For people who adopt older dogs...

[Anonymous]

...How do you handle their illnesses? I'm wondering how people who don't have a boatload of money to spend make certain choices about treatment options and approaches to illness in your dogs.

I ask because we recently - 6 weeks ago - adopted a 7-8 yr old dog. We love him, but he is naturally still kind of new to us. When our last dog (whom we had adopted at 1.5 yrs and had for 9 yrs) developed cancer, we poured far more money than I can even think about into his surgeries, both of which failed, and he died within three days of diagnosis anyway. Just today we were told that our newly adopted dog may have cancer, and honestly, I'm wondering what to do. How can we shell out that kind of money again, especially when we didn't have it in the first place, and plus, we hardly have any history with this dog? On the other hand, how can we not?

I should add, we were not expecting to adopt an older dog. We had picked a 3 yr old to arrive on a transport from a shelter in SC, but when he arrived, he was much older, much heavier, and had a good deal more health problems (arthritis, hip displasia) than we ever expected. When we raised questions with the rescue org, we were told we could return him to the shelter - where his time was already up. Naturally, we weren't going to do that, so we adopted him, and he has been a great dog and super sweet. But we were really hoping for a long and fun streak with our new dog and weren't anticipating dealing with potentially major health problems so soon. It's been only three months since our last dog died.

So anyway - what do people who adopt older dogs do when they get ill shortly after adoption? Please share your philosophy on addressing their illnesses.

Thank you very much for your response.

[Anonymous]

This is a tough question. Of course, money being unlimited, you address it.

That not being the case, I think first you gather more information. Determine what your options are, the prices and the comfort of your new pet in the pursuit of each option.

In the meantime, love and bond with your dog. Some extra snuggles and table scraps. Our second dog it took me a while to bond with - he had some behaviour issues and was more of a burden than a pleasure (initially). I feel bad it took me a bit longer to love him- now I can't imagine living without him.

So, no answers, but in the interim while you get the info and develop the approach, show the little guy as much love as possible.

[Anonymous]

I dealt with a similar issue with a horse I saved from the meat man. In my case, it was a 5 year old, otherwise healthy, horse that I could not make sound enough for riding.

I'll tell you my philosophy, which may sound heartless, but I think is imminently practical. When you "save" an animal (be it an 8 year old dog who finds himself in the shelter, or a 5 year old horse who has had his legs run off at the track), you have given him a second chance that many other people would not have given him. You don't owe him anymore. (And I say this as the owner of a 10 year old dog we adopted at 1.5 years, for whom I would probably bankrupt myself on paying for cancer treatments -- he's like one of my children!)

The reality is that treating a pet for cancer can be very very expensive, and it really isn't always in the animal's best interest. (Or in my case, just paying for a horse to be a beautiful, non-rideable pasture ornament for the next 25 years can be equally expensive!). Sometimes, due to financial reality, or medical necessity, the kindest thing to do is to control the animal's demise through euthanasia.

If you allow yourself to make a reasonable financial decision, you open yourself up to take a chance on the NEXT 8 year old dog who also needs a home.

Do what you can, and what feels right. But don't feel guilty if you ultimately decide that you just can't spent $2-3K on cancer treatments. Lots of people can't.

[Anonymous]

Sorry to hear all that, it is very nice of you to try to help out a dog but you were dupt by the peopel who "re-homed" the dog. It all jsut reaffirms why we get pure bred puppies from a reputable breeder

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Sorry to hear all that, it is very nice of you to try to help out a dog but you were dupt by the peopel who "re-homed" the dog. It all jsut reaffirms why we get pure bred puppies from a reputable breeder

Ignore this dipshit, who obviously has no clue what s/he is talking about.

To your point, OP, talk to your vet and get information. We had a dog that we put to sleep last summer due to cancer (end stages when we put him to sleep). We determined that given his age, it was not practical to pursue cancer (it would not have significantly extended his life) and we did not think an older do could or should be forced to endure surgeries/chemo that would cause discomfort -possibly significant discomfort. We decided to keep him comfortable and do what we could to help him enjoy what time he had left. If it were a younger dog, the decision would have been much harder.

FWIW, he went downhill very fast and we put him to sleep about 2 mos. after diagnosis (multiple organ cancer).

