My attitude is poor this morning. Type of poorness: obsessive mental arguments with everyone who has ever said anything unfair/untrue, plus disproportionate self-pity for household crimes such as people keep taking my scissors and not putting them back, plus large-scale crabbiness about organizations and how they do things, plus self-disdain for personality traits such as wimpiness, plus near-boiling-point frustration with the CHILDREN and their CONSTANT TALKING/INTERRUPTIONS. I am attempting a coffee-related attitude adjustment, but I’ve got no-bake cookies on stand-by.
Here is something I am crabby about: I am ELIGIBLE and WILLING to donate blood, and in my area there are signs everywhere with panic-inducing declarations of emergency-level needs, but all the blood drives are, like, from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. on weekdays. Er? I am guessing that I should not bring three preschoolers with me to something like that. I am further guessing that I am not the only citizen who would find a weekend or evening donation slot useful. Even a late-afternoon would help, because I could have Paul come home from work a little early so I could go. But 9:00 to 2:00? That makes it particularly annoying to read the guilt-trip stuff about how only a tiny percentage of eligible donors bother to donate. ORLY? Is this perhaps something we could change by BOTHERING TO MAKE IT POSSIBLE FOR THEM TO DONATE? *pant pant*
There’s a donation center 20 miles away in an unpleasant downtown area (all one-way streets and expensive parking), but they too have hours such as 7:30-1:30 on weekdays, and when they do have evening/weekend hours it’s for the more complex donations like platelets and double red cell. What I want is to donate REGULAR BLOOD, and I want to do it NEARISH MY HOUSE, and I want to do it at a time that MAKES SENSE. Considering I am giving up a chunk of my free time AND part of my own personal body for ZERO personal benefit (okay, there are cookies, but they’re not GOOD cookies), I think these are reasonable requests.
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Thank you for your helpful advice about Mouse. I wet down her dry cat food with a little water and she scarfed it down. I also moved her water dish away from her food dish, and I saw her drinking out of it later that day. And I’m also planning to take her to the vet, though what that means is that I won’t get around to it until I get the reminder card in the mail.
I get stressed about vet appointments because they seem to escalate so quickly into a level of medical care I wouldn’t even choose for my insurance-covered SELF. I feel like such a heel asking the COST of things, as if MONEY IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN THE SANCTITY OF LIFE, but I am not $1500 worth of curious to find out why my healthy-seeming elderly cat is off her oats—and also, there are not many procedures I’ll do if the tests DO show problems, so it seems like it’s not worth it to reveal or rule out every possible issue.
And I KNOW they are just giving me my options since many people DO want to do the full spectrum of tests and treatments, and a normal person would just say yes or no and not think of it at all, but they state it as if they’re assuming I’ll do the full works and I find it difficult to start any sentence that suggests otherwise. I wish they would state ALL the options including the ones where we DON’T do the tests and treatments or do SOME of them, and I wish there were an easier way to tell the vet at the beginning what sort of pet owner I was—like, a form where I could choose to check off a box that says “I am willing to go as far as, like, giving her an inexpensive pill each day for a simple problem, but she’s a 15-year-old cat and so let’s not spend $1500 on tests to diagnose an illness I’m not going to treat.”
Actually, I guess I could tell the vet this information using, like, my VOCAL CORDS. But I would so prefer a checkbox form.
Every time I take a pet to the vet I get anxious because I think the vet staff might JUDGE me if I turn down a 3000$ procedure for a 15 year old cat….
Penny- YESSSSS!!!! I think they might think I’m a BAD PET OWNER who DOESN’T CARE and who TAKES ANIMAL LIFE LIGHTLY!
I understand the vet thing. A few months ago, we took our dog to the vet for tests. His urinalysis showed that he has a certain disease that needs further, sort of expensive, tests. However, when they did the urinalysis, they hurt him. So, I’ll just take the untreated disease, thank you.
Yes about the vet. I once spent $200 on my guinea pig…my $15 GUINEA PIG…because I felt like such a BAD HUMAN being when I asked how much the shot/treatment would be, and they responded with a “But he will DIE if you don’t do this”. My husband just about strangled me when he heard, and pronounced that I am never allowed to bring a sick pet to a vet ever ever ever ever. Dude, who KNOWS what I’d do for my dog…probably donate a kidney or something just out of solidarity.
