quiero” (though we never call her that), is getting older. She’s always been a picky eater, but over the last 6 months or so has stopped eating any form of kibble, then stopped eating all soft dog food & now will only eat people food. I’ll give her hamburger or chicken with rice, which she’ll usually eat for a few days, but then quits with that as well. She’s lost a lot of weight & since she didn’t have much fur to begin with, her spine is clearly visible. It’s been heartbreaking to watch.
She’s afraid of cameras, so I don’t have a lot of pictures of her, but she’s been my constant companion since I adopted her from the SPCA 8 years ago. They thought she was 4 or 5 years old at that point & had been living on the streets for a while. She was housebroken though & had already been spayed, plus had had some dental work done. I’ve always wondered what happened to her previous owner. Obviously she had been well cared for at one point, so where did they go? Did she get lost on a family vacation & they were forced to leave without her? Did her owner die? I guess we’ll never know.
What I do know is that you couldn’t ask for a better pet. She’s fiercely loyal, a great cuddler & rather feisty for such a small dog. She’s a Chihuahua-Jack Russell cross & has no fear when it comes to telling big dogs to mind their manners. The girl had spunk!
The last year though she’s been going downhill. Aside from the weight loss, she’s losing her eyesight & her hearing. As soon as she wakes up in the morning or from a nap, she needs to get outside. Immediately. She no longer seems capable of “holding it” for even a few minutes. On top of that, she’s also been having seizures.
After spending $300 at the vet today, it was so hard to have to look at them & admit that I can’t afford to do anything else right now. It feels incredibly awful to say that out loud.
I’m an artist. I’m self-employed. I haven’t been to the dentist myself in at least 5 years, but both of my dogs had a full dental scaling 2 years ago. And now they want to (at the minimum), do more tooth extractions to the tune of an estimated $850 to $1250. Hopefully, this would solve the eating issue & get Kiero to gain some weight, but this obviously won’t do anything to help with the potential brain tumor that’s causing her seizures. *sigh*
They’re calling back tomorrow with the results of her blood work & I really don’t know what to do. I want her to have the best possible quality of life, but putting a dog her age under anesthetic is risky even if she were in perfect health. What do I do?
I wish I had the perfect answer for you, I know how hard it is to be so heartbroken over such a loyal family member.
Just a note to let you know that I’m thinking of you and the furry one. Hope the right words reach both of you!
oh sigh …. hugs to the both of you. it is difficult, and i hate it when finances rear their ugly little heads.
all i can suggest is have a chat with your vet re: costs, and ask them to give you a sensible estimate of the minimum work necessary. if you impress on them that the costs are hurting it might focus their actions. a lot of vets (i know, i was one in a former life) want to do everything possible, but having worked in a poverty-stricken area of the UK i know that there is always an effective middle way. since i’m not working anymore we also scrabble around to find the vet bills. i’m currently deciding on ultrasound for mrs pig and her cystic kidneys. my main focus on my pets though is whether they are happy, comfortable, and enjoying whatever restricted life they have. when that stops, even if heroic treatment is available, i consider euthanasia as a valid step. 🙁
i’m so sorry for you and your wee furgirl