My 12 year old yellow lab, sweetest girl ever, is sick. She's been at a fabulous facility in Bucks County PA the past 3 days. They've ruled out cancer but she has something going on with her kidney and gall bladder. I'm already $7500 into her treatment with another $12K for suggested surgery to remove her gall bladder, with no real assurance that they know what her issue is.
They sent her home with me tonight, and she is lying in her bed in my office next to me as I type this. I've had a lot of wine tonight trying to figure out what to do.
I love this dog to no end.
A lot of us have been through similar situations --- and they are tough and they are gut wrenching. The hardest part is that we sometimes don't realize just how close a relationship we have developed with a good and loyal dog. You nailed it when you said "Man's best friend". The second hardest part is the balance between being rational (the dog is 12 years old, the vet at a fabulous facility can't assure you exactly what the actual issue is, and you've already spent $7500 with another $12,000 on the horizon) vs. emotional (you want to do everything you possibly can for this sweet old girl and possibly you're battling internally over potentially feeling "cheap" if you don't do everything you can to help her).
I think the two keys to your decision making are both related to realistic quality of life issues. I'm going to assume that she has had a great life up until this sickness and I'm going to assume that, even with today's modern veterinarian sciences, the fact that they can't be specific exactly why she is sick is, in itself, very telling. That said, I'd talk to the vet (who has seen and dealt with a multitude of situations with older dogs) and request his or her thoughts. We never want the financial side of the equation to be a final determinate, but it does have to be a consideration. I don't have a recommendation, per se, because I don't know enough to, but I do have an opinion. I think there is a definite risk related to her future quality of life if she has major surgery that still may not be able to either pinpoint or solve her problem. My opinion is that I'd give serious thought to putting her down.
That decision, and it's aftermath, is brutal BUT both of you will have the memories of 12 years of happier times. Time may not heal all wounds, but time does generally soften all wounds. And in the not terribly distant future I would visit an animal shelter and rescue a new dog. I can tell by your heartfelt text that dog is going to be one of the luckiest dogs alive, and I think that happy dog is not only going to a great owner but he or she is also going to speed the process of you healing from losing your wonderful lab (kind of a win/win scenario). Believe me, no one has the all the answers, but you have a lot of support from those of us who have faced similar situations.