RE: Blood donation – it amazes me that they don’t have more flexible hours or offer to watch your children for the 1/2 hour or so it takes (I think it’s about that long…its been a while). I don’t know if the hours are better, but my (not super-large) town has a blood donation center that will take appointments and is open regular business hours. Is there something like that? Of course you’d have to call and arrange it, so maybe not a good option (I wouldn’t call; the time I went they called me and asked me to come).
Also, your vet fret is part of the reason I’m glad we don’t have pets (yet).
Yes, the vet anxiety!! but at the end of the day you have to decide what is best for the cat AND your family budget! I’m glad to hear that she has returned to eating with a little mositure in her food. That is a good sign I would think.
And I hear you about the not-so-easyness of blood donation. I used to give blood every chance I got but during my second pregnancy I started having a high level of a certain antibody in my blood which now makes me ineligible for donation :(
If you really, really want to make the effort, call around and maybe a hospital near you has an any time you want to donation program at their lab. But you may not get the no-so-yummy cookies!
I feel the same way about pets. I value them, they live with us in a kind and loving environment, but they are pets and therefore replaceable. For less that $1500.
I always feel like they will judge me too. We do the basic vet care- vaccinations etc (which is more than my family did growing up), and we’d treat an obvious infection or other obvious problem (like a broken bone)… but we are NOT playing Mystery Diagnosis on a creature that might decide to dart out the door and into oncoming traffic TOMORROW.
Also, school was canceled today, and it’s just so blah and I’m grouchy too.
The thing I like most about my vet is that they present all the options and they’re very good about saying, “Yes, we can do this test, but it’s probably best to just wait and see and if we think it’s really, really, necessary then we can come back to it.”
There was of course the time when the recommended course of action was surgery to figure out what was causing labored breathing in my cat. You know what surgery found? A giant hairball. A $500 hairball. Husband said, “Go pick up the hairball, let them keep the cat.” I mean it was necessary seeing as he was having a hard time BREATHING but why couldn’t he just have hacked it up all over my carpet like all of the other ones??
Oh dear, post hijacked.
My mom’s vet had those very checkboxes:
1. My pet is like family, do everything you can.
2. My pet is important, but I would like to choose which tests and procedures are done.
3. I am unable/unwilling to pay for all test/procedures. Please give me the lowest cost options.
Or something like that. I vaguely remember it.
My husband nearly peed his pants laughing when a new vet in our practice gently suggested that our cat, who was diagnosed with kidney failure, could be taken to the University of Pennsylvania for a KIDNEY TRANSPLANT.
Yes, really.
We do spend inordinate amounts of money on our injury-prone dogs, and even the cat, but SERIOUSLY???
Sometimes I feel like you are writing about my life! Poor Attitude – check! Crabiness towards organizations – check! (I am a f/t working mom, how am I suppose to do things during the day!) Vet fret – double check!! And I love what you said about the checklist at hte vet, because I wish for this at my own doctors appt.! Some medical problems would be so much easier to say write it down and like slip your doctor a note than to actually have to say it OUT LOUD!
Oh I am just waiting for the day we have to take the cat in for something because, since she has FIV, we don’t take her to the vet at all anymore. I already feel like a tool for doing that but it seems silly to spend money on an animal that already has such a shortened life span. One time I let the guilt get the better of me and $150 later there was no reason she wasn’t eating for two days. Ugh, I sympathize completely.
Also, I made your muffins last night, well I used your base recipe and then added a bunch of random leftover items from the kitchen. They were TO DIE FOR. It is such a great recipe so thank you for sharing it. My husband was disappointed they weren’t “plain” but then I don’t have any idea what a “plain” muffin is. Do you think for the mashable stuff I could use applesauce? To make them more “plain” for my crazy husband? I used blueberries and bananas last night for my mashed and it worked out well so I think it would work. Anyway, thanks again for that.