And, as for the length of time you've had that time, to me that is irrelevant. You made a committment.

[Anonymous]

OP here. Thanks for the replies. Yes, we are still collecting info. We don't know for sure it's cancer - the vet just raised the question yesterday because she doesn't know what is wrong with him. It kind of felt like deja vu with our last dog, and I started thinking, Holy crap - what would we do here? We spent close to 10K on our last dog's failed surgeries, and that is money that is not just lying around in a bank account, so I know how quickly cancer treatments can add up. We were prepared with him for another boatload for chemo if the surgeries had been successful, but that was for a dog we had had and adored for 9 yrs who was truly like a child to us, crazy as that may sound.

We do love this new dog, and we are definitely bonding with him. He knows he is loved and gets a ton of attention. And yes, as a PP wrote, we did make a commitment. We opened our home and our hearts to him. We buy his arthritis supplements, drop lots of money (yesterday was $400) at the vet, walk him three half hour walks a day, bought ramps so he could walk up into our cars since he can't jump up - everything to make him comfortable and loved and welcomed as part of our family. But there's no clear standard on what "commitment" means to a dog when it comes to cancer treatments, which could be many thousands of dollars. So this is why i am asking. As a PP wrote, if I spend all my money on this dog, then it's another dog down the road who won't get rescued. Or my son who won't get his speech therapy sessions. Money used for one thing is taken from another in our household. But clearly I'm still struggling with what the right thing to do is here, and I figure it's easier to think about this now, when it's still (hopefully) theoretical rather than when the vet gives us the verdict next time we see her.

My husband said what one of the PPs did - that this new dog's life is immeasurably improved by being with us in our family, he is adored and petted and walked and played with, so even if we don't ultimately choose to put him through surgeries and chemo (if they are indicated), it doesn't mean he isn't lucky as can be to have us. It sounds good, but I worry that just because it makes me feel better doesn't mean that it's right.

Sigh. I didn't need this because I'm already struggling with those like another PP who think we're crazy to have adopted an older rescue dog (they think we should have gone to a breeder and gotten a puppy whose limited past was known).

[Anonymous]

I'm so sorry for the loss of your dog and that you are facing a cancer diagnosis so soon with your new dog. My heart goes out to you in a big way.

My take is: First, do not go into debt for your dog's medical treatment. Second, seriously consider the quality of life and the chances of recovery. Our first dog died of cancer. It had gone undetected until he was in heart failure, at which point it was really too late. From the research I did after the fact, it seemed that even if it had been caught, treatments would have only prolonged his life by a few months. A few months of chemo and surgery, not a few months of chasing squirrels and other fun. If I had had the chance, I probably would not have put him through chemo, but would have simply treasured every day with him. FWIW, I am not sure I would put myself through chemo if it would only prolong my life by 6 months either. I'm big into quality of life over longevity (within reasons of living a healthy life, not fast and furious).

But not every cancer is the same, so it is hard to give much advice without knowing more about the type of cancer and treatments.

Did you commit to any level of care in the adoption application? I seem to recall some groups asked questions about how much we'd be willing and able to spend in such situations.

[Anonymous]

I don't have experience with older adopted dogs, but I do know end-of-life issues for pets. My take is this: if it's cancer, let him die of it. Medical treatment is frightening for the animal, expensive for you, and not terribly effective. Go for palliative care, definitely. But you're not doing an animal any favors by putting him through the medical wringer.

We have this deep-seated belief that every living being deserves every tool in the scientific arsenal to prolong its life. I have come to believe that animals don't want that. Death holds no fear for them. It's harder for US to give up our attachment to the idea of "doing everything we can". You're very kind to make the end of his life, however long it lasts, fun and comfortable. Don't ruin his newfound happiness with regular veterinary torture.

[Anonymous]

OP I feel for your situation. My DH and I adopted a dog who was only 3 and faced these same issues. I have gotten rescue dogs my whole life and when I heard about this female dog who had been abused by her previous owners and was at the pound I felt I needed to give her a chance. We were told that she sometimes had seizures. Well, in reality she had them all the time. I think most occurred at night when no one was there and they could not tell at the shelter. Also, in her abusive home she was left outside so know one would have known the difference.

