Tough Decisions Ahead
I've had my cat Cocoa for almost 18 years now. I've had her since she was a kitten. Recently, she hasn't had the best health.
Over the past 1 1/2 years, I've watched her develop several medical conditions:
1. She lost a majority of her eyesight due to high blood pressure. During that time, she was taking blood pressure medication twice daily and also had steroid drops in one of her eyes to reduce inflammation.
2. She has been on the blood pressure medication twice daily routinely for over a year now.
3. She got a lesion in her eye, probably due to running into something around the apartment. She had antibiotic drops to heal that injury.
4. She developed a bladder infection and took antibiotic pills daily.
5. Throughout all of these diagnoses, she's had blood drawn several times, urine samples taken several times, x-rays taken, blood pressure checks, and lots of poking and prodding.
Within the past 2 weeks, Matt discovered blood in her urine throughout the apartment. I brought her in and determined she had another infection. The vet put her on more antibiotics and did a recheck 10 days later. At that appointment, she determined that the infection was gone, but that blood was still in her urine. Blood was drawn to check for hyperthyroidism, which may be presenting itself through this infection. The vet said she'd call me on Monday with the results. If her thyroid was normal, it could mean she has a bladder stone or a blood clot.
On Sunday, I found that she was urinating throughout the apartment again, some of which was bloody. I called immediately this morning to get the test results and determine the next plan of action. Her thyroid was normal, so I had to decide about further testing.
At the appointment this morning, the vet first recommended to get an x-ray to look for a bladder stone. If one was found, it would require surgery of around $1,000. Given her age, I told her that wouldn't be an option. Not only is it expensive, but at this point in her life, I don't think I want to put her through the stress of surgery with everything else she's had going on. She absolutely hates going to the vet.
The x-ray would not show a blood clot. Instead, we'd have to get an ultrasound. However, the technician is not there on a regular basis, so we wouldn't know when that would be able to be done. If she had a blood clot, it's likely due to her high blood pressure. There didn't seem to be much to do for that except to medicate.
The vet also mentioned that there's an off chance she could also have some sort of syndrome that causes her to have blood in her urine. She mentioned a cat that had nothing medically wrong with it, but it just had blood in the urine 5 days every few weeks.
The vet, given her history and symptoms, seemed to believe it was most likely a blood clot. So, I opted to put her on antibiotics once again and some pain medication to help her be more comfortable.
I'm feeling like I may have to reach a big decision sometime soon, and part of me feels guilty. I've been very stressed about her the past 1 1/2 years with all of her medical issues. Matt and I will be moving in a few weeks, and I'm admittedly really worried about moving her. She'll be stressed trying to learn the new layout without her eyesight, and if her bladder condition doesn't improve, she could damage the carpeting. That, and I'll have the added stress of worrying about her constantly. I'm also admittedly worried about paying the medical expenses, though I acknowledge that's admittedly selfish.
I don't know how much her conditions are decreasing her quality of life, but I do know that it has decreased recently as I remember her in her younger, more active years. I don't know how that compares to my worry about her and my lack of desire to pay for major medical expenses. I feel very guilty at the thought of putting her down when I don't know if I'm stealing good weeks, months, or years from her life. But then again, I have no way of knowing if she is even currently comfortable and happy.
As I monitor her symptoms this next week or so, I think I'll have some important decisions to make. For those of you who are pet owners and/or have dealt with aging pets, your advice (on either side of the argument) is appreciated.
Over the past 1 1/2 years, I've watched her develop several medical conditions:
1. She lost a majority of her eyesight due to high blood pressure. During that time, she was taking blood pressure medication twice daily and also had steroid drops in one of her eyes to reduce inflammation.
2. She has been on the blood pressure medication twice daily routinely for over a year now.
3. She got a lesion in her eye, probably due to running into something around the apartment. She had antibiotic drops to heal that injury.
4. She developed a bladder infection and took antibiotic pills daily.
5. Throughout all of these diagnoses, she's had blood drawn several times, urine samples taken several times, x-rays taken, blood pressure checks, and lots of poking and prodding.
Within the past 2 weeks, Matt discovered blood in her urine throughout the apartment. I brought her in and determined she had another infection. The vet put her on more antibiotics and did a recheck 10 days later. At that appointment, she determined that the infection was gone, but that blood was still in her urine. Blood was drawn to check for hyperthyroidism, which may be presenting itself through this infection. The vet said she'd call me on Monday with the results. If her thyroid was normal, it could mean she has a bladder stone or a blood clot.
On Sunday, I found that she was urinating throughout the apartment again, some of which was bloody. I called immediately this morning to get the test results and determine the next plan of action. Her thyroid was normal, so I had to decide about further testing.
At the appointment this morning, the vet first recommended to get an x-ray to look for a bladder stone. If one was found, it would require surgery of around $1,000. Given her age, I told her that wouldn't be an option. Not only is it expensive, but at this point in her life, I don't think I want to put her through the stress of surgery with everything else she's had going on. She absolutely hates going to the vet.
The x-ray would not show a blood clot. Instead, we'd have to get an ultrasound. However, the technician is not there on a regular basis, so we wouldn't know when that would be able to be done. If she had a blood clot, it's likely due to her high blood pressure. There didn't seem to be much to do for that except to medicate.
The vet also mentioned that there's an off chance she could also have some sort of syndrome that causes her to have blood in her urine. She mentioned a cat that had nothing medically wrong with it, but it just had blood in the urine 5 days every few weeks.
The vet, given her history and symptoms, seemed to believe it was most likely a blood clot. So, I opted to put her on antibiotics once again and some pain medication to help her be more comfortable.
I'm feeling like I may have to reach a big decision sometime soon, and part of me feels guilty. I've been very stressed about her the past 1 1/2 years with all of her medical issues. Matt and I will be moving in a few weeks, and I'm admittedly really worried about moving her. She'll be stressed trying to learn the new layout without her eyesight, and if her bladder condition doesn't improve, she could damage the carpeting. That, and I'll have the added stress of worrying about her constantly. I'm also admittedly worried about paying the medical expenses, though I acknowledge that's admittedly selfish.
I don't know how much her conditions are decreasing her quality of life, but I do know that it has decreased recently as I remember her in her younger, more active years. I don't know how that compares to my worry about her and my lack of desire to pay for major medical expenses. I feel very guilty at the thought of putting her down when I don't know if I'm stealing good weeks, months, or years from her life. But then again, I have no way of knowing if she is even currently comfortable and happy.
As I monitor her symptoms this next week or so, I think I'll have some important decisions to make. For those of you who are pet owners and/or have dealt with aging pets, your advice (on either side of the argument) is appreciated.