Thank god our current vet is a normal person. When we lived in the other town, she tried to shove everything from surgeries to ACUPUNCTURE down our throats. Um, I don’t pay for acupuncture for myself, thanks. You do feel like a shit for not it, but really I think most people don’t opt for the expensive, invasive treatments, and wouldn’t submit their pets to anything they wouldn’t want to go through themselves. Plus, pet care is so expensive, what can you do? At some point, awful as it is, there has to be a ranking of importance, and feeding and sheltering the kids comes before crazy experimental geriatric pet care.
Also, if he stops liking the water, try broth in with the food.
I like to tell myself that the vet UNDERSTANDS that their stuff is expensive and not everyone can do that. I mean, if you were REALLY a thoughtless pet owner you wouldn’t have bothered to go there in the first place, right?
I’m with you on the poor attitude lately. I am blaming winter, but I will likely have to find someone else to blame in spring.
We had an elderly dog who we were unwilling (unable) to spend money on, and thankfully we found a vet who always showed us the cost of everything before beginning any treatment. I loved that. And when I finally decided I was ready to…’end it’, there was NO guilt, NO cajoling, NO alternate suggestions, just compassion along with payment up front. I had put it off for a year because I had imagined they would give try to talk me out of it…and because I felt TERRIBLE about it. My poor dog.
If you and your vet don’t agree — find another vet. I love our vet — he’s taken care of two “old guy” cats… the question is always, ‘what will we do with the results of this test?” — if the answer is ‘one of the alternatives is relatively non-invasive pills, a food change etc’ — then we do the test. His theory is that it doesn’t make sense to spend money to prolong an old cat’s misery.
His attitude was very different with the young cat who got into the lily –he was aggressive with her, because she was only three when she decided to nose around in the lily… In her case, aggressive didn’t mean expensive — but, it did mean intense treatment (he took her home with him because he doesn’t have overnight staff).
When one of our old cats had tooth issues, it was expensive to treat — but, she was much more comfortable afterward.
I’m laughing because yesterday, after you tweeted your annoyance with blood drives and I replied that my husband has the same complaint, I went home where he got a PHONE CALL to let him know about a nearby drive. And he was all, “What are the hours?” And they were all, “10-3”. And he was all, “Listen, boneheads, I would love to donate but I work. At a job. Where I must be present between the hours of 10-3. Hold drives at a time when people can get there and you might have better turn-out.”
So here I reiterate what I tweeted: if the times aren’t suitable for those who work, or for those who don’t work, who the hell is able to go to these drives and why don’t they reconsider the timing? Especially if they are going to get all panicky and guilt-trippy about not havign enough blood?
De-lurker here. My husband is a vet and I know he wouldn’t be offended if someone didn’t want to do expensive tests on a very old animal. (my opinion here-not my husbands) I get not wanting to spend a ton of money on a very old animal-the same as if I were very old I would not want to go through painful expensive procedures to prolong what little bit of life I would have left. But I think for normal aged animals you should do what is needed to keep them healthy. THey are not stuffed animals you can throw away and get a new one if they look a little ratty. They are living creatures and if you don’t want to pay to keep them healthy-then (IMO only) you should not have an animal….or stick to gold fish you can flush if they die.
your local hospital may have a blood donor center that would have evening/weekend hours. Plus they’d probably use the blood right there for their patients instead of selling it (*ahem* Red Cross).
I work in an Animal Hospital and trust me, your vet has always seen a “worse” pet owner than you. We understand that lots of people are on a limited budget, and we don’t judge them. The people we DO judge are the ones that know there is a problem but don’t attempt to fix it until it gets crazy bad and then decide the animal HAS to be seen IMMEDIATELY, (usually at 5 on a Friday night) even though it has been vomiting blood for a month. A lot of things could be treated for less money if the treatment had started sooner.
The best thing you can do is tell them from the start of the appointment, or even when you schedule the appointment, that you are on a budget and you have X amount of money to spend. If we know how much we have to work with it is easier on everyone instead of the owner feeling guilty and agreeing to everything but then throwing a fit at the checkout counter because they can’t afford the bill.
All clinics are different of course, but at mine we honestly aren’t trying to force you to do an expensive procedure just because we mention it is available. It is simply our job to inform you of the OPTIONS.
