A few months ago, my 4-year old terrier mix, Roxie, began showing signs of back pain. She became limpy, lethargic, and lazy. We tried steroids. We tried muscle relaxants. We tried acupuncture. Nothing helped.
Within a few weeks, she appeared to shrink- her back half withered and atrophied. She could barely walk, she cried out when she was touched, and she stopped eating. She could not lift her head and she trembled non-stop.
She was clearly suffering, and it would not be healing itself. Finally, the vet told me I had a choice- spend $3,500 for surgery to repair her severly herniated disk, or spend $150 to put her to sleep.
He gave a very optimistic long term prognosis, but was clear that there was no guarantee that this wouldn't happen again on a different vertebrae at some point in the future.
It was just before Christmas. I had gifts to buy, and a nearly empty heating oil tank. I had already spent several hundred dollars on her diagnosis and treatment. I didn't have any money saved. I couldn't justify spending so much on a pet, right?
But, she's only 4 years old, I thought. I have a lot of blankets, I thought. I had just enough room on my credit card. I thought about how lucky I was to even have credit, and the option of charging it and paying for it later. I thought, it's only money! I work at Planet Dog!
But mostly I thought about how much I loved her and wanted her to feel better. I thought how unfair it would be to rescue her from death row at an Arkansas shelter, give her a short taste of a really good life, and then let her die in so much pain.
I explained to my family that I didn't want any gifts for Christmas, and would only be giving to the children. I maxed out my credit card. I turned down the heat. She had the surgery. I don't eat out much these days.
If she had been 14 years old, I would have likely made a different decision, but I am very hopeful that I will enjoy another decade with this dog. That's only $350/year - it's practically a bargain! I hope that karma will appreciate the investment I have made in her and keep the rest of her spine healthy.
She has healed beautifully. She still has a funny looking patch on her back where the hair hasn't grown back in, but she is more agile, more energetic and more adorable than ever before.
Every time she lifts her head to look at me, I just know that she is saying thank you. And that she'll keep me warm when the heating oil is gone.
How much have you spent on a pet's health? What do you consider too much? How do you decide?
