The Vet

We have a very old cat.  Recently, he became ill so off to the vet we went.  We know that at his age, we won’t go to extremes, but we wanted to find out what was wrong.  He was refusing to eat and was VERY lethargic which is very abnormal for him.  He’s also usually very mouthy and refused to talk at all.  

The vet examined him, did blood work, gave him fluids, a shot, and sent him home to wait for the results of the blood work.  Needless to say, we were concerned about him and were trying to entice him to eat to no avail.  The next day, the results came in but nothing really major showed up.  Disheartened, we thought we were going to lose him.

Fortunately, he started to eat his wet food but as of this writing, he’s not eating his hard food much.  BUT, he has bounced back, is more active, and is back to his vocal self.

So, why am I telling you this story?  The vet bill came in at $330.  We didn’t flinch because we have a vet “fund” that we use for any treatment.  Now, having said that, at age 17 1/2, would I spend money for cancer treatment if that was his diagnosis?  Probably not.  But, we will do palliative care for him for the rest of his life.  The vet has agreed that if all he’ll eat is wet food, wet food it is.  That doesn’t mean we won’t offer him kibble.  But, if he doesn’t eat it, so be it.  When you have an elderly pet, making decisions about his healthcare can be difficult.  I know it was for us.  But I think we’ve got a good plan and will keep him as happy and healthy as we can for as long as we can.

So, the basic moral of this story is to set aside money every month towards veterinary care for your pet.  We don’t have pet insurance for him as it’s too costly at his age, so having money set aside is the best plan.  Now, go hug your pet today.