If Mouse isn’t wanting to eat dry food it could be a number of things, but the first thing that comes to mind is a fractured tooth, which is easily diagnosed – I would take her to her vet!
I think there’s an age/general misery card to be played; when they didn’t know whether the blobs on the X-ray (I will pay for an X-ray) were tumors or sacs of blood, I asked if there was any chance that my dog was going to ever lose the sores and not have to wear the E-collar, and also if there would be treatments that didn’t involve her being poked and prodded.
And they said “No,” and I said, “Well then,” and they said, “Fine, we understand.”
I have a neighbour who paid many thousands of dollars for a kidney transplant for her very young cat. While everyone is free to do what they want, I think that spending that amount of money on a cat is nothing short of ridiculous. I love my dog so much, I would never consider that he is a stuffed animal I can throw away, but ethically I have an issue spending 20G on him. Think about where that money could be spent.
I have not figured out quite yet HOW, but I just have this feeling that “expressing my feelings in checkbox form” could be so USEFUL for SO MANY experiences in life.
When I was 19 and the vet said our (15 year old) cat needed a $500 procedure or her kidneys would shut down, I cried and cried until my dad gave in and had it done. She lived five more years so eventually I think he thought it was worth it, but I still I feel guilty for making him feel guilty about it.
You might check with your local churches about Sunday morning blood drives. I know you don’t attend church, but I’m sure they wouldn’t mind having you come in to donate blood in one of their drives.
My advice on the blood drive stuff is just to ignore their begging until the baby is in kindergarten and your days have opened up more. There are other ways to be of service until then. The only other things I can think of are to find another mom who feels the same and take turns watching the kids on blood donation day, or look to see if there is a blood drive you can go to when you husband has some day off from work. I know it’s hard to want to help and then be thwarted.
I had the same problem with the vet this past fall. Our beloved 10.5 year old dog was having trouble walking and after the basic x-ray they said he had bone cancer, but recommended a bone biopsy which was going to cost at least $700. I was terrified of being judged for not doing that procedure, but I wanted to know what would come next before committing cash. As it turned out, when we spoke with the vet, she was completley understanding that we wouldn’t want to put the dog through unnecessary pain (the survival rate even with treatment of bone cancer in dogs is 3-5 months) and we had a great experience with the whole vet practice during a very sad time for us. Scary as it is, you might find yourself happily surprised!
When our dog died we donated his leftover pain killers back to the vet to try to make things easier for the next pet and owners who needed help.
I was going to say check with the churches too, we have blood drives on Sundays after Mass fairly often, it seems. You’re right, though, it is a PITA. I used to donate blood all the time (I live near our downtown-in-a-bad-neighborhood donation center) but then my iron got low and then I have been pregnant and or nursing for the the last four years so I am out of practice.
Linda- THAT IS EXACTLY THE CHECKBOX FORM I WANT.
Re churches–they do have blood drives, but they’re all the same weekday 9-2 schedule as the others. WHY OH WHY?
Sounds like my day yesterday. I was on edge and severly annoyed over several things, but couldn’t even put it into words. Thank you for articulating it for me. Now when I feel this way I again I can reference this page and say “read the first paragraph!”
The blood thing is totally ridiculous. That leaves elderly retired people and those blessed with lunch breaks long enough to wait in line. Small percentage if you ask me.
Vets make me panic too b/c also the pets can’t TALK so you don’t even know if it’s worth it. Like, yes, they might have a small stomach ache, but is it worth $300 or do they feel like they can wait it out another day? Or, after you spend the $300 is the tummy even feeling ANY better? The most expensive vet bill ever was for my one cat who became really sick, diarrhea, puking, weight loss, breathing problems. She was there three days and eventually had surgery to remove a giant hairball plus some infection related and needed to stay another three days. I went to pick her up and the total was $2200. I burst into tears at the counter, went in the parking lot and called a friend hysterical. Then I called my mom and she let me put it on her credit card. When I got home I found the vet had put the said GIANT HAIRBALL in a ziploc bag in her carrying case. Um, no thanks.