Anyways, I spent many sleeples nights, cried often and tried many different medications and other lifestyle changes to try and help her. Her seizures just got worse. The vet was so sympathetic and really supportive. After 3-4 months of constant seizing and the condition worsening I was left with going to the next level and spending thousands on MRIs, etc all with no guarantee. I had already spent close to 1K. I also knew I could not send her back to a shelter where she would be alone and sick and no one would want her. I told my vet I could not take it anymore and just wanted her to have the quality of life she deserved. My husband and I stayed with her the whole time and had her ashes buried on an apple orchard.

I guess the point is you will know when you have reached the limit by your own emotional exhaustion and the limits the vet can help the dog without spending an insane amount of money for no return.

Also, spending money on chemo and things like that is not always best. I went running the other day and saw an emaciated and partly bald cat wandering around with blood dripping from its mouth. I ran to a house nearby and knocked on the door for help and was told it was their neighbor's 22 year old cat who had cancer and was undergoing chemo. I remember asking "and they don't just put her to sleep?" I am telling you that cat looked at me with pure pain and misery and wanted to just be at peace, but the owners could not let her go. It is all a balance.

At the end of my experience I knew I had put all the emotional and financial energy into our new dog that I had and that we were all tapped out. Good luck and just focus on making your new dog comfortable and happy and he will let you know about the rest.

[Anonymous]

OP, kudos to you for adopting this dog and doing your best. Just get all the info you can and you'll know what the right decision is. If it is cancer and requires major treatment, that is so disruptive to a pet's quality of life that you may well decide you don't want to put the dog through it, let alone not do it for other reasons.

I can somewhat relate because we adopted a 6 y.o. dog with major health problems. To be fair, we did know about them in advance and just fell in love with him. We decided we'd either help save his life or give him a loving home to live his last days/weeks/months. It took $20K over 15 months but he survived and four years later, we are so glad that we did it. At the time it was an outrageous amount of money to us but we don't have any regrets. While he definitely didn't enjoy the medical treatments, it wasn't chemo or anything (he had major autoimmune issues and the worst case of doggie Crohn's the specialist had ever seen). He's now 10 and he's wonderful. Now, had it been cancer and required treatments that were painful or just made him really sick, I don't think we would have done it--for his sake.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Sorry to hear all that, it is very nice of you to try to help out a dog but you were dupt by the peopel who "re-homed" the dog. It all jsut reaffirms why we get pure bred puppies from a reputable breeder

This statement is idiotic. I've volunteered for rescue groups for many years and have seen many "pure bred dogs from reputable breeders" given up by people because the dogs behaved poorly and/or because the dogs became ill. For some reason the (less well bred) owners of these animals somehow had the belief that purebred dogs have fewer problems. Reputable breeder or not there are many inherited defects passed among purebred lines PLUS the regular, run of the mill, take your chances with life diseases that anyone can get at any time.

[Anonymous]

OP

Good for you for adopting an older dog. It is wonderful that the dog has known a loving home.

I honestly struggle with thoughts of what we will do if our dog - whom we love dearly - would need a lot of medical care. Even the twice yearly vet visits are so costly, they make me wonder who can afford to have a pet these days. And when I hear about people pay $5K to $10K on operations, I honestly don't know what we would do. Pre-kids, we would have spent it. But now, our income in tighter and we would suffer from the expense. So it would have to be a sure fix (if you pay this, the dog will be healthy).

Don't make any rash decisions right now, ask a lot of questions. How much time could the dog have? How expensive are the treatments? How likely is it that the dog will live a healthy life for several more years if you do take on the expense? How likely is it the dog will be in pain from the treatments and will die anyway? Honestly, I don't think any animal or even human wants to live longer if it means living miserably. And it has to be harder on animals, since they don't really get to make the choice and don't understand what is going on.

[Anonymous]

Funny - all my friends that have paid thousands and thousands on vet bills are my friends that bought pure bread dogs from breeders. They tend to have horrible health problems and be very poorly behaved (eat things and get sick)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Funny - all my friends that have paid thousands and thousands on vet bills are my friends that bought pure bread dogs from breeders. They tend to have horrible health problems and be very poorly behaved (eat things and get sick)

Hate pure bread dogs that eat things and get sick and die.