What is you pet worth to you?

[rah]

In the middle east it would probably be the cost of a decent entree.

[Dinner]

No one has done the "tree fiddy" joke? What is this place coming to?

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=9cn7xfBpZ3M

[Sir Og]

Rah you might try giving your wife the following two articles to read.

http://www.zocalopublicsquare.org/2011/11/30/how-doctors-die/ideas/nexus/

http://slatestarcodex.com/2013/07/17/who-by-very-slow-decay/

This might change her mind.

It’s not a frequent topic of discussion, but doctors die, too. And they don’t die like the rest of us. What’s unusual about them is not how much treatment they get compared to most Americans, but how little. For all the time they spend fending off the deaths of others, they tend to be fairly serene when faced with death themselves. They know exactly what is going to happen, they know the choices, and they generally have access to any sort of medical care they could want. But they go gently.

[Alexander's Horse]

Very old pets have their own rewards, as long as they aren't suffering too much. A bit like us really.

[Proteus_MST]

Very old pets have their own rewards, as long as they aren't suffering too much. A bit like us really.

Don´t you think that the reward of very old Apolytoniers rises with the amount of suffering they have to endure?

[pchang]

It is a mistake to anthropomorphize one's pets too much.

[rah]

Just to update. We had her put down last Friday. A sad day all around.
Was it worth it?
At least when we were doing it, my wife was convinced that she had done everything she could.
A small comfort, but it was something.

[NICE MOBIUS]

So, basically a success then.

[rah]

A small expensive one, but yes.

[Serb]

One of our cats just turned 15 and has gotten quite sick.

After a few trips to the vet I am now aware that there are cat oncologists and cat chemo.
Go Figure.
The wife figures our pet of 15 years is worth the cost of some tests and some treatment.
(despite the bills totaling over $1500.)
A followup checkup is next week with surgery as a possibility. I can only assume that cat operating tools are quite expensive.

The cat is so weak she can barely make it up one stair.
She's not in obvious extreme pain yet, but I don't think that day is too far in the future.

I've had to put pets down in the past and always find it trying.

How much would you be willing to fork out for treatment of a sick pet?

My dog was like a brother for me. He has passed when he was 15 just due to his age. Dogs of that breed don't live so long as 15 years usually. I was on my job, when he died. He just quietly died licking the hand of my father for the last time before his last breath. Our whole family was there soon after and we cried for him like he was a member of our family, which he really was a part of for 15 years. The smartest dog ever. He didn't speak our language, but he understood everything and replied with a shine of his years. I still have dreams about him. And funny thing - the last such dream was this exact night.
1500$ is nothing.

[rah]

This is the first time that I was actually there when the deed was done.
Quite sad.
It is amazing how much they become part of the family.

I figure the final total was just over 3 grand.

We popped 20 bucks for the pet print memorial.

But watching the comfort it brought my wife, I'd agree to the whole amount again.

[Sava]

Just to update. We had her put down last Friday. A sad day all around.
Was it worth it?
At least when we were doing it, my wife was convinced that she had done everything she could.
A small comfort, but it was something.

sorry for your loss

[Sava]

It is a mistake to anthropomorphize one's pets too much.

it is a mistake to elevate humans above other life forms

the assumption is that we are anything but smart apes who learned how to feed ourselves efficiently, allowing everyone else to jack the **** off....

or rather, be slaves for others

humans are retarded

[Sava]

the worst is an ideology or belief system that puts us at the center/top

we're about as special as a speck of **** on AIDS' ass

[rah]

I do have to admit that I felt more sorrow than at some of the funerals that I attended.

It was sad. I took the day off work and just held her for a few hours before we brought her in. She was so weak she could barely move. She was resting comfortably on my lap and got this screwed up kind of look on her face and I realized that she was so weak that she couldn't get up and just peed on my lap.
It confirmed that we were making the right decision.

She had lost over 20% of her mass in less than 4 days.

She'll be missed.

However, her sister seems overjoyed at the extra attention.