Jen- I’ve used applesauce but only for part of the mashed—like, I might use 1.5 cups of pumpkin and then half a cup of applesauce. I’m not sure if it would work to do it all applesauce or not—maybe too wet?
Tracy- Well of course! We get them their vaccinations, and we have their abscesses treated, and feed them good quality food, and treat them for ticks and fleas, and so forth. But possibly we disagree about where the line should be drawn. When my cat was hit by a car and would need a $3000 surgery to fix his leg (plus another estimated $1000 for recovery, medications, and follow-up), I chose to euthanize him. I agree that pets are important living creatures, but at some point they are also…er, animals.
I am SUCH a wimp about these kinds of situations, so much so that I have ACTUALLY pretended that MY dog was actually MY SISTER’S DOG so that I could not be expected to make such expensive and important decisions without first consulting her. I also strongly IMPLY that I am SURE that she would like to know ALL the options (inexpensive options preferred) since she is just a lowly college student with NO MONEY and OMG- it takes a lot from a vet to just tell you what those inexpensive options are. That is because they would not be in business if they were not doing $500 tests on your 13 year old arthritis and cataracts-ridden doggy.
People taking the scissors and not returning should be a highly punishable offense. The offender should have to pick up every leaf in the yard with tweezers. Barefoot. While whistling Whistle While You Work. Right after they made you a large Irish coffee.
Much of life would be improved by check boxes. It’s my preferred mode of communication.
When our dog had cancer, the vet gave us the options and then we came back a different day to tell him how we were going to proceed. He either was confused and thought we had decided for chemo, or else he was so used to people choosing chemo that he automatically assumed we would, too. He started in about what the chemo would involve, when I stopped him with, Uh, no, we’re just going to try and alleviate his pain and skip chemo. The vet was totally surprised, but in a good way, like he understood that this was an older dog and knew chemo wasn’t going to help much in the long run. So that was good. Uh, not that I think your cat has cancer.
Maybe I’ll stop talking now.
I love the description of your mood. It’s like a typescript of a-morning-after-not-enough-sleep. I was going to say “I especially like…” but, no, all of it is a perfect expression of a terrible mood. Here’s to coffee and no-bakes!
You are absolutely right about the vet. I always feel like when I say no to an expensive (and potentially worthless test), I will get a big sticker on my file which means “Does not love pets enough to sell her own kidney”.
Maybe I’m not done talking yet. I’m feeling chatty today.
My mom used to be a nurse and she told me long ago that hospitals routinely throw away blood and for that reason she never donates. I guess that probably doesn’t mean that in times of crisis one shouldn’t donate, but it does make me think twice about giving regularly.
Having had two pets with very serious medical conditions, I would like to chime in a bit.
Years ago, my “middle-aged” dog was diagnosed with bone cancer in her left front leg. I chose to have it amputated, for which the bill was $600. I chose NOT to have chemo treatments for her, which were $1000 each; 9 were recommended. because the side effects from the chemo seemed worse than the potential cancer. I DID put her on chemo & relief meds that cost $100 a month, plus the monthly $100 to monitor her bloodwork. She lived 15 months after her amputation. That’s $3000 for those keeping score. I was in grad school & had to charge most of that and am therefore still paying for it (she died almost 3 years ago). I could never have managed the AT LEAST 6 grand more the chemo would have cost, with no guarantee of it prolonging her life OR even defeating the cancer.
I loved my dog dearly, dearly, dearly, which is why I chose the treatment I did. She wasn’t going to live too very much longer, so I wanted it to be quality instead of sick from chemo. Also, I wanted to be able to afford to eat in the meantime.
I agree that pets are valuable and not to be treated as disposable, but you have to put your foot down about budget. You just have to.
Talk to your vet. If he/she judges you, I agree with a previous poster to find a new one. Get a second opinion. Do what you need to do for your pet and your family and your conscious, all while working within the means of your bank account.
I know I need to wrap up this novel, but really quickly, for example: when my other dog was recently diagnosed with heartworms (another long story, but not of neglect), the same vet that treated my cancer-dog said treatment there would cost $1000, at least. I found that un-doable. I got several second opinions and finally settled with a vet where treatment was $450. He was treated; I afforded it. The dog is healthy.
Good luck.
I am right there with you in the Poor Attitude dept. Although, from the sound of it, this is not your usual state. For me, my P.A. started in April, 2004, on the day we brought my first child home from the hospital…and, well, it’s been here ever since!
(and it gets ESPECIALLY poor when someone takes my scissors and doesn’t put them back…I hate that!)
Although I’d think twice about what medical care I’d pay for, I paid nearly $3000 for vetrinary care, documentation to satisfy the British government, airfare and quarantine boarding of our two cats. Then 3 years later paid another $1500 to bring them home (just travel expenses that time, the US has no medical requirements for the usual domestic pets.)
Those numbers seem like crazy expensive, but none of the options of where to leave them were satisfactory. With each option there was a chance of my strictly indoor kitties being allowed out of doors, into an environment they don’t know how to deal with; or else the chance the adoptor might themselves have to move and end up sending my kitties to the shelter. At the time, we didn’t know we would be returning within a kitty lifetime, so I couldn’t make a decision that might, in fact, shorten their lives. (Full disclosure, the company my husband worked reimbursed the costs of the going over: pets are property, just like furniture. The move back was out of our own pocket.)
And, blood donation: after giving a few times at an annual drive at my employer, I signed up to be one of those good people who went into the donation center. It was in the suburbs, and their must have been evening and weekend hours cause I couldn’t have taken time from work. I didn’t go nearly as often as they reminded me.
When I was moving cross country (the older cat has a couple hundred dollars for that trip on her balance shee too), I knew I’d be not working for a while, so I made sure the Red Cross, a National Organization, had my change of address. I wasn’t the best of donors, but did intend to continue. So for the past 9 and a half years, I’ve been receiving reminders to donate blood in North Carolina when I live in California. When I finally happened to go to a blood drive here, I figured I’d end up an a reminder list again, but, no. So, that was that. I don’t like needles so much I’m gonna work really hard at getting back into the habit.
I get vet anxiety too, but it usually because they want me to bring my cats in for “weight checks.” Every year my 2 cats are either 2 lbs heavier or 2 lbs lighter. When they are heavier, the vet gets on me about feeding them too much, so I ask, “Exactly how much should I feed them?” to which my vet says, “Well, you just have to watch them and blah, blah, blah.”
Bear in mind, my cats have to be fed many small meals a day because they are not grazers. If I put a bunch of food down, they’d scarf it and then immediately vomit.
So I try to monitor their intake (which is a PITA since I have a life and 3 kids under 6).
And when I go back the vet says, “They are too skinny.” Bring them back in in 3 months for a weight check.
I can barely get it together to get my children in for their regular well visits and weight checks. I sure as heck ain’t gonna rearrange my life to haul my 3 kids and 2 cats back and forth for weight checks.
the last time I tried to donate blood was at a blood mobile. My iron level was SO LOW they were looking at me like how was I even standing up and conversing with them? EVERY person there was giving me hints about how to raise my iron level. If my husband hadn’t been there I think they would have called an ambulance rather than let me leave! BUT…. Usually pediatric hospitals will willingly take donations. You could even post something on a community or hospital message board to see if people have any ideas for your area or are looking for donations for surgical proceedures. You can donate in their name nd then they don’t have to pay for it when they have surgery, kinda cool. :)
just wanted to delurk and weigh in as someone who works for a vet (devil’s advocate?): we are instructed to always assume that the client will want to do all of the testing/diagnostics/etc. because, really, how would you feel if they DIDN’T ask you if you wanted to do something because they figured you wouldn’t want to spend the money, and then you found out after the fact that there was a test/procedure that could have saved your pet’s life, but they didn’t ask you if you wanted to do it because they assumed you wouldn’t have wanted to? some people would SUE over that. ethically we have to present every treatment option regardless of price, but any vet should realize that every client doesn’t have deep pockets, and be willing to be flexible with you–ESPECIALLY in an elderly pet. and if your vet is not, find a new vet.
irene, I AM a vet-and THANK YOU, because YES EXACTLY.
For crying out loud, veterinarians are just PEOPLE. Some are jerks, some are not. Some are good at their job, some are not. If your vet does not communicate well with you or makes you feel bad, FIND A NEW ONE.
It is OUR JOB to try to fix your pet and keep them healthy. Not to judge your finances or decide for you how much your pet is worth. We can’t work with you unless you talk to us about it. I am OBLIGATED by an OATH to tell you what the OPTIMAL DIAGNOSTICS are for your pet and what the OPTIMAL treatment options are. It is NOT because I “would not be in business if I weren’t running $500 tests on your 13 year old arthritis and cataracts-ridden doggy.” and frankly, that’s a fucking obnoxious, small-minded, ignorant thing to say. Just because I have an obligation to present you with the premium options does not mean I am ripping you off, nor does it mean that I am not willing to discuss alternatives…many of which I would whole-heartedly support and choose for my own pet. But again, I have an OBLIGATION to start with what would be considered IDEAL in a medical setting…do you really want me to decide what is best for you and your family without discussing it with you first? You really want me to judge what you can and can’t afford for your pet without TALKING to you first?
I don’t mean this to be hostile, just informative. Except maybe if you left an asinine comment, in which case you can suck it.
The blood donation situation makes my blood boil. As do many of the other situations surrounding this tragedy.
I’m treating my mood with coffee as we speak.
Oh, I love my vet, who actually SAYS things like that. My cat was old and had a big lump on her throat and he was all, ‘We could do the tests and find out what it is but really, she’s lived a long life and it doesn’t seem to bother her right now and I wouldn’t really advise surgery for a cat of her age, so why spend a ton of money on tests?’
I KNOW. I love him so.
I am not, nor have ever been, a pet owner so I am totally unqualified to suggest this, BUT, I think you could totally become famous/a millionaire for inventing a sort of pet living will. This could be a form that is filled out (by the owner, obviously!) and kept in the pet’s medical record and it would outline the extent of treatment the cat (owner) is willing to go to. That way the vet just references the form and suggests treatments in keeping with it. Now, the form might have to be reviewed/updated every few years because (again, speaking as a non pet owner) the treatment you might be willing to do for a kitten may be different than those you’re willing to do for a 15 year old cat, for example.
Just getting the diagnostics crept up to $1500! Oh, wait, that included the euthanasia. I guess they won’t take human blood in trade for some of the bill?
oh, the blood donation. i do it regularly, but ONLY because there’s a center literally 1 mi from my office, and i can go during work ;-) it drives me a little batty how they call me the MILISECOND i am eligible to donate again (or sometimes even BEFORE THAT) to beg me to come in again, though. seriously. I WILL COME IN. please stop w/the daily calls.
I’ve never actually done a blood drive. I always donate directly at the hospital. I’m not sure how far away your hospital is… but have you checked with them about donating? Our hospital has a section in the blood bank set up with the reclining chairs, and tvs, and snacks. Must have the snacks. The just take appointments whenever.
I think that blood drives are held then because that’s when the business that sponsors the drive is open. I organize our office blood drives and find that it’s convenient for our employees to donate between 9am and 12pm. This doesn’t help you at all, but it might answer why blood drives are held that way. It’s generally the sponsor that dictates the time. I’ve noticed that places like malls and libraries are more likely to have weekend blood drives. It’s hard. You’re trying to do good.
This makes me feel much more grateful for my vet clinic, which actually DOES give many options (usually an everything, a some, and a little to none on the cost scale) for pretty much everything I’ve taken my cat in for.
My cat also stopped eating/drinking, but because it wasn’t one person’s job to feed him every day, it took a couple weeks to notice. :-( We felt HORRIBLE when we did figure it out, because by that time he was super dehydrated etc… but he was still acting fine! Purring and everything!
Anyway it turned out to be advanced gingivitis, so now he’s on a wet-food-only diet. I might have to try the wetting-down of dry food though. Canned cat food is expensive, especially since he’s also at risk for diabetes so I’m not supposed to buy a lot of the cheap brands (which are mostly filled with fat).
It seems like I remember my vet clinic being pretty non-judgy about declawing, too, but it was 10 years ago so who even knows what they’ll be like by the time we adopt another